When you think about marketing commodities like water, gasoline or copper, you realize that any brand or service can be made special. There are many ways to differentiate the actual product from the way you sell and position it to your targeted consumer.
I counted several types of salt we have in our house, and I didn’t look all that far. So today’s challenge was to create a list of how many ways could I market salt. Please help me add to this list in the comment section. And, think about how you could be capitalizing on one or more of these ideas to market your brand or service.
Salt for the Bath – There are dozens of brands of salt-based product that come packaged for the bath tub. They come perfumed or with essential oils. They come from exotic places like Masada or the more mundane mid-west. Many of these products sell for extremely high prices per pound. Imagine marketing sale like a rare perfume?
Salt for the Kitchen – I found four different salts in my kitchen. We cook with kosher salt for most of our meals because we like the thick granules and the way it adheres to the food. So the size or form is a distinguishing characteristic. Then I found traditional table salt that is free flowing and something we use less often but helps to coat evenly on foods. I found Hawaiian salt mixtures that were a gift from a friend of our daughter’s filled with herbs and garlic to season food. This coarse mix is using salt as a delivery vehicle.
Salt for the Water System – There are bags of salt that are used to soften water in a house. This additive type of salt can help prevent damage to pipes and appliances in a home. In areas with very hard water, salt added to your water system can help you use less detergent to clean your clothes. Salt can help make your towels are less rough; your skin is less dry, and your hair feels cleaner.
Salt for the Driveway – Who hasn’t used salt to prevent skidding on ice or to help melt snow? It comes in huge bags and has a very clear functional value. Some will melt extra slowly and other at a different temperature.
How To Market Salt
If I owned a salt company, I might market salt in one of these ways.
- A unique package
- Creating a brand that had an affinity for a cause or charity
- In an unexpected channel of distribution
- With a powerful guarantee or promise to the end-user
- From an exotic location
- For a unique and special job or function
- Extremely high quality
- With extraordinary customer services beyond the industry standard
- With partnerships with others in your supply chain
- Combined with other products and services
- Finding a way to add an award or certificate of purity or excellence
- Coating the salt with chocolate
- Mixing salt and paints to make a unique textured wall covering or artist product
There is always a way to be different and distinctive. The key to marketing salt or silver or Sauvignon Blanc is to enable your customers to tell a unique and special story where your brand is the guide helping them, (as the hero) succeed. A pure commodity like salt can be special because of your customer services department alone or the bright orange trucks you use to deliver the product. The key in marketing a commodity is adding meaning value beyond the physical goods.
How are you assaulting your branding challenges?
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