Making claims that separate you from your competitors

[connersz]

I've always wondered how company's claim things like this, for example:

"UK's leading supermarket"
or
"Best internet provider"

I know some of them must be based on opinion surveys and perhaps profits but does it work the same way each time and how about the smaller businesses making similar claims, how do they do it?

This leads me onto the second part of my question...

I am a portrait photographer in Oxfordshire and I am quite confident that I am the only one who offers these things in my county:

• A guaranteed two working day turnaround on edits.
• A 100% money back guarantee.
• The most and highest rated customer reviews.

At the moment I can only go as far as to looking at my competitors websites by doing online searches. That means I can only use the information I see on their websites, social media etc.

If I wanted to start claiming that I am the only one with these things, how would I need to go about doing it. Is there more I need to do before making such claims and what would happen if they're contested?

 

[Nochexman]

I've always been of the opinion that the quickest way to move ahead is to try it out first and see what happens. So, I would make your claims and wait for someone to contest them.

If they were contested, and I felt the claims worked, I would withdraw / refine them.

In your case, the proviso about being the only one in the county is pretty hidden in your text, so refining this, for example, by saying that you are the only ones to offer your guaranteed two working day turnaround on edits.

The important thing is to make your claim something that your prospective customers are actually interested in, then make it memorable (how you say it) and make sure that it is integral with your business ("Connersz: the two day edit people").

 

[rhys_td]

A wise man once told me, only claim what you can justify.

I'm the best SEO expert in my office - at this precise moment! (I'm currently the only one in the office )

 

[Darryl Wright]

A good way to make any great claims, is to get your clients to leave you reviews. I think that it is 85% of people make decision on reviews. But even better use a 3rd party website for your reviews

 

[connersz]

A good way to make any great claims, is to get your clients to leave you reviews. I think that it is 85% of people make decision on reviews. But even better use a 3rd party website for your reviews

Interestingly I have spoken about reviews on here before. I have tried to use 3rd party sites but they often have some kind of barriers like a registration or something in the way.

I am currently using my own review system and have gathered more reviews than I can count on any competitor website. I am also using Google reviews where I have just 5 reviews but that is still more than almost all of my local competition.

 

[connersz]

In your case, the proviso about being the only one in the county is pretty hidden in your text, so refining this, for example, by saying that you are the only ones to offer your guaranteed two working day turnaround on edits.

I'm a bit confused by this. I can't image saying I'm the only one to offer "my" guarantee. It would suggest that my guarantee is available for other people to use.

 

[Nochexman]

I'm a bit confused by this. I can't image saying I'm the only one to offer "my" guarantee. It would suggest that my guarantee is available for other people to use.

Hhmm - if you are the only one to offer your guarantee how could anyone else offer it?

 

[connersz]

Hhmm - if you are the only one to offer your guarantee how could anyone else offer it?

I understand that much it just doesn't sound quite right in writing. "We are the only ones to have our guarantee". To me it sounds a bit like "We are the only ones who do it our way"

 

[ganah-allan]

I would rather have it stated that I make the following guarantees that most of my competitors may not offer.

 

[Darryl Wright]

If you can point potential clients to your reviews it should help you stand out from your competitors without making any unsubstantiated claims