Running/Starting your own business can be an incredibly fulfilling mission. Like every mission, it can come with its own challenges. One big challenge to smaller companies is standing out and gaining attention to your brand.
1. Having a Great Website
The first step to standing out in this digital world is building a custom website. While there are templates out there for you to use, having a custom website will give your business an edge over the competition.
Having a fully custom website allows you to tailor the site to your business needs. Every business has its own needs, being able to tailor the web experience will give you the ability to have exactly what you need, exactly how you want it. Preset templates can come with extra unnecessary pages that may not be adding value to your site. Along with that, the extra “material” that comes with the site will also slow your site down.
When building out your website, one important area to think about is SEO. With full control over a custom site, not only will it look the part, it can be built to rank well in Google. Optimizing your page requires adding both on-page and off-page elements that help google keep track of your site. This will help drive organic traffic to your site. SEO is not an overnight success, but it helps build a strong base and with continued good practice helps your site achieve strong natural growth.
2. Have Compelling Brand Story
Being able to tell a compelling story about where you come from, what you do that is different, and how you can deliver a product or service that will benefit the customer is a great way to gain connections with your audience. It is human nature to be interested in a great story. Attaching one of those great stories to your brand can give you a great edge over the competition.
It is important to put in the extra effort to post content that does not necessarily boost your content through algorithms. Building a brand story allows the people who are just finding your profile to read more about you and develop a connection to your brand. Storytelling is a great way to capture the attention of an audience. Incorporating this idea into your business also helps the company develop core values that are shared amongst the team that works there.
3. Strong Social Presence
Having a strong social presence can bring really positive attention to your brand done right. It gives you a portal to interact with your customers (current, past, and potential).
In our current times, social media is an absolute necessity. While every brand may have a social presence, they are not all good. Using social media effectively means carrying the brand characteristics and values and carrying it through your channels. Social media should not just be used to sell products, you should be selling your brand. Ensuring you have a consistent brand voice throughout all of your social channels will help your potential followers get consistent and clear content.
When planning out your social media, having a posting schedule can be very helpful. Posting regularly is one of the best ways to grow your social presence. With a well-thought-out calendar, you can plan out exactly what content you want to go out each week, month, etc. When planning out your calendar it is important to remember that it is important that you keep your feeds fresh. Think of content that is unique to your brand and can be engaging for your audience.
4. Outside the Box Campaigns
With all of the boxes checked it is important to remember to get creative. Find what makes your brand unique and make sure people know! You can use those unique angles to stand out. Using social media campaigns for this is a great tool. It allows you to control what goes out and it can be another great way to get people to follow and engage with your posts.
These ideas can be as simple or complex as you desire to make them. The core idea is that you do something that your competitor would not. It could be running promotions for odd holidays, or running unique social media giveaways. The main thing is to create campaigns that engage your audience and allow them to see how you as a brand are unique, and what value you provide for them.
Take this as an opportunity to bring your creative ideas to life. This can be a way to test campaigns as you think about them and figure out what works and what doesn’t. You can take principles of the out-of-the-box campaigns you use and incorporate them into your regular marketing strategies.
5. Be Active in Your Community
As a small business, one of the best things you can do is be active in your community. This helps you stand out from your competition, especially those who do not have the local roots you do. There are many different ways you can do this. You can sponsor or promote local events
Customers want to support local businesses. Making it known that you are local, and that you really care about the community you live in is a great way to get your name out there. You will have a network of customers that can provide referrals, reviews, and feedback so you can grow your brand.
Giving back to your community is a great way to show your community you care more about just profit margins, and you want to make an impact. Little actions go a long way for community involvement. Donating what you can to a local organization and having your company volunteer in local events can make a big impact. It is a good place to start and as you grow you can continue to expand your efforts.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, with these principles, you can help your business stand out and grow. There is no single way to do anything. Taking these ideas and making them your own is the best way to help your brand stand out amongst the rest. Creative ideas with solid execution can take you a long way.
As a tech enthusiast and avid blogger, Miles Murray explores the latest technology and marketing. His mission is to help people navigate the complicated, sometimes scary, but mostly exhilarating world of tech. Follow him on Twitter @MilesPMurray.
