Taking any business online can be fairly daunting. There are a lot of voices out there all competing for attention. Some of them are going to be your direct rivals and they’ll have been there for longer than you. But the truth is that the majority of voices out there all lack one thing. Impact. Uniqueness. Pizazz. Call it what you want. It’s about the pulling power your business has. Here, we’ll look at a few ways you ensure you get it.
Look before you leap
One of the mistakes a lot of businesses make is being way too gung-ho about jumping out into the action. They don’t do their due diligence in actually looking at the landscape of the market. Online, you’re likely to find competitors. If you start off by saying the exact same things as them, they have the benefit of experience and an already built customer base. It’s better to do your research, first. Find out more about your potential customers and what they’re looking for. Then look at how your competition offers to provide that. Sit back and learn, so you have a better idea of what you’re going up against.
Offer something different
Just saying ‘be unique’ probably makes it seem like we’re being obvious. But the point is that to really stand out, you do need to have some sort of appeal that your other competitors aren’t using. It doesn’t always have to mean changing your business, but rather changing the focus in how you deliver it. Identifying a unique selling proposition is about taking a closer look at how you do things. How does it differ to the others on the market? Don’t be afraid to target an ideal customer specifically. Some of the strongest branding out there is that strong exactly because they narrow their focus right down. Think about your ideal customer and talk directly to them. A brand that’s successful enough will bring in other people anyway.
Finding your style
Naturally, the visuals of your brand are going to have a big impact. Think about what you want people to associate with your business. Is it professional and sleek? Or is it cozy and heartwarming? Consider these elements of what you provide and your target audience. For example, the gender of your audience is still going to play a big role in a lot of cases. If you’re blogging alongside your business, you need to think about how you get a unique look for that, as well. There are a lot of different WordPress themes out there to try. There’s a good chance someone, somewhere, may use the same as you. But it’s still worth looking for those that stand apart from the majority of the crowd.
Finding your voice
Your unique appeal and your visual style are going to help to do a lot for defining the ‘mood’ of your branding. But it often goes further than just visuals. A lot of it is going to come down to the copy. How are you writing on your site? What about the content you produce? Are you just stating the facts as you see them or are you putting in some effort to talk directly to the customer? You have a limited window to keep their interest and convert them. So do it by finding a ‘voice’ to talk to them. A voice is a personality to your writing that has a specific impact. Develop yours and people will be a lot more likely to stick with you for longer.
Finding your purpose
They’re not going to stick with you for very long if you’re just waffling, however. A lot of businesses put out content and releases that, in all honesty, have no purpose. The news that you think is great for you might not have any impact on your intended audience at all. You have to look over it again and test it by their measures. Identify the reader’s pain and how your content is going to soothe it. Is it going to offer them something missing from their life? Is it going to entertain them? Does it have the punch to keep them interested? These are the questions you should be asking of every bit of content before you put it out.
Get interactive
Think about how you offer your services. Could there be a way to get the customer more engaged in them? If you’re selling items, then you’re going to want to offer them the best ecommerce experiences they can get. Other businesses may want to help customers set up their own quotes or get service quicker than ever? Whatever your business is, you should consider how a mobile app might help it. Not only are more people using their phones more often than their computer. Apps tend to offer a lot more choice for interactivity with the right custom software development company behind them. Offer your customers a more dynamic experience than your competitors do.
Listen and learn
If you want to be different, you have to identify the unique relationship that a business is going to share with its customers in particular. How do you do that? By listening to them. By actively soliciting their feedback and showing them that you’re listening. A business really thrives when it’s being more than general in its operations. It thrives when it’s maintaining a relationship with its customers in particular. That’s how you turn customers into fans of the brand and even ambassadors. Your community is what’s going to help you stand out above the rest. So answer their questions online. Seek testimonials. Offer the best service you can. Show the changes that you make to fit their feedback.
Define what makes your business different from all the other competitors out there. Find your own way to talk to customers and unique things to offer them. Give them new ways to interact with your business and actually listen to them. Remember that it’s all about the customer experience at the end of the day.
Leave a Reply