2 things you need to know about Marketing your Category, and not the Brand

There are two valuable takeaways in this article post and they are simply:

1. Name & Claim your category

2. Market the category, not your brand

Permit me to explain extensively…

The first step to getting a customer interested in your product is to clearly communicate what category it falls into. This means giving it a name that is concise and memorable. For instance, “electric car” is a clear and concise category that conveys what the product is and how it works. Similarly, “At-Home Workout Equipment” immediately communicates the type of product and its unique selling point.

It’s important to choose a category that accurately reflects your product and sets it apart from competitors. This can be a challenge, as there may be many similar products on the market. However, by focusing on what makes your product unique and valuable, you can develop a category that stands out.

Once you have named and claimed your category, it should be the foundation of everything you do, from your branding to your marketing strategy. By consistently emphasizing your product’s category and unique selling point, you can build a strong brand that resonates with customers.

Naming and claiming your product category is a crucial first step in attracting customers and building a successful brand. It’s important to choose a category that accurately reflects your product and sets it apart from competitors, and to use this category as the foundation for all of your branding and marketing efforts.

Secondly, focus on Marketing the Category, not just your Brand. That’s because categories instantly convey what they are and whether or not someone might be interested in them.

To successfully market your product, it's important to first focus on establishing the category that your product falls into. Customers need to know what your product is and what category it belongs to, before they can be interested in what you're offering. When you market the category, customers will be able to immediately understand what your product is about and whether it is something they are interested in. If you focus too much on your brand instead of the category, customers may assume that your product is just a copycat of the market leader or just another alternative.

Therefore, it’s important to focus on marketing the category first and foremost. By doing this, customers will assume that your brand is the leader in that particular category. Once you establish yourself as the leader in the category, you can then focus on building your brand and differentiating yourself from other brands in the same category.

An expert in bootstrapping, Nicolas Cole made a more interesting explanation using some practical examples in an expansive write-up:

Instead of focusing solely on promoting your brand, it’s more effective to market your category. People are more interested in the category and what it represents than the specific brand name. For example, people care about plant-based burgers in general, not just Beyond Meat’s specific brand. If you market the category effectively, customers will assume that your brand is the leader in that category.

However, if you focus too much on promoting your brand instead of the category, customers may view you as just another option instead of the top choice in that category. Therefore, it’s essential to market your category first and foremost to capture customer attention and establish your position as the leader in that space.

That sums it up.