5 ways to build a stronger brand than your competitors

Getting your target market to pay attention to your small business can feel like a constant uphill battle. However, every big business started somewhere. They didn’t emerge as huge corporations with massive client bases. Every company has to slowly climb up the ladder to the top of its respective industry. That’s what you should be aiming to do. Of course, you might think this is easier said than done. What does it actually take to differentiate yourself from a sea of near-identical competitors? In this article, we’re going to look at some ways in which you could have more of a presence than your industry competitors.

Constantly research consumers in your specific marketplace

If you want to have more of a presence than your industry competitors, then you need to constantly research consumers in your specific marketplace. Every industry changes over time. If you adopt a “business as usual” approach, then your company will get left behind. In order to not only stand out but continue to grow as your business gradually increases its customer base, you need to keep searching for the next best way to appeal to the market. Otherwise, you might struggle to gain new customers, and you might even lose existing customers to competitors who offer better solutions to their problems.

So, you need to talk to your existing and potential clients. Get to know your target market. By talking directly to consumers, you’ll gather the most accurate and useful data possible. You need to actively seek constructive criticism because that’s the only way in which your company will improve. Ask consumers to tell you what’s wrong about your business and its competitors. That’s how you’ll find gaps in the market which your company can fill. Once you start coming up with unique solutions for problems, you’ll start to create more of a presence for your business than its industry competitors. In turn, your small company will start to grow.

One way to gather direct customer feedback is to implement chatbots which you can mine data from. In fact, according to Avi Benezra, Co-founder of SnatchBot and SnatchApp, Sephora was one of the first companies in the retail sector to make use of chatbots. The company has committed itself to improve customer service and experience by making use of available technologies. They have started out with a basic messaging app which has been very successful and now they have added additional features that are allowing for even better interaction with their brand.

Create a distinguishable brand which catches the attention of potential customers

Your branding is also a key component of your success. It’s your identity, and it needs to be distinguishable from the identities of your rivals. That’s how you’ll catch the attention of potential customers and start to build a noticeable presence in your specific marketplace. For starters, you should focus on the design of your brand. Is it visually captivating? You might want to check out these ideas for your logo. It’s important to not just have a professionally-designed logo but also a logo that is aesthetically-unique and intriguing. Of course, try not to conflate “uniqueness” with “complexity”. A simple logo is the best way to engage with consumers. Take a look at the biggest businesses in the world: Apple, McDonald’s, Nike, and Amazon have basic logos that are iconic and instantly identifiable.

You should also have a well-designed website in the digital age. After all, your online presence is part of your branding. We’ll talk about online marketing more in the following point, but the point is that your brand should be consistent across all platforms. Once you have a defined brand identity in terms of both visuals and your message, you should make that identity consistent throughout your promotional campaigns. When it comes to your message, try to connect with your local community. You could donate money to nearby charities and run your company in a sustainable manner. Both of those strategies would tell the market that your business is caring and responsible. This would help to create a great brand image for your company.

Find ways to make an impression online

Your digital marketing campaign also determines your success. So, you need to find ways to make an impression online if you want your target market to start paying attention to you. Start by improving your social media strategy. Social networking is such a valuable strategy for small businesses that are trying to make connections with both their current clients and potential clients in the industry. Platforms such as Twitter and Instagram give your business the opportunity to make direct connections with people, as was discussed in the earlier point about conducting online research to get to know your target market.

Your company should also make an impression online by focusing on its website. As was mentioned in the last point, if you want to have more of a presence than your industry competitors, then you need to have a well-designed website. Get help from an SEO agency if you want to improve your ranking on search engine result pages. Your web content determines your online presence, so if you want to be more visible than your competitors, then you need professional, relevant, and engaging content. This will help you to make a good impression online.

Motivate your employees to be their best

It’s also worthwhile to focus on your workforce if you want your business to be successful on a long-term basis. You need to motivate your members of staff to be their best because they represent your brand. This is how you’ll make a good impression on clients, improve your reputation, and have more of a presence in your industry than your competitors. Perhaps you could offer an incentive such as a bonus for the hardest worker at the end of the month. That would encourage your employees to demonstrate their worth. Of course, you should reward the whole team on a regular basis, too. You could take them out for celebratory meals to thank them for their effort and give them perks in the office such as a ping-pong table and some couches.

Start a word-of-mouth campaign

Word-of-mouth marketing is such a valuable promotional strategy. You might be very good at showing off your business, but you’re biased. Sometimes, consumers pay more attention to happy buyers who say good things about a particular company because those customers have no bias. Instead of waiting for people to say nice things about you, however, you could start a word-of-mouth campaign by offering rewards to clients for referring their friends and relatives to your business. The promise of a discount or a free gift could encourage customers to start spreading the word.