Struggling To Stand Out? Here’s Some Prompts To Help You Get Clear.

Picture this: you’ve started a business that feels super unique. Whether you’re the only bakery in the neighborhood, or an online service provider offering a distinctive service, you’re feeling on top of the world.

But one day, you discover that another business just like yours is gaining traction and it feels like everyone’s flocking to their storefront because of their vegan baked goods, superior customer service, or killer Showit templates marketed to your exact ideal clients. What’s a business owner to do?!

So often, business owners want to start working on their messaging and branding right away. Unfortunately, they haven’t done the work to get super specific about who they are and what sets them apart from their competitors. Then comes the inevitable question: What makes me different?

Sometimes, that’s not something we can immediately answer, and that’s scary. We’ve all been there.

If you’re struggling to have clarity around this, that’s okay. When most of us start our businesses, we begin with the skill or product we’re selling and only later realize there’s other ways to differentiate yourself. If you’ve been in business for awhile but you’re not super clear on how to express yourself to the world, these tips will help you open the door. Read on for some prompts to bring in clarity and find your uniqueness, now.

1. What are your driving factors?

Say you’re a baker who’s always wanted to own your own business. That feels unique to you. But there’s always more to the story. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? What excites you? These are good questions to ask yourself, but to get outside of your way of thinking, start thinking about it from the customer’s point of view. When they come into the store, what are they struck by? Why do they keep coming back?

If you don’t know, ask. The answers may surprise you: it could be your friendliness, customer service, the care & time you put into your baked goods.

Driving factors like these are what help you show up day after day, but they’re also the secret behind bringing in the customers back. Sure, you may have great baked goods. But they’re going to come back because of other aspects of the business, too.

2. What do you want to accomplish?

Sometimes when we talk about vision statements, the conversation can get a little boring. Besides, who’s thinking that far in the future? Answer: the successful business owners.

Ask yourself what the long term vision of your company is, what you want to offer, and what dreams you have. Get honest with yourself. Who do you love to work with? Will the audience you’ve chosen be folk you want to work with long-term? You can build out the details via demographics (where they live, age, gender, etc.) and psychographics (attitudes and aspirations), which will tell you what’s driving your audience forward, too. You may find that your vision matches exactly with their psychographics.

Going from there, think about how you can develop specific ways to serve your audience that reaches into that vision authentically and naturally.

3. Where do you fall next to competitors?

If a customer is looking for a business like yours, they may find you and your competitors at the same time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stand out just because others offer the same services as you. Each business has different values, slight differences in audience, and a different person behind the business. When you bring together what makes you different, what you value, and what makes your audience yours, you’ve got the framework to differentiate yourself and embrace the fact that you can’t attract everyone. Aligning your messaging & branding with these elements means bringing in the customers again & again.

Are you ready to work on your brand in-depth with someone experienced in building brands? Book your 1-on-1 branding intensive to get clear on your brand in just one day. You’ll walk away with guidelines you can use in your business day in and day out.