How To Stand Out From The Crowd In Business

In today’s world of business it seems like there are far too many copycats. All the websites look the same and they’re all saying the same thing. The internet has been fantastic for opening up the playing field. It allows anyone to start a business and get ahead with a good idea. Unfortunately, not everyone is using their creative brains to find a unique selling point. It has led to a culture of similarity.

The key to breaking out of this cycle and forging a true success story is to stand out. Breaking through the noise is one of the hardest things you’ll have to accomplish. When it comes to getting your startup off the ground, this is your number one task. There are no easy answers here. That’s why many find it so difficult. Standing out requires your own creativity. It requires you to look at your business and find the unique selling point.

Finding that one thing that makes you different is your first challenge. Once you have done that, it’s all about how you market it. Put simply, find that one thing that makes your business unique. Highlight it and put it front and centre. Use it in all of your marketing and let it push you forwards. People are drawn to new and exciting prospects. This is how you stand out from the crowd. In this article we’ll show you how.

Sell a Dream, not the Product

As consumers, we love to buy things. We are obsessed with new gadgets, shiny toys and unique products. However, the product alone is not usually enough to sway us. Unless you’ve invented the next revolutionary iPod, all you need is a new way to sell something. If your product doesn’t differ wildly from others on the market, you can stand out by crafting its story.

Don’t just tell us about the product, tell us why that product will change our lives. Sell us the inspiration. Sell us the aspiration. We buy things because we believe they will change our lives. That’s what you need to convince us. Show us how our lives will be better with this product. Show us how it has already worked for others.

Find a Unique Selling Point at Every Aspect

From the creation of the product, to the marketing, look for every opportunity to be unique. It could be a particular location that your product comes from. It could be the unique way that you manufacture it. It could be the revolutionary way that you market it. Look at every possible angle and highlight the one thing that makes you different from others. The most innovative companies use this technique to market their entire business. Pret a Manger, for example, highlights its handmade, natural food process. It uses this across every aspect of its marketing and business. In a world of fast food, this is what makes them stand out. It doesn’t even matter how the food tastes. The natural process is the lasting impression in the minds of consumers.

Find a Niche

This is similar to the advice above, but in this case we mean finding a niche within your sector. When starting your business, it is very important to specialise. You might think that covering a broad range is the best option, but this isn’t always the case. Doing this can spread your marketing too thin. A jack of all trades isn’t necessarily the best route. In order to stand out, target a niche that isn’t fully exploited.

Make your name by filling this gap. It will be a smaller world to conquer and you’ll make more noise doing it. Once you’ve mastered that niche, you can move on to a wider business. But, it’s all about cracking that first step. Raise yourself above the crowd. All of the best startups began in this way. Google, for example, is an excellent case study. To get started, they provided a simple search function. They made their name doing this. They then moved on to email, advertising and mapping. But it all started with a niche.

Product Positioning

The very best businesses have managed to craft a particular image around their brand. For example, Red Bull are synonymous with extreme sports. Volkswagen are associated with reliable engineering. Apple are the leaders of high tech innovation. These associations come about through careful branding and marketing. It is not simply because of their products. In actual fact, their products are not so different to others. Red Bull is not so different to other energy drinks and Volkswagen aren’t that different to Ford.

It is the way that these companies present themselves that gives them this perception. You can learn from this and implement it. All you need are a few unique product positioning ideas that work for your business. Think about how you want your company to be perceived. Think of a different angle that stands out from others and pursue it.

Stir Emotion

Nothing sells better than emotion. Connecting with people on a passionate and emotional level is the best way to convince them to buy. Use your company to tell your story. Give people an insight into why you started the company. Is it to help others? Is it pursue a more purposeful life? Let your customers and consumers join you. Make your company about more than just the product you sell. Make it about the bigger picture. What higher purpose does your product serve? This is the best way to stand out from similar products. By giving your service a more important value, it becomes about something bigger. That makes it different from other products on the market. It makes it more likely for people to get behind you.

Creating a successful business is a difficult pursuit. First and foremost, you need a fantastic product. But then comes the hard part. Standing out from the crowd is arguably the hardest thing you will do as a new business. Shouting loudest is not the answer. All you’ll do is raise the volume of noise. Instead, start your own conversation. Look for a new and interesting way to present your product that no one else can. It is standing apart that will make you stand out.