A competitor copies all of our public material. How can we differentiate?

I have seen this where an inferior company copies you and plays unethical. They copy your web site messaging, they have similar-sounding case studies, they have fake/good G2 reviews, they have fake LinkedIn followers, etc. And they undercut you on price. Problem is buyers at first glance see no differentiation between you and them.

A solution I have seen work well is reliant on you having the better product. Which is you force the evaluator into a hands-on trial where they see first-hand your UI and your capabilities that competitors cannot touch. This exposes differentiation that competitors cannot match. Related to this, for some data products, highlighting superior speeds/feeds using huge demo data sets can expose inferior competitors very well.

I've seen this happen at a few occasions where my material would be directly or indirectly copied.

To address this challenge and stand out, consider the following insights:

• Positive Perspective: The silver lining is that being copied serves as a powerful validation of the success and impact of our work.

• Continuous Innovation: Consider the unique innovations your product and engineering teams have developed that set you apart in the market. While competitors may replicate successful features, consistently pushing the boundaries ensures you stay ahead. Think of how Uber's rideshare business prompted imitation, forcing them to continually enhance their offerings.

Here are some practical recommendations to differentiate and minimize the impact of competitors copying your content:

• Customer Stories: Competitors can mimic messaging, but they can't replicate your customer stories. Incorporate quotes, case studies, or other elements that showcase the unique experiences of your customers. This adds a distinctive touch to your material.

• Partners: If you're launching a new product or feature without customer content, utilize the voices of your partners. Their perspectives and endorsements won't be reproduced (as easily).

• Survey and Data: Share the results of surveys you've conducted or leverage your data such as product usage and performance metrics. Competitors are less likely to promote results that aren't their own!

• Branding: Strengthen your materials through visual elements, structure, and writing style that reflect your unique brand. These aspects are harder for competitors to copy.

More than just safeguards, these elements will continue to set you apart!

Here are a few options that they can't copy, and you can use them to stand out.

• Brand personality: find your distinctive voice - how you speak and appear. Usually, they don't copy your style unless it is not differentiated.

• Customer delight and endorsement - make you customers love you and enable them to get you references, reviews and case studies

• Leverage data from your product to prove value and give insights on the particular use case

• Leverage your employees to give voice and face to your product - you humanize the communication and make it unique.