Whether you're just starting out in business or a seasoned pro, standing out from the competition is always challenging. After all, you want to dominate the market and position yourself as a superstar everyone notices. But with a sea of competitors, how can you make your brand attention-worthy?
Learn more about differentiating your brand while still offering the high-quality products and services your customers deserve.
Stay Transparent
One of the most important things you can do for your brand is to stay transparent and authentic. According to Oberlo, 88% of consumers say authenticity is crucial when deciding what brand they like and support. Your efforts for transparency also pay off. Studies show that 46% of survey consumers say they would pay more for brands they trust.
So what does staying transparent and authentic mean?
1) Focus on giving your customers clarity and following through on your promises.
2) Let them know about delays in their orders without pointing fingers.
3) Own up to your mistakes, keep your pricing straightforward and easy to understand, and talk directly to your customers like they're real people.
Do Something Unexpected
In today's attention-seeking world, you want to offer value while simultaneously doing something unexpected. The value is all about what products and services your business provides. But doing something unexpected is how you get your customers' attention in the first place.
You can run social media and Google ads like everyone else, but you're more likely to stand-out and blow your competition out of the water with a vehicle wrap. We provide wraps and graphics for boats, motorsports, fleets, and more for eye-popping ads that grab attention. While your competition is trying to master and optimize online ads, your promos are flying through the air at arenas at live events seen by thousands in your target audience.
Niche Down
Generic brands are a dime a dozen, leading your ideal customer from one sale to the next. They probably won't care much about your company or products when you're offering the same thing as everyone else.
Instead of trying to compete on price or standard products, niche down. Think of your products or services as a unique asset. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What makes my products or services unique?
- What's special about my personal or brand story?
- What do my customers get from my business that they can't find anywhere else?
- What do customers say in our online reviews?
- What do customers complain about in my competitor reviews?
The idea is to take that feedback and narrow your focus. You can niche down your products, services, or overall brand to come up with a unique business model your customers appreciate.
Poll Your Customers on What Makes Your Brand Unique
Ask your customers if you're still stuck trying to figure out what makes your business unique. They may point out something you never considered, like how easy it is to do business with you. But if your target market also has no idea what makes your brand unique, it's time to create a unique selling proposition (USP).
Your USP has endless possibilities, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Your USP can embrace your dynamic graphics and promotions, social media content, helpful user tutorials, or personal outreach to customers after they buy an item.
Get to Know Your Audience
Your customers are the lifeblood of your business and the foundation of your success. Take the time to get to know your audience, from what products and services they love most to what they don't really care about. For example, you might discover that your target market is more motivated by high-quality products and services that they can't find elsewhere than the latest sale.
If you're just launching your business, you can maximize your efficiency by finding your customers and figuring out what they want. Think about your ideal market. How old are they? What social media channels, events, and Reddit threads do they frequent? Once you figure out where they're hanging out, you can find them and ask questions about what they like and don't like about your competitors.
Fill in Your Competitor's Gaps
Don't bother trying to outshine your competition on what they already do well. The goal is to focus on their gaps and exceed expectations.
Review your competition's website and look at the overall design, messaging, and products or services. Next, scour their online reviews and pay attention to what their customers complain about. Your competitors' shortcomings are your opportunity to stand-out and exceed your target market's expectations.
Improve Your Messaging
Sometimes making your brand stand-out from the competition is all about your messaging. Do a fresh review of your website, products, and services and ask for feedback from your customers:
1) Describe our products or services in a few sentences.
2) What do you like about working with us?
3) What did you dislike?
Once you have a better idea of how your customers actually see your business, you can make improvements and nail down your messaging. Remember to use some of their pain points and why they used your company in the first place. When your messaging reflects back what your customers need and want the most, you're more likely to resonate with them on their journey.
Next Steps
Are you ready to take your promotions to the next level? Learn more about our sign, wrap, apparel, and media divisions to crush your plateau and take your brand to new levels. Browse our services here.