In 2019, there were 30.7 million small businesses in the U.S. While these businesses represent different industries, this number is a stark reminder of the amount of competition that exists today. So how do you get noticed? Here we look at how you can make your business brand stand out in a crowd.

Embrace What Makes You Different

Every business brand should have a unique value proposition. Your UVP is the key to standing out in the crowd. Consider everything you offer, the people who work for your company, the expertise you bring to the table, your products/services, and how all of these make you different. You must come at brand awareness from a unique angle, carving out a place in the market especially for you and your customers. Embrace what makes you different and see your competition fade into the background.

Embrace What Makes Each Customer Different

In a world where everybody’s business seems to be public knowledge, your goal is to see the uniqueness of your customers when interacting with them on social pages. Instead of approaching your social media with a cut-and-paste attitude, look at every comment like you’ve never seen it before. Remember there is a unique individual behind each comment and make a sincere effort to provide personalized replies.

Social media is a public forum where every word you use is analyzed and criticized. In a cancel culture society, your sincerity and effort to meet people where they are shows you recognize your customers are individuals and deserve to be treated as such. Although this approach can be a little riskier, not to mention more time-consuming, your ability to embrace what makes each customer different is your secret weapon against your competitors.

Know Your Segment Audiences

In addition to treating your customers as individuals, you need to go beyond looking at a broad target audience. Segmentation and persona creation is the direct route to your customer’s inner psyche. When you take the time to understand all the different types of people your products/services help, you can expand your reach and create meaningful, relevant messages for each segment. When you understand your segments and create personas, you become more sympathetic to their needs while becoming more real and relatable. When you research, test, and understand data, you can improve how you interact with your customers and become better at anticipating their needs.

Go Big or Go Home

Get out of your comfort zone enter the less familiar side of branding. What can you do to challenge yourself and your audience? Where can you go with experiential marketing, for example? How can you go beyond posting info on social media and instead create a buzz that goes viral? Should you create controversy or take up a cause? What will resonate with your audience instead of trying to tell them what you think they need? Step out of the traditional boring marketing safety net and watch people become amazed by you and dedicated to your cause.

Play It Again, Sam

Consistency is the key to creating a recognizable business brand. Although you need to remain a little unpredictable, you need your audience to nod their heads in agreement, saying, “Yep, that makes sense. I get it. That is so them.” Your campaigns need to be fresh and familiar.
Most important, you need to bring value to everything you do. When your customers can see you meet their needs consistently with superior products/services, you hammer the final nail in your competitors’ coffins.