Positioning your brand well creates a path to success that is shorter and easier. It helps your customers know they should select you.

[Bonus at end of post - Get this post in a PDF.]

Think about this: if a prospect is comparing your product with a competitor's, what is there about yours that would make them choose it? If there's nothing to differentiate the two, you have a commodity that people will only choose based on price, and that's the last thing you want. Or, even worse, what if your prospects think something about your company or product that isn't true?

Fail to differentiate yourself in the marketplace and you'll be exiled to the commodity ranks.

Never fear, though, because there's always something that you can use as a differentiator.

The differentiator doesn't have to already exist. You can create it!

The key is to take a step back and look closely to see what really is different - or what could be.

Being faced with a never ending parade of new social media platforms and other tools for marketing often makes it overwhelming when it's time to create a marketing plan. How do you know what to use and when to use it? Should you just go ahead and use everything to avoid having to make a decision?

Well, I might be stretching it a bit, but you never know...

note: the following press release was issued by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in relation to a contract recently awarded to Glerin through a competitive bid process. Both Downtown Westfield Corporation and Main Street Vineland received grants to work with Glerin.

Main Street New Jersey Awards District Branding and Digital Design Service Grant (Westfield)

TRENTON, NJ –The Main Street New Jersey program administered by the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) today announced that Downtown Westfield Corporation has been awarded a District Branding and Digital Design service grant. The grant will allow Westfield Downtown Corporation to create a new brand for its district, as well as a specially designed website developed by Glerin Business Resources, Inc. of Halifax, VA.　

Through the Main Street New Jersey program, the DCA partners with 19 local Main Street nonprofit organizations throughout the State to reinvigorate traditional downtowns and neighborhood business districts. They all share a common goal of improving their commercial districts to help make them better places in which to live, shop, work, and do business. Over the past several years, Main Street New Jersey has included more services related directly to small business and business district branding to help traditional commercial districts market themselves more effectively.