Being a category leader brings lots of great benefits. Some of these are a strong customer following, visibility, and typically, a river of revenue. But not all categories bring great benefits. Some examples of categories you don’t want to lead in include:
o SpyWare
o Malware
o Software Piracy
o Illegal Music Download Software
Naturally, no one goes in to business to be in these types of categories, but if you don’t proactively manage your category positioning and educate the market, you run the danger of being “slotted” in to a category you don’t want to be in. And, it doesn’t have to be a “negative” category such as those above; being labeled in to the wrong category such as entertainment/gaming, vs. educational software, can be equally as damaging.
And once the customer’s mind is made up, it’s very difficult to change.
So get started defining your market landscape and categories if you haven’t already. It’s one of the highest ROI business investments you can make. Have a read through my tips and tools for defining your category to help you get started.
Pop me a note if you'd like some help.
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