How to Make Your Product Stand Out In a Crowd. Finding ways to differentiate your products may require some additional market research and tinkering with your product development and advertising. Here are four ways to do it.

As nice as it would be to come up with something that is truly one of a kind, the simple truth is that the majority of “new” products and services already have several competitors in their niche. While you can certainly use your unique life experiences to help establish a competitive edge, the true key to success lies in how you differentiate your products.

The more crowded the marketplace, the more important differentiation becomes. Especially during economically turbulent times, your ability to stand out in positive ways will be key to your startup’s continued growth.

Dive deep into a more specialized niche.

Each product is already a niche in and of itself. Whether you sell sunglasses, backpacks or baby clothing, you are already engaging in some form of niche marketing. However, you can find even greater success when you dig down into even more specialized sub-niches within your primary marketplace.

After all, there is a big difference between the backpack a wilderness hiker needs and the one that would be used in a business setting. Focusing on a specific market group may shrink the potential size of your customer base, but it makes it much easier to reach and appeal to the individuals within that group.

Niche specialization strengthens your brand authority and authenticity. It allows for more focused and cost-effective marketing. It also narrows the competition and gives you a price-setting advantage by focusing on the needs and interests of a potentially underserved market.

Offer value-added features.

One way to create added value for your products is to provide helpful features that the competition may have overlooked. This became especially clear during a recent conversation I had with Natalie Cox, founder of Māden.

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