Trying to make your brand stand out in the modern marketplace can often feel like a towering impossibility. With thousands and thousands of businesses fighting for attention, looking for creative ways to cut through the noise and connect with your audience is more important today than it ever was. So, how can you make your brand stand out in such a saturated market? Read on and let’s find out!
1. Consider niching down
If you really want to stand out from the crowds, one of the single most effective means of doing so is finding your own niche – especially in a saturated industry.
This can help you define a very clear audience and target highly specialised keywords.
For example, an SEO agency in Melbourne that offers SEO, PPC, and social media marketing, could distinguish themselves from their competitors by putting emphasis on their local SEO services. By targeting small local businesses and offering highly specialised local SEO packages, they can effectively resonate with a very specific type of client, as opposed to focusing on too general an audience and blending in with the rest of the competition.
Similarly, lawyers with specialised knowledge in a certain area like international arbitration could position themselves differently on the market and have a much better chance at attracting their ideal clients.
Simply put, niching down is a helpful way to make your brand and services easier to find. What is your USP?
2. Provide high-quality value-added services
Another great way to stand out is by offering unique, value-added packages on a product or service. This could be as simple as offering discounts for bulk purchasing / long-term commitment, or deviating from the ‘industry standard’ package and crafting something utterly unique.
Some great examples of this include:
- Offering free delivery for customers who spend X-amount per month on takeout food.
- Giving away exclusive in-game items and features for 12-month online subscriptions.
- Offering free bonus blog posts each month for long-term digital marketing clients.
Brand’s that go out of their way to provide genuine value for their clients have a much easier time at not only attracting them, but also keeping them loyal.
3. Give back
Today, consumers are becoming ever more conscious about the brands they associate with and buy from, as such, being conscious about how you source your products, what kind of impact your business has on the environment, and how you can help contribute to your community can work wonders.
For example:
- Planting a tree for every purchase.
- Sourcing the most sustainable materials.
- Aiming for carbon neutrality.
- Supporting local charities.
As my grandmother used to say: “If you can’t do it with a smile on your face, don’t bother” – which is a roundabout way of saying that you shouldn’t do such things for the sake of virtue signalling and pleasing your customers. They will see right through you. Instead, give back to causes that align with your brand and are genuinely important to you. That’s how you make a real difference – and you will be rewarded for it.
4. Being genuinely authentic
The word ‘authentic’ is thrown around in marketing today like a hot potato, and the worst part? Very few people actually practise it – or even understand what it means.
Remember: “authenticity” necessarily means “unique”. The literal definition is: “of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine”.
In other words: “real”.
There’s always going to be overlap in your industry, but if you want to truly stand out, you have to try and do things a little differently, whilst remaining true to yourself – and your audience.
5. Be consistent in your communication
Consistency is arguably the most valuable practice when marketing yourself online. If you want people to notice you, engage with you, and more importantly: notice you, then you need to show up!
Consumers are loyal to brands that they recognise and feel like they can trust – which goes beyond being consistent in your communication, but how you communicate your brand as well.
For example, make sure the following are consistent across all platforms you are active on:
- Logo
- Colour scheme
- Font
- Marketing message
- Tone & language
- Tagline
If the above are in sync across all platforms and you are consistently creating awesome content with a distinct brand voice, you’ll have a much easier time of being recognised – and engaged with.
Conclusion: Digital marketing is key to building your brand awareness
There are many things you can do to ensure that your brand stands out among the competition, including investing in your digital marketing. The more you invest in things like SEO, PPC, and social media marketing, the bigger your reach will invariably be and the more traffic you’ll attract to your website. But remember:
- Consider niching down.
- Provide value.
- Give back.
- Be authentic.
- Be consistent.
It’s noisy out there. But rather than trying to shout over the competition, change your frequency and speak directly to your audience. Nobody else matters.
