Business is all about getting people to look at what you’re doing. In this day and age, it’s pretty easy to set up a business. The issue is getting people to see it, to interact with it, and, ultimately, to part with their cash. So…how do you do it? How can you make your business stand out from the crowd and beat the multitude of competitors trying to do the same thing? Each industry approaches marketing and advertising in a different way. For a start, it depends whether it’s B2B or B2C, but beyond that, there are so many ways to push your brand into the world. Even businesses within the same industry or niche will disagree around what works best so it can take some trial and error to really get into your stride. With that said, here are some top tips to help you succeed.
Properly Utilize Logo Branding
To really get people to interact with your business then you need to ensure your logo is on everything. It improves brand recognition rates and is extremely powerful. However, so many business owners forget this, and only put their logo on paid items and stationery etc. If you do that, it’ll take a long time to build up brand recognition. Instead, stick your logo on something and give it out for free. It has to be something that in some way compliments your main product. You can find many examples of these At Dynamic Gift but remember, there’s only so many free gifts of the same kind you can give out. You can’t throw all your logos onto just the one product. Try and diversify a little and make sure your branding goes to multiple demographics in different areas. Stick your logo on everything and it’ll stand out from the crowd because so many more people will know about your business.
Research Competitor Activity And Do Better
It’s not like you’re copying them…instead you’re having a look at their new ventures, and bettering them. Watch the new things they try. Improve upon what went well and avoid what failed entirely. You need to try and do some enhanced competitor research to really find this information out and it can be harder than you think. However, if you get this right it means people will see you as a better option and you could end up nailing a lot more in sales. Think about how they’re interacting with their customers and how they fulfil their services and orders. Look elsewhere too. Maybe your local competitors are all doing the same thing and there’s little inspiration to be had there, so instead look further away for your inspiration. Just find businesses which are doing the same or at least a similar thing in the next city over, or maybe the one after that. To get a little more on the edge, you can even check what companies abroad are doing. You might find something completely different.
Invest In Employee Wellbeing
If you invest in your employees, then they’ll pay back. Treat them well and they’ll do well for you. You can stand out from the crowd by having a brilliant workforce that completely cares about what they do and want your business to succeed. You need to be flexible. Allow them to work from home when they want, give them flexible hours so they can start and finish when they want to. Ensure there are fair targets to hit, and reward those who hit them. You also need to ensure you have a clear and concise promotion structure so people can feel like they’re making progress. There’s so much scope to really get some easy wins with your employees. Customers like companies who treat their employees well and if you do so, word will soon get out. Your employees will know, and they’ll pay you back in hard work which will only drive your business to greatness.
Make People Laugh
Humour is an extremely powerful weapon in the right hands. If you can make your customers laugh or even smile, they’ll see you in a more positive light. The ability to make people laugh is a hugely powerful tool and there are so many ways you can do this. However, you need to tow the line between being completely professional in everything you do, and still making people laugh. It can be as simple as putting funny riddles on your business cards to using comical slogans on the clothes you sell. People are far more inclined to part with their cash if it’s for something that makes them and their loved ones happy. The issue is in keeping things funny for everyone. Taste in terms of comedy can vary widely. Keep things as simply as you can. Of course, if what you do caters mainly to one or more demographics you can centre in on the comedy to those people. Writing these kinds of jokes can be tough though unless you know that particular community extremely well so test them out first before printing or publishing wholesale.
Always Keep The Professional Veneer
Bad things happen all of the time in business. Whether it’s a mistake on your part as a business or just something you had no control over. However, your reaction to these situations is observed and noted. It can be an angry customer ranting on Twitter or an annoying Shopify chargeback that you’re really not happy with. Whatever you do, don’t take it personally. Instead, stay professional and deal with it in a way that ensures you look better off. One of the key examples here is in the writing of reviews. Customers often write reviews that you might not agree with. You might even see the odd review that you think is made up. Don’t react. Simply explain the situation, offer to put whatever went wrong right, and leave it there. That’s all you can do. If you react in a negative light the comment will be there forever so all of your potential customers can see it.
