How are you different from your competition? If you truly have a totally unique product, you’re in good shape. But if there are hundreds of thousands of others out there that make pretty much the same thing as you (let’s say, sandwiches), then you’ve got to find a way to differentiate yourself.

For example, The Mogul Mom wrote an article on the StartupPrincess blog and talked about a family member starting up a company in which there were already over 300,000 other links via a Google search. Clearly there is some competition for this product.

This is where marketing and public relations will really need to come in handy. Think long and hard about what you’re planning to do differently and then promote the heck out of it. Let’s not make this any more difficult than it has to be, right? Consider doing the following to help market your differences:

–Develop creative PR story angles that illustrate your competitive differences and send to the press for stories. (hint: download the PR Toolkit to help uncover these ideas and pitch the media)

–Develop a blog community and use social media to discuss the “why” that makes you so different in the first place.

–Create a series of email campaigns that drive interested people to landing pages that uniquely identify you and your company, offering promotions and incentives to try your product. (if more budget allows you may also consider doing a sister direct mail piece, too)

–Hold special events at your store that have themes that tie in to your uniqueness (here’s a hint, when people come this is when you can capture email address for more future email marketing).

There’s literally a whole world of marketing opportunies that can help you truly differentiate yourself. What other marketing ideas can you think of? Please leave a comment below!