7 Pro Tips to Make Your Business Stand Out & Create An Impressive Brand － Even if You're Starting Out
brand direction & styling by us for Rosewater | photo by Comeplum
Making an impressive brand isn’t about getting a fancy logo, catchy brand colors, or a pretty website with cool buttons. It’s about connecting with your customers in a way that makes them think of you when they shop for what you sell.
A unique marketing gimmick may get you more eyeballs and seen by more people. But you’re more likely to be seen in passing and without making an impression. If you’re not seeing marketing results, click here to learn the 7 big mistakes that are holding you back first!
And If you want to stop being “another” average business in your market that does what everyone else does,
here are 7 tips to make your business stand out from your competition even if you just started your business:
#1 Stand Out By Doing The Opposite
Instead of making products or offering services similar to what your competitors sell, do the opposite or something obviously different from everyone else.
As a business owner, it’s natural to feel that you shouldn’t leave sales behind. So, you add whatever your competitors sell to your product catalog, menu, or service offering. Then you end up with this huge list of products and services that are too diverse and confusing to grow and scale. Many entrepreneurs find themselves in this situation and run businesses that lack direction and focus.
To stand out, find what everyone else is doing in your market, and do things differently.
If your goal is to stand out from your competitors, stop running your business by following what they are already doing and stop making another product or service because it seems like a great idea for someone else. Instead, find the opportunity and needs that your competitors aren’t filling and find your unique brand position in the market.
#2 Stand Out By Narrowing Down Your Target Customers
Instead of serving a wider audience, you specialize in serving a particular group of people. This is an effective way to establish authority and credibility among a specific audience trying to achieve specific goals.
We had a client who was working on launching her new clothing brand. Like most new clothing brands now, she planned to use keywords like “sustainable” and “transparency” heavily in her marketing. But based on our research, it turned out that her target customers care more about quality and versatility over sustainability when they are shopping for clothes. It’s not that they don’t care about sustainability. It’s that among all the considerations for shopping for clothes, how sustainable a brand is simply isn’t a top priority for them. This means she was either targeting the wrong group of people, or she needs to market differently to this group of customers.
Don’t copy how other brands are marketing to their target customer. Narrow down your target customers and get laser-focused on what they want so you can stand out to them. Understand what they care about the most when they shop for products or services similar to yours and become the best at those specific things.
brand direction & styling by us for Rachel Weissman| photo by Comeplum
#3 Stand Out By Sharing What You Stand For
According to studies done by Adweek, it has become significantly more important for people to buy from brands that share their personal values. (Carr) Share what you strive for through your business and the values you stand for. Talk about them in your marketing and demonstrate them through your actions. Make an impression by voicing your mission, and how your customers and business help you work toward it. Help your customers and audience see the impact they can make through working with you and their purchases.
Click here to get the 5 secrets to connecting with your audience and boosting engagement.
#4 Stand Out By Showing Up Everywhere
Show up where your target customers go and help them get familiar with your business and brand. Find out where they go online and offline, how they consume information, and how they spend their day, then market your business at places where they gather and where they find information. The more often your target customers see you, the more familiar they are with you, and the more likely they’ll trust you and want to learn more about your brand.
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brand direction & styling by us for Donna Lam Photo | photo by Nina Ruth Photography
#5 Stand Out Through Valuable Content
The average person spends around 7 hours consuming content daily. (Koetsier) And content marketing gets three times the leads per dollar spent compared to paid searches. (McCoy) So, if you aren’t leveraging content marketing for your business yet, it’s time to gear up and get your content going!
Use content marketing to connect with your target customers, attract them, and bring value to them. Build your credibility and trust with your audience through content, and impress them even before they become customers. Share content that brings so much value that leaves people wondering what it’s like working with you or buying from you.
Need some ideas? Here are 12 ways to find the next content ideas your audience craves in 3 minutes! Want to master the art of repurposing content without boring people? Click here to learn how. Still not sure if content marketing is for you? Uncover these 10 content marketing myths and find out now!
#6 Make an Impression By Being Human
Stand out from your competition by becoming your target customers’ “go-to person” for what you do. Besides sharing helpful content that builds credibility and trust, show up with a consistent tone that your audience can relate to, and build a distinct personality into your brand.
People connect with people. So, ditch the boring professional businessy tone. Find a voice that your target customers connect with and use it to deliver every piece of information and content you deliver.
If you need an easy way to start creating your brand personality, find your personal connection to your target customers. Click here to learn what to ask to connect with your target audience, and how you can create a brand that attracts them without compromising authenticity. Also, try these 5 exercises to find the right brand voice that resonates with your target audience.
#7 Differentiate Through Customer Experience
Differentiate your business from the competition by giving people an incredible customer experience. Besides delivering your services and products, you can also stand out through additional support such as after-sales services, bonus tutorials to teach them different ways to use your products or services, Q&A support, customer-only community, access to free resources and archives, after-sales check-in calls or support, and other surprises or bonuses they appreciate.
Click here to learn the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make with customer experience, plus what you need to know instead!
When you go the extra mile and exceed expectations, people notice. Read this to learn how to wow your customers and make a spectacular impression people can't stop talking about!
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Works Cited
Carr, Pri. “Consumers Are Declaring Their Social Values through Purchase Decisions—Are You Listening?” Adweek, www.adweek.com/sponsored/consumers-are-declaring-their-social-values-through-purchase-decisions-are-you-listening/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2022.
Koetsier, John. “Global Online Content Consumption Doubled in 2020.” Forbes, 26 Sept. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2020/09/26/global-online-content-consumption-doubled-in-2020/?sh=11440a122fde. Accessed 12 Sept. 2022.
McCoy, Julia. “Content Marketing Statistics.” Content Marketing Institute, 22 Oct. 2017, contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/stats-invest-content-marketing/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2022.