It’s great that it’s much simpler these days for someone to start a business – it gives you opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have had – but the downside is that there are many more businesses than ever before, and as a business owner, that means plenty more competition. Everywhere you look, there are ads, social media posts, and billboards all screaming to be looked at and telling people to buy this thing or that one, so how can you make your business stand out? The truth is that it’s not just about shouting louder; it’s about being smart, strategic, and, most importantly, impossible to ignore, so with that in mind, let’s take a look at what that means – read on to find out.
Be Where Your Customers Are
Firstly, if you want people to notice you, you need to be where they are. That means working out where your customers spend their time both online and offline. Are they scrolling Instagram at lunch? Are they browsing YouTube before bed? Going to the cinema? Using public transport? No matter where it is, wherever they are, you need to show your business there as well.
A good example is if your business caters to foot traffic, you could have a good digital signage local server to grab their attention, and that’s going to make a massive difference. It could be on a busy street corner or maybe inside a popular cafe, or anywhere else that makes sense, but the point is that wherever you put it, a digital sign is definitely going to be seen and understood. Why? Well, it’s interactive, bold, and it can give people an instant piece of information that’s going to help them choose your business over someone else’s, so why not?
Get Personal
No one likes to feel as though they’re just another number, which means personalization is the key to standing out in a massively crowded market. You’ve probably noticed how much better it feels to receive a tailored email with recommendations based on your preferences, rather than something generic that doesn’t mean anything to you at all, and if that’s how you feel, it’s going to be how your customers feel too.
To get this right, you’ll need to use the data you have from website visits, purchase history, or even just interactions on social media, to create personalized experiences whenever you can. Think about offering exclusive deals for loyal customers or sending targeted emails that are actually relevant to what they want and need, and if you can make them feel as though they matter, they’ll notice and the results will be positive.
Create A Buzz
People love a bit of hype and an exciting buzz, and if you’re able to create that kind of thing around your business, it’s a great way to get people talking and, of course, buying, and that’s what you’re aiming for. The key thing to remember, though, is that the buzz has to be genuine because people can see through fake ideas easier than ever before, and you’ll only disappoint them if you hype something up that turns out to be rubbish.
If you want to create an authentic buzz, you could do all kinds of things, like throw a party, host an event, or perhaps partner with influencers who are actually a good fit for your brand. You could even create a fun social media challenge that encourages customers to engage more with your brand in some way – the choices are pretty much limitless once you start thinking about them.
Make Your Content Count
We’re all bombarded with content every day, so if you want your business to stand out, your content needs to be not only good, but also worth people’s time. Gone are the days of putting out generic content and hoping for the best – you need content that’s going to reflect your brand and have the same voice, style, and personality otherwise people will get confused and decide not to buy from you at all because they can’t trust you.
So what is your brand? Is it serious? Playful? Quirky? Whatever it is, you need to match your content to that type. You also need to have a variety of content, like blog posts, videos, infographics, and maybe even fun things like memes that can all play a part in grabbing people’s attention. Even more important is to make it shareable and interesting so more and more people see it without you having to do a lot to make it happen.
Provide Good Customer Service
The idea that you need to provide good customer service shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s well worth mentioning just to make sure you’ve got all the information you could need – and if you want a business that’s hard to ignore, excellent customer service is a must.
The fact is that people are more likely to remember you if your business went out of its way to solve their problem, give them advice, or even just make them feel valued, and a happy customer is a way better marketing tool than almost anything else because they’ll tell their friends, leave great reviews, and keep coming back, which all adds up to a growing and successful business.
Invest In Your Visual Identity
Humans are visual creatures, which means that if your business looks boring or outdated, people might overlook you, no matter how good your products and services are. However, a fresh, eye-catching visual identity can work wonders if you want to grab attention, so that’s what you need to do.
Start with your logo and branding and make sure it’s modern, relevant, and, as we’ve talked about with your content, actually represents what your business really stands for. Next, think about your website, social media profiles, and even your packaging – does it all work together and link up to create something people can instantly recognize? That’s the key to making your visual identity work for you, so it’s well worth investing it in sooner rather than later.
