With so many new startups in business nowadays and countless small businesses promoting themselves up the industry into medium-sized companies, competition is fierce and getting your ideas out there has become even more difficult than it was before.
As a result, more and more companies are looking for ways to set themselves apart from the rest of the competition. Most of the time, this is done by being controversial or sensational, but you don’t need to take such risky gambles in order to grow your business. If you want to create a name for yourself and stand out, then we’ve gathered up a couple of tips that will help set you apart from the crowd.
Break the mould
Breaking the mould is perhaps the most obvious tip, but we can elaborate on what this means. When businesses become successful, people try to imitate their business model, products or even release schedule. While this is a safe way to do business, it’s also a stale way. Keep in mind that unless you’re an innovative business, you’re never going to stand out from the crowd and you’ll never make a name for yourself. You’re always going to be one of those “safe” businesses that simply try to follow in the shadow of more successful companies. Instead of taking this safe route, do something worthwhile and try to stand out from the crowd instead of following the rest of the herd.
Give out gifts to your customers
Whether it’s discount vouchers in their emails or unique promotional gifts with every order, it pays to be a considerate business that values its customers. Good services to look at for help would be The Pin Factory and other similar businesses that create customised promotional gifts. You can add things like badges, stickers or even mouse pads as promotional gifts that will remind your customers about your business. The gift also acts as a small token of appreciation of their business, something that far too few businesses utilise as a way to grow a strong brand name.
Put your passion before business
If you’re truly passionate about your business, then you can’t let negative matters get in the way. If you previously told your customers that you’re committed to bringing them the cheapest and best-quality smartphones available on the market, then stick to that promise and follow that passion up with action. Just talking isn’t enough in the world of business—your company is going to be defined by its actions, not its false promises.
Be open to everything
Make sure you’re following through with your promises and don’t ignore ideas that both your staff and customers suggest to you. A stale business that follows what the rest of the industry does is never going to be as popular as a business that takes risks. However, you don’t need to take risks that have an adverse effect on your company. Calculated risks are possible, it just takes a lot of planning and some unique and fresh ideas.