The economy has seen an enormous boom in startup businesses; suddenly, everyone wants to be their own boss and work from home (thanks Covid). Your business is becoming background noise in a flooded market. What can you do to stop your competition sapping your trade? How can your business stand out from the crowd? Here’s 7 things you can do RIGHT NOW to keep your business ahead of the competition – plus one don’t!
1. Know your USP (unique selling point)
What’s your unique selling point? Come back to your ‘why’. Why are you in business? What is it that you offer? Are you providing value? Be sure to let your audience know what it is that you do better than others – but don’t go spamming your Facebook page with adverts; teach us, inspire us, offer us something of interest, all whilst showing that you’re the expert at what you do 😉Â
2. Diversify
Were you toying with the idea of launching a new product or service? Now is the time to do that! Or, if you’ve invested in some self-learning, let us know why you took your most recent learning/course and how it’ll benefit your customers. If you’re not in a position to launch something new right now, even a new offer could be exciting enough to entice new customers to give you a try.
3. Have the best customer service out there.
Being a genuinely lovely person can go a long way in your marketing. Build meaningful relationships with people. People buy from people they know, like and trust, so ensure everything your business publishes reflects you in the best possible way.Â
4. Introduce a loyalty scheme
Your customers need to know that they’re valued. Consider offering return customers a % off or a stamp on each visit so that you’re at the forefront of their minds next time they need your services.
5. Keep an eye on the competition
What are they doing well? Do they have a large following? Are they getting lots of engagement? Study the kind of content that they’re posting to understand why it resonates so well with their audience. Where are there opportunities for you to do it better?Â
6. Be a good neighbour
Do NOT bad-mouth them on social media or face-to-face with anyone. No one wants to hire a business owner without morals and decency. Don’t be that person!
7. Offer real value in your marketing
Ditch the generic adverts. People use social media to learn something new, for inspiration or entertainment. So provide that. How is your competitor using social media and communicating with their customers? Are they letting followers in on their story? Are they showing them how their business solves their customers’ problems? Are they posting videos? (The internet world loves video right now!) Are they engaging with their customers?
Are you?
Don’t panic!
If there’s room out there for Pepsi and Coca Cola, there’s room out there for you and this other business. Loads of people are doing similar things right now; stop worrying about them and bring your focus back to you and your business. Prove to your audience that you’re here to stay. You’ve stood the test of time so far and will continue to be there for your customers for a long time to come.Â
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Blogging can be a powerful told in your marketing, to find out why your business should have a blog, have a read here.
Alternatively, If you’re looking to have well-researched, search engine-optimised blog posts written for your business, get in touch.