When you are starting – up in business it is important to be a bit different, being unique is a good thing and will help you stand out from your competitors within the market.
You can create something different whatever you do be it a product or a service. Take a look at the market and what your competitors are doing and see if you can see a gap that you can fill. As a small business you will find that your competitors vary from those in the corporate world and also independent small businesses, so you will have to think big and be happy to work hard at being different to be memorable.
If you already have started up or maybe you just have an idea that you want to grow there are a few things to think about. You will be either bring a unique product or service to the market that hasn’t been done before which will fill a hole in the market or you will be using a business idea that has been tried and tested. It will depend on your business idea to what strategies you will use to attract customers. What won’t change is the fact that you need to focus on what makes your product or service surpass you competitors at every level.
Here are some tips on how to stand out from the crowd in the marketplace
Be innovative
The most successful businesses always lead the way by being innovative and this needs be a key element to your business when you are starting-out and growing your business. Being innovative will allow you to grow your business and take a different path to your competitors. You might have based your business on a product or a service which as already proven to be successful.
Don’t get too comfortable and don’t be afraid to look at your product and service and update it, as being stagnant will eventually make you look unimaginative and in line with your competitors. You could look at creating a product or service that will complement what you already offer. When running a business you need to always be on the ball and thinking of new ideas and how you can improve your offerings to your customer base.
Create good value offers
When running a business to succeed you will need to look at what offers you can create and packages which will give your customers variety and good value for money, but also allow you to grow your business and make a profit. It is important to get your pricing structure right, as get it wrong and you won’t make a profit and instead may face making a loss and your business going into decline.
Packages can be a good idea and once you have people buying into your package deals you can then look at adding in some extras that your customers may now see value in, but initially won’t of thought of purchasing. This can be a great way of making extra money and also creating happy customers.
Core values
Be clear about your businesses core values and beliefs. Again. This can help show that you are
Different from others within the market yourself from others in the market. An example of this could be that you are a strong supporter of putting a stop to testing on animals. You can then ensure that all your products and suppliers etc are in line with this core value and use it to sell your products and give you a USP and a core value too. Having core values will help you attract people who share your views, thoughts and ideas. Therefore, your core values will also help you create a target market and make it easier to stand out from the crowd.
USP
When starting up a business your unique selling point (USP) will be what differentiates your business from your competitors. All businesses need a USP and it is an important thing to think about when you plan your business. All businesses USP will differ, which is the whole point in having one. Think about your market and who your customers are. What do they want from you and how can you provide the product or service packaged up in a different way to your competitors.
There are many pubs in the UK but there is a pub to which you can have a drink but also help brew the beer you drink. They have a microbrewery on the premises and for a fee you can have a brew day and brew the beer and then come back when the beer is ready and you and your mates can drink the beer. You can also take bottles of it home. Their other idea was to also allow people to come up with unique recipes that they want to brew in small batches for parties and again they help brew it and then get to enjoy drinking it too.
These are just a few ideas of how you can help your business stand out from the crowd. The most important thing is to be creative and have fun. Happy people also are a create selling point, as people will buy from people they like and come back again for the great customer service that you need to provide.