How to promote competing services without killing your business

When you offer multiple competing services, how do you promote one without disparaging the others?

I faced this challenge with a client recently, who was looking to promote the benefits of one of their programs and increase enrolments. However - they also offer a competing program that they didn't want to damage in the process. 

It was crucial we talk up the benefits without casting the other options in a negative light.

So how did we do it?

❌ Don't make it an either/or decision

Take the other option out of the equation and focus solely on the benefits and advantages of making this choice. Imagine it is the only option and sell it as such.

Every time we landed on a message that relied on comparing Service A to Service B, I tested whether it would hold up without presenting the alternative. If not, it wasn't useful for this campaign. 

✅ Tap into emotion

Both options are sensible, rational and legitimate choices. If you put them both to a pros vs cons test, you could easily balance the scales for either service.

So instead of making a solely logical argument, I focused on what people need to feel to make one decision over another and tapped into this. This meant giving them the permission to make a choice and feel good about it.

Getting a clear understanding of the audience was important here, to understand what motivates them and what might be holding them back.

Often comparison is a great way to talk up the benefits of your products or services over the competition. But when this isn't an option, a little creative thinking and empathy for your customers can help you find a happy medium that doesn't put the rest of your business at risk.