Are you struggling to differentiate your business from the competition? Do you find it challenging to identify and target your ideal audience with a clear message that resonates with them? If so, you are not alone. Even leading technology companies are facing similar challenges as competitors match them on functions, features, and price. An example is simply looking at cellphone manufacturers, you have leading players such as Samsung, and Huawei, but you also find Tecno, Doogee, that are matching them with features, and a lower price. Undercutting them
However, some companies are succeeding in becoming the dominant Go-To brand while others languish as me-too providers, think iPhones, which are considered to be the top tier in the portable phone market. This is where the APK Method comes in, a proprietary methodology of Wizz Digital, which is taught to clients through our academy or deployed in clients' businesses through our consultancy.
The APK Method is based on three core principles: Anchor, Propel, and Kure. As a business owner, I have faced this issue myself. I started trying to figure out what made some companies stand out, while others struggled to differentiate themselves. This led to the creation of the APK Method
What is the APK Method
We have deployed the APK Method in different industries, and it has worked, especially now that enterprise customers and even consumers are demanding full solutions to their problems and not just generic products or services. The method is for businesses that sell some kind of intangible product or service—the kind of product or service that is difficult for customers to hold in their hands, evaluate, or compare to others until they have bought and are using it.
The first principle of the APK Method is Anchor, which is laser-focused audience targeting that speaks to both the logical and subconscious minds.
The second principle is Propel, which leverages data and emotional triggers to cut through the market noise and capture the attention of the ideal target audience, generating demand (This is accomplished through the deployment of the content marketing ecosystem playbook, which is also our proprietary framework).
Finally, the Kure principle involves capturing created demand, thus filling the sales pipeline with warm prospects that have been pre-qualified and pre-sold through propelled marketing messages.
The concepts of the APK Method even apply to individuals seeking to build a personal brand. Regardless of the sector, businesses will find that many, if not all, of these principles, apply and can improve their margins and prospects for growth.The reality is that when businesses look and sound like everyone else, they are effectively at a model audition where all models at a casting are held equal. This makes them a me-too commodity forced to compete on price when competition increases and/or demand slows. When businesses are a me-too in a crowded space, prospects cannot tell the difference between them and the competition, reducing them to a commodity and leaving them to compete on price, features, and benefits, a race to the bottom.To combat this, businesses need to become the Go-To brand in their industry, taking a combination of brand positioning, messaging fine-tuning, and precise targeting. The APK Method's combination of these three elements ensures that businesses break through the noise and become the Go-To brand in their chosen markets.
The Advantages of being a go-to brand
A Go-To brand turns work away, names its terms, and may even have prospects competing for its business. It's one thing to differentiate and focus, but becoming the Go-To brand in a chosen market is incredibly powerful and profitable. In addition to obtaining sustainable differentiation, firms maintain healthy margins and grow revenues over time. Market dominance means becoming the Go-To brand for a particular market need and being so unique and superior at filling that need that businesses can command premium prices, work with premium customers, and hire premium people. The greatest advantage of being the Go-To brand is financial. As the Go-To brand, businesses will likely compete less on price, if at all.
They can command much higher prices than the competition because the buyer considers the benefits offered to far outweigh the cost. Another significant advantage of being a Go-To brand is standing out from the crowd. As the top-of-mind solution, businesses become the solution of choice for customers.
Who does it work for?
If your company is having trouble differentiating from the competition and is competing on price, the APK Method is for you. This is especially true if your work has a direct or indirect bearing on revenue and/or margins. This includes direct or support roles in business unit operations and management; sales, business development, and partner relationships; marketing; product, service, and/or solution development and maintenance; client delivery and support activity; human resources and training; infrastructure and information systems; and financial management.
When your business looks and sounds like everyone else, you’re effectively at a model audition where all models at a casting are held equal. Like 99 percent of the companies out there, you are failing to differentiate in a way that’s blatantly obvious to customers, which makes you a me-too commodity, and benefits, a race to the bottom.
Intangible products such as courses and services are especially susceptible. Buyers can’t easily touch or experience them before making a purchase. Almost any professional service category is a great example. Go out to the websites of various doctors, lawyers, graphic designers, advertising or graphic design agencies, venture capital firms, architecture firms, information technology service providers, communications service providers, and so on, and try to figure out what makes each unique. Chances are that you can strip the names of the website, for companies within a category, mix them up, and find it impossible to know which paragraph belongs to which firm.
How to recognize you need this type of marketing strategy
This is a marketing strategy that is for brands interested in growing brand awareness and recognition, as well as establishing themselves as a go to premium brand that sits above others, and cannot be compared to cheaper substitutes. To do this, a business needs to exit the side of the market where they are part of the noise.
So, how do you know that you are part of the noise?
There are several characteristics of a business that is part of the noise in the market and fail to stand out to gain market share:
Lack of unique selling proposition (USP): A business that is part of the noise in the market usually lacks a unique selling proposition, which is a characteristic or feature that sets it apart from its competitors. Without a USP, customers have no reason to choose the business over its competitors.
Poor branding: A business that is part of the noise in the market usually has poor branding that fails to capture the attention of customers. The branding may be outdated, unappealing, or unmemorable, making it difficult for customers to remember the business.
Weak marketing strategy: A business that is part of the noise in the market usually has a weak marketing strategy that fails to reach its target audience effectively. The marketing messages may be confusing, inconsistent, or lack clarity, making it difficult for customers to understand what the business is offering.Lack of customer engagement: A business that is part of the noise in the market usually fails to engage its customers effectively. This may be due to poor customer service, lack of follow-up, or failure to listen to customer feedback.
Limited distribution channels: A business that is part of the noise in the market may have limited distribution channels, which limits its reach to potential customers. The business may fail to take advantage of online channels, social media, or other marketing channels that could help it reach a wider audience.
Failure to innovate: A business that is part of the noise in the market may fail to innovate, which can make it difficult to stand out from competitors. Innovation can come in the form of new products or services, improved processes, or unique marketing strategies that capture the attention of customers. Overall, a business that is part of the noise in the market is failing to differentiate itself from its competitors, making it difficult to gain market share and grow its customer base.
By addressing these characteristics which are essentially what your marketing message is ANCHORED on, businesses can improve their chances of standing out in a crowded market and gaining the attention of potential customers. When should a business propel its marketing message Our framework that we often speak of is the content marketing ecosystem playbook, which essentially falls within the propel phase of our approach The content ecosystem is something we teach inside our program easy sales blueprint as part of the APK™️ METHOD (ANCHOR-PROPEL-KURE), but also the exact strategy we deploy when we take over our clients' marketing when we want to grow brand recognition And to answer this often asked question, It will depend on the stage of the Business you are in as a business, as there are certain things that have to be in place first.
This is something that you can implement when you are sure about the problem you solve, understand your clients like the back of your end, and are clear on how your offer fits in the client's life. If this is not in place, you will propel a whole lot of noise in the market which will hurt you ( you get visible, but clients won't know to pay you for your services) The content marketing ecosystem is the engine meant to propel your marketing message and brand to increase visibility, pre-sell your offer, and gain market share So, being clear as daylight on what you want your prospects to know you for is paramount to the success of the strategy. Therefore, you have to be able to clearly articulate your offer to work with us to implement this into your business.
In a nutshell, the APK Method has a purpose to create Demand for products and services in the market and elevate offers beyond the laws of demand and supply that many products and services often find themselves subjected to because of poor positioning The question you may have becomes, what leads to creating demand
Also Read: How Wizz Digital Marketing Leverages Behavioral Economics in Crafting Go-To-Market Strategy for Clients to Engineer Revenue Growth
FOUR MARKET LEVERS THAT HELP YOU CREATE DEMAND
A really popular economic theory that most people will be acutely familiar with is the law of supply and demand Microeconomics was a favorite subject of mine as I often found the concepts I learned quite practical as I could directly apply in my day-to-day life I'll share an oversimplified version All things held constant, the market will always push for supply and demand to be in equilibrium If there is high supply and low demand, the price of goods and services will drop, which will lead to a decrease in supply until a new state of equilibrium is reached ( Vice Versa)
This push and pull are quite often at play in all sectors. It is a buyer's market when there is a lot more supply than demand, and it is a seller's market when there is more demand than supply The way to being IN DEMAND is to achieve a state where demand exceeds supply, in which there are more buyers than sellers in your market, and you can do this in opposition of the market forces There are four levers in the market that will allow you to create an Inequilibrium where you will find more buyers than sellers:
Innovation – You offer something new and completely different that no one else offers. There's only one seller (you) and a niche of new buyers who want it. This is often the case for category creators.
There are therefore more buyers than sellers by virtue of the fact there's only one supplier and more people who want it.
Relationships – You build such a powerful relationship with prospects that they ignore other sellers. The buyers aren't interested in other sellers.
This is achieved through building brand affinity with the market Convenience – You are answering the needs of the market in the most frictionless way of what they want. This is about being in the right place, at the right time, with something that meets consumers' unmet desires. This works because buyers are reluctant to invest time, money, and energy in finding alternatives.
Price – This occurs when you're able to stand out based on price. You've created a product or service that serves the market in a manner others haven't.
Crucially, you're still able to offer your products at a price that is profitable but that price is lower than other suppliers can achieve. If you look carefully at large and established markets you'll see that there are often four big players who each occupy one of these market positions. You can see it in hotels, airlines, banks, telecommunications, software, cars, and computers. Essentially, the big brands focus on dominating one of these four market imbalances and let other brands fight for alternatives.
You'll also notice that each one of these positions makes it hard to compete with the others. You can't be highly innovative and also convenient; it doesn't work because innovation takes time to roll out with consistency. You can't be super cheap and also compete in relationships; it costs money to build relationships. So you'll have to choose one main market position for your business to focus on.
Hence during onboarding, we enquire about the market position you wish to take in the market, as the market strategy to establish a business as the most price efficient is completely different from an innovative company, and the total opposite of one that wishes to establish themselves as a premium brand. To understand this, one only has to look at the market positioning of Mercedes Benz and Renault for example. The essence of their distinctive positioning is weaved through their respective messaging. Your marketing message is often at the core of much of the disconnects that lead to difficulties in attracting leads and converting them into clients, because of a lack of connection between the offer, the brand positioning, and the intended audience.
Our methodology is focused on building brand authority in industries with your copy, your message, your content, and your marketing because only then do you get that runway where you experience ideal clients reaching out to you wanting to work with you, but not just wanting to work with you, but also willing to invest what you request, and willing to follow your processes because they know and believe you are the expert to work with In conclusion, becoming the Go-To brand in a particular market is a powerful and profitable strategy for any company, no matter its size.
The APK Method offers businesses the necessary tools to achieve this status, breaking through the noise and becoming the top-of-mind solution for customers. If this approach to marketing is something that you would like to implement in your business, feel free to book an appointment with the team here