No matter what you sell, there are people out there selling something similar for less money. That’s just the truth.
So, why should we choose YOU?
How do you make it clear to your target market that you’re different than your competitors?
If you can’t answer those questions very easily, don’t worry. I’ve got 21 ways you can differentiate your business, making it the pumpkin spiced latte of lattes when autumn hits.
1. Think about what makes your favorite brands your favorites.
Why do you love them? What makes them special? The things you love about other businesses are often things you can pull into your business in a way that works for your brand. No copying—take the idea and twist it to make it yours.
2. Build your business around what you stand for.
What are the big values you’ve built your business on? Are you true to them all the time? The best businesses are. {Think Warby Parker.)
3. Write your one-sentence message.
Often, we overcomplicate things. Can you define your brand in just one sentence? If you can’t, work on it until you can. Then, use that one sentence over and over and over until people recognize your brand whenever they hear or read it.
4. Consider the true value of your products.
Why should your customers choose your business? It’s all about the value and benefits you offer them. Consider why you choose Sephora over department store beauty counters or why you choose Uber over other taxi companies. {If those don’t apply to you, pick ones that do.}
5. Make sure you know and use your unique brand trifecta.
What you do best, what makes you truly unique and your highest values combined creates a brand that can’t be copied. {If this is confusing, I’ll be explaining it soon in my upcoming CreativeLive course. RSVP here to watch it live for FREE.}
6. Define success for yourself.
We tend to get suffocated by the details that don’t really matter to us. Define success for your business yourself. Don’t let others tell you what you have to reach to succeed. Then, you know what you truly want to be working towards and that helps to create something unique.
7. Start with passion.
Recently, Malcolm Gladwell said that passion is the single most important factor to a person’s success. I agree. Passion is what helps you complete projects instead of stopping halfway through. It’s what helps you put all of your energy into creating something you know people will love. It’s helps you pull all-nighters without drinking ten cups of dark roast coffee. And, it gets you through the toughest of times when you think you’ll never make it.
8. Know why your customers should choose you.
If you’re a solopreneur or a small business, you’ve not only got to know why your customers should choose your business, but also why they should choose YOU. What makes you the right person for your type of business?
9. Use what you know to be true.
What are your beliefs? What truly motivates you? Use this stuff! These are the details that make you different.
10. Pull the pieces of your personality into one business.
Instead of trying to focus on one thing or one passion, pull the many pieces of you into your business and watch the magic unfold. When I allowed myself to move beyond the square box of ‘business consultant,’ things changed in a ‘moving from vanilla to peanut butter brittle’ kinda way.
11. Get to know your customers.
The BEST brands know their customers better than the competition. Do the work to get to know your target market and you’ll stand out from the crowd pretty darn quickly. {Hint: I know that YOU know this one, but are you really doing the work?}
12. Use what you know about your customers.
Use this knowledge in every aspect of your business: blog posts, social media updates, product design, packaging, sales copy, bonuses, etc. When you do this, your customers will trust you and they’ll believe that you’re the person to help them.
13. Focus on your customers—not your numbers.
One of the biggest mistakes I see entrepreneurs making is focusing on growing their numbers (Facebook likes, email subscribers, blog readers) instead of focusing on the people that have already given them their attention. When you treat your customers better than they deserve, they do most of the marketing for you. Now, doesn’t that sound like the stuff dreams were made of?
14. Develop a customer service plan.
We’re all used to mediocre customer service. And, we only tell others when we receive amazing or horrible customer service experiences (I’m looking at you Bank of America). You want to land in the ‘amazing’ category, right? Then, you’ve got to have a customer service plan.
15. Understand your customer’s experience.
You want to create an experience for your customer that starts from the second she finds you to the moment she receives and uses your product (or engages in your services). Do you know what it’s like to be one of your customers? If not, go step by step through your own process. The details matter. Think Disney!
16. Use your copy to deal with the main objections your customers have to buying your products or services.
That’s a fancy way of saying dealing with potential customers that say things like ‘I don’t know if I can afford that’ or ‘I don’t know if I really need this right now.’ Do you deal with the main objections that cause your customers to pause from buying in your content and sales copy? If not, you’re losing out on sales every single day. {Insert sad emoticon here.}
17. Use branding stories.
We learn and speak in stories. Does your brand have some great stories behind it? Do you share them with your customers? Give your customers stories to tell so they can spread the word about your business for you in way that captivates others.
18. Help your customer become who she wants to be.
Our buying choices say something about us. They represent us. What does it say about your customers when they buy your products or services? Think Apple, ModCloth and Method.
19. Make your about page unique.
On many websites, the about page is the most highly trafficked page on the site. You want yours to grip your customers’ attention, let them know that you’re the right brand for them, and show them how you can help them. It’s not really all about you—potential customers are looking to see if you’re the right business for them.
20. Create a sense of belonging with your brand.
We all want to belong. It’s human nature. When someone buys from your brand does she feel like she belongs? When she finds out a friend also uses one your products, do they feel bonded, like it means something?
21. Embed your brand into your customers’ habits.
If your brand becomes a part of your customers’ habits, you’re golden. How can you do that? For example, I received a mug when I joined B-School and use it all the time when I drink tea. Marie Forleo embedded B-School into my habits with that mug.
If you want more in-depth information on any of these 21 ways to make your business stand out from the crowd, don’t forget to check out my course, Make Your Creative Business Uniquely Irresistible.
I built my course from these exact concepts and will help you apply each of them to your business. You can buy it here, or save it to your wishlist..
Wooohoo!!! I’m soooo excited for this course too! And oh my gosh I haven’t tried Warby Parker yet, but I want to after the baby…when your pregnant, the extra fluids change your eye pressure & can temporarily alter your prescription, so I can’t replace my glasses right now (and we accidentally ran over them while moving! haha!).
I love my Warby Parker glasses. I can’t imagine anything else after buying three pairs of glasses from them. 🙂
Oh! And I forgot to say, I’m getting better at #10, but I feel like I really need to nail down 11, 16, and 17! Now I need to figure out how to do that, cause I imagine it would really help when it comes to selling my stuff, and building my list, lol.
So, I would say that out of the ones you ‘need’ to nail down, #11 is the most important. But, I’m covering all of it in depth on November 12th! Yay!
I totally forgot about this course, I’m looking forward to it! 🙂
I’ve made so many exercises and Venn diagrams to find out what my brand is about, but it’s still a bit abstract in my head.
I kind of know what I want, but I need to implement is so things can fall into place.
This list sounds like a very good start! 🙂
If you RSVP, you’ll receive an email the day before and the day of the course. That way you won’t forget! 🙂
I hope my course can really help you move from abstract to concrete.
I went to RVSP immediately after I read this, so I sure won’t miss it now 🙂
I hope so too, yay!
I love the idea of using your one sentence over and over until people know you by it. Thats exactly what Im going to start working on! Thanks for the great ideas!
Awesome one to pick to work on! Let us know when you’ve got your one sentence. 🙂
These are some great tips and just make me even more excited for the course. I need to focus on all of these things as I have only dabbled so far in creating and selling products so it is time to pick up my game… Big time!
Thanks Holly! I’m really glad I can help. 🙂
Thanks heaps for this post April ! I am now working on my one sentence message now 🙂
Of course! Yay for working on your one sentence message. Come back and share it when you’ve got it.
These are all awesome and I can’t wait to hear more!
The thing that definitely stood out to me the most was having a customer service plan. It’s sorta like “duh, of course I need one of those” but then I also have never even thought about sitting down and making one. So, while it seems like it should be a given, it’s definitely not something that I’ve done. I’m really appreciative that you brought that up and I’ll be working on that in the upcoming weeks.
You’re awesome! FYI 🙂
It’s definitely an ‘of course I need that’ kind of thing–and it’s also one of those things that tons of small businesses don’t have in place. In fact, from working one-on-one with so many creatives, I don’t know very many at all who actually mapped out their customer service plans for a long time. It’s a back-burner item that keeps getting shoved further and further back from many entrepreneurs.
Thanks Amanda! Back at you.
Yes! These tips are exactly in line with the work I’ve been doing on my brands. I’m struggling with #17 and can’t wait to see how your course helps me put that piece together.
I’m looking forward to helping you out with #17! Yay!
Well said, April! These are all wonderful ways to stand out. I like to consider my clients’ objections and then answer them in the FAQs or by dispelling the myths about what I’m offering. So excited for this workshop too! 🙂
Thanks Sage! FAQs is a great place to combat those common objections. I also use testimonials for it–hearing from someone else is always helpful for potential customers trying to make a buying decision. 🙂
AWESOME LIST!
The biggest Oooo inducing one for me (tonight anyway) is to help your clients become the present hey want to be. That’s amazing. I love it, and I can see how it would make everything come together in a great way. It’s a great bottom line.
Thanks as always for your great advice.
xo
K
PS – See you soon! 🙂
Errr…person they want to be, not present hey want to be.
But you know…if they want to be a present? Nope.
YES! It seems so simple but I’m gonna bet that lots of creative entrepreneurs don’t necessarily think of this which means they’re missing out on a huge opportunity. Totally understood what you meant.
P.S. I know! It’s crazy pants! 🙂
April, every single one of these 21 ways are vital to any business. Thank you so much for this comprehensive list, which I will be referring to again and again as I grow my business! Can’t wait for your class!
I agree! So glad you’ll be tuning in. 🙂
How are you so smart AND so pretty? I am going to print this and use it as a how to guide.
xo
Rs
Ha! Thanks Richelle! 🙂
We are all digging your VIP* treatment here, April!
I *try* to work on all these biz tips but still seem to be going around in circles, without any kind of progression. I’ve done & re-done my “one sentence line” many times yet still haven’t found the one that descries my biz the best. I am sure to get some new advice and specific ways of dealing with all the points above.
Can’t wait!! 🙂
*Very Important Pointers
Great post April! I intend on preparing a survey when I have a little down time (after the holiday rush) and send it to my customers/readers for their input. I often receive input here and there, but I’d like it all in one place so I can wrap my head around it and do more to grow my business.
Such a great post. Having just started my blog a few weeks ago I’m still struggling with #13 since it seems SO hard to not want many followers to actually see what I’m creating. But you are completely right. It’s pretty easy to be able to discern the bloggers who are obviously after followers from the ones who care about their true followers and I’d rather be in the genuine camp. In the long run that is the best strategy and the one that will allow me to sleep at night. Just need to remember that when I post something right now and…. crickets 🙂
Oh April…You have absolutely no idea how perfect this timing of this article and your course are. Just amazing lady!
I can’t wait to get started
Right on sista! I am printing these to paste in a notebook with room for me to answer. I don’t want to be vanilla! *stomps foot* I want to be peanut brittle (oh so yummy & addictive) like You! Can’t wait for the course!!!!!!
I love this post and it’s got me thinking really deeply. I find it really hard to pin down and map out my ideal customer/reader as my customers fall into three distinct groups where the only real connection between them is being female (and having good taste, of course!). I think I need to focus on one of these groups but my facebook likers are largely made up of one of these groups, while my email list is made up largely of another. I feel like I’m alienating one or the other whenever I write a blog post. Arghhhh!
Today was just one of those days that followed “one of those nights”… My head was bursting from inside out and, to top that, I was hovering those typical initial flu symptoms!
But I got up and out of bed and after my deliciously nutritious and fulfilling breakfast, I was resuscitated back to life through this course, which kept me excited, motivated, inspired and empowered… so much that I completely forgot about the physical consequences of last night mistakes and jumped right into work!
This woman is amazing and she also makes me feel amazing. Check her out if you also want to hit the amazement refresh button:)