Carving out a niche for yourself with competitors aiming for the same audiences is difficult enough for online brands, but even more so when selling products. Given the sheer amount of choice consumers now have online, shopping around for the best price, fastest shipping or easiest checkout  can make shoppers less than loyal to say the least.

Brands that want to usurp the success of their more popular competitors have a long road ahead, but it can be done through the right decisions and strategies. What are those strategies? Continue reading to find out how you can beat the competition and negate their advantages in search engines and beyond.

Aim for Out of Stock Products and Categories

Nothing is more frustrating for shoppers than to find that the product(s) they’re attempting to buy are currently unavailable. The vast majority of shoppers would rather look elsewhere for their needs – even if it’s not for an identical product – than purchase an item on backorder. As such, circumventing larger competitors can be done by focusing on which products of theirs are currently out of stock.

Wherever there is overlap, your business can then begin promoting ad campaigns and organic mentions focused on these products specifically. Whether by targeting the product type in a general sense or even by buying ads targeting the product and competitor’s name, pinging users with product availability that your competitors currently lack can help boost sales and earn new recurring customers.

Create Diverse Forms of Content Surrounding Your Products

Given that competitors better situated within a niche likely have had more time to develop search engine authority and brand recognition, you need a game-changer to help make your products rank as prominently as possible and in as many channels as possible. This is where content creation can be such a vital component in negating competitor advantages.

A wide variety of content offerings can be produced by online stores to promote specific products, generalized product types or even your store’s broader offerings. This content can be shared via blog posts that help bolster search engine optimization outcomes, through email marketing campaigns, on social media through both organic posts and paid marketing campaigns, and also through PPC search engine campaigns.

Offer a Unique Benefit

Many online brands become complacent once they’ve securing a set amount of a market, feeling that their brand recognition and past customer relationships is enough to continue growing. This can lead to slower shipping times, higher prices, and a litany of other less-than-ideal shopping experiences.

As a brand seeking to level the playing field, it is incumbent upon you to offer one or more unique benefits that your primary competitors are not providing. Is it free shipping? Is it a variety of different shipping options? Money-back guarantees? There are many possibilities, but it’s important to not only offer the benefits, but to also ensure you’re pinging users with this information in emails, ad campaigns and on each product page as well.

With these tips in mind, you can begin formulating a sound strategy for negating any advantages your bigger competitors may have. Ultimately, using their lack of inventory, their potential comfort with the status quo and a multi-faceted content strategy to work for your brand can deliver meaningful results.