I help companies market themselves using content. All sorts of content. Often, this means highlighting features about a company that helps it stand out from its competition. But if you don’t know what it is about your company that’s unique or unusual, where do you begin?

Printers are a good example of this dilemma. Most can’t articulate what makes them stand out. Often, I hear the same thing from printers. It goes something like this:

We do whatever it takes for our customers.

We focus on our customers.

We never say no.

Speaking of which, no, no, and no.

Such worn-out expressions won’t catch anyone’s eye. They’re just empty words taking up space. Dig deeper. Find what makes you special. Ask long-time customers. Poll your sales, service and production team. Give me a crack at it.

Let’s assume you’re a good printer. Your print quality is great. Your customers are content. Your prices are competitive. These three things level out the print playing field. There’s just nothing distinctive about this troika.

Identifying qualities about your company that are interest-piquing isn’t always easy.

I know commercial printers. Here are some examples of things that make some of them stand out.

• They’re major award winners.
• They’re 100 years old, or they’re celebrating a different kind of milestone.

• They’re renowned for being particularly ‘green’.
• A popular salesman always brought bagels to his customers. (If you’re in greater Boston, you know who I mean.)
• They’re a woman-owned business.
• They’re a minority-owned business.
• The CEO is under 30.
• The employees are invited to brainstorm regularly – in a special Brainstorming Room.
• They specialize in large-format printing. Or packaging. Or they serve one industry in particular.
• The whole management team is made up of women.
• Half of the management team went to RIT.
• They support their community in many ways.
• They feature their people rather than their machines.
• A real person answers their telephone.
• An employee is an acknowledged industry guru.
• They offer specialty services.
• Their site features well-done videos.
• They always have the latest technology.
• They offer a ton of education to customers. Some online, some in person.
• Their CEO is a real character, with an oversized personality.

These aren’t gimmicks; they’re differentiators. Conversation starters. They are mostly human-interest angles about manufacturing companies. They got my attention. They’ll get prospects’ attention. They represent the kinds of company traits that I’d weave into a marketing campaign (including site content, blogs, tweets, and direct mail campaigns). And they’re just the sort of information that makes people sit up and take notice.

Take a hard look at your company until you find that thing that makes you different, that fact or quality that makes you interesting. Then, as they say, work it.