One of the greatest challenges business owners face is finding creative and effective ways to stand out against competitors. When almost every business has a website, social media accounts, sales and promotions, the task becomes making a business unique enough to stand out to customers. What are the best ways to have a more eye-catching website, more exciting promotions, and more alluring social media posts? Let’s explore some options below to see how to make your business stand out and drive your company’s success.
Identify your Target Market and Competitors
Before you can make an impact in your industry, it’s good to know what your competition is doing so that you can be aware of what’s already out there. Take the time to research your competition and learn what similar companies do, how they market their products, and what influences their target audience’s buying decisions.
Once you’ve figured out what other businesses are doing, figure out what’s missing. Where are the gaps in your industry either in products or services? How can your business work to fill those gaps and create your niche market?
Conversely, what will the overlap between your company and your competitors look like? When looking at the similarities between your company’s and your competitors, see what ways you can improve your products and become the preferred company in your industry. Maybe this will involve fine-tuning some of your products and services, and maybe standing out will come from revamping your social media strategies.
Highlight Your Competitive Advantage
Once you know who your competitors are you can figure out what makes your business different and highlight that. Use your differences to your advantage and show potential customers why your business is better than the rest.
For example, a catering company should research other local catering companies and get a feel for what types of food that are being offered in your area. If it’s a type of food similar to yours, look at the menus and see what similarities and differences there are between your menu and the competitors. Is there a special dish you’ve created that no one else will have? Do you have a signature sauce you use? Whatever sets you apart will be the edge that you highlight in your marketing strategies.
How to Make Your Business Stand Out
Improve Visibility
The first part of making your business stand out is having a name and logo that your audience will recognize. The easier it is to recognize your business, the more likely it will stand out against competitors. To grab an audience’s attention, you need a catchy name and logo. These will be the first impression of your company that you audience gets, so make sure you present them with an appealing look and sound.
Although your name needs to be catchy and memorable, it’s proven that consumers shop through image recognition over name recognition. This is why you need to create the perfect logo for your company that is able to draw potential customers in and let your returning customers know that your company is around.
Establish a Strong Online Presence
Improving your company’s visibility can take on many different forms. Aside from the obvious logo and website, it’s important to have a strong online presence through social media, online directory listings, and blog posts.
Improve Website SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process by which your business gets found online, so use relevant keywords on your website and in your social media posts that will help your business be returned in a Google search. A useful tool to see what keywords will help you rank on web searches is Google AdWords, which is discussed a little later on.
SEO can help your business show up in customer searches for your business. There are many things you can do to improve your business’s SEO and get on the first page of Google including optimizing your website with keywords and listing your business on directory listings.
Get on Google Maps
Another way to stand out with SEO is to make sure your business is listed on Google Maps. Google Maps is one of the best ways for local businesses to get found by potential customers. If your competition isn’t on Google Maps, you will quickly stand out from the pack with your presence there. If your competition is on Google Maps, improve your listing with these tips to rank higher on Google Maps.
Rank Higher on Google with AdWords
Another way to make your business stand out online is by spending money on Google AdWords. A Google AdWords campaign will put your business in front of more customers for search terms related to your business.
If you want to stand out on social media, take a look at your competitors’ accounts to see how they’re using social media. If they’re succeeding on social media, take cues from them and implement some obvious strategies. Consider how often they post, what they post, if they have giveaways or contests, and how engaged they are with their audience.
Ways to Stand Out from the Competition on Social Media
- Run a monthly Facebook contest
- Giving social media shoutouts to clients who tag you in their posts
- Promote a new product or service with an Instagram giveaway
- Create a Snapchat account for your business
Related: 10 Examples of Facebook Contest & Instagram Giveaways
What Makes Your Company Different?
In the business world, dare to be different! Your differences hold the opportunities to make you successful and stand out to your target customers. Once you know what the rest of the market offers, use these marketing tactics to make your business stand out by highlighting what makes you different.
What makes your company stand out? How did you make sure your audience grew to know and love what made you unique? Let us know in the comments below!
