To become truly HUGE, you need to create your own category.
Niche down to invent a category and be the leader in it. This approach has even got a name (of course it has), it’s called ‘category design’.
Here’s a famous example to illustrate this: Drift. They created and OWN the “conversational marketing” category.
Another more recent example is Loom.
When Loom launched in 2016 it was called OpenVid. And it was just another “easy-to-use screen recorder”.
At the time all screen recorders walked the same and talked the same. No opinions, no personality.
Until, one day, Loom came up with a point of view:
- The way remote teams communicate sucks
- Meetings are boring. Calls drag on. Email lacks personality
- The solution? Async video messaging
And with that said a new category was created. Loom was no longer “just another screen recorder”. It was “video messaging for work”.
The wonderful thing about creating a new category is you haven’t got any competitors. You make the rules. You own the language.
“Send a video message” quickly became “Send a Loom”.
Today, Loom’s valued at $1.5bn. More than all the other unopinionated screen recorders put together.
That’s the power of positioning.
This approach may not be a suitable fit for everyone, but it’s a legit marketing hack to OWN your thing and dominate your market.
