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Did you know that there are more small businesses than ever before?
In 2020, the number of new business applications doubled compared to 2019, and according to the US Chamber of Commerce, this trend has continued with more than 5 million new business applications being filed every year since.
This is wonderful. However, this surge means that you—as a small business owner—have more competition than ever before. And, if you want your small business to thrive—or even survive—you have to stand out.
Because there’s nothing we want more than for your small business to succeed, in this week’s episode of Priority Pursuit, Victoria shares 10 ways you can help your business stand out in a crowded market.
10 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowded Market as a Small Business
1. Provide an incredible customer experience.
Arguably the most effective way to set yourself apart from your competitors is to provide an incredible customer experience.
You might not want to hear this, but the fact of the matter is that the quality of the client experience you offer matters far more than the quality of your products or services.
This is NOT to say that the quality of your offer doesn’t matter. But, the customer experience you provide matters even more because the experience you provide is going to affect how your customers feel about the quality of your products or service.
From the initial interaction you have with customers to the support you provide during and even after their time with you, every touchpoint matters. So, be sure your communication is clear, timely, and helpful. Under promise and over deliver. Create customer service protocols so that you can ensure every customer is served well. And, remember that happy clients are your best advocates. They’re likely to return for repeat business and refer you to others.
Focus on service—not just transactions. This will help you create a loyal customer base that trusts and values your business, and this loyalty is only going to lead to success and growth and help you stand out in your market.
2. Utilize clear messaging.
Clear messaging—which is the key to effective marketing—is crucial if you want to stand out in a saturated market.
You can do all of the marketing “things” you’re “supposed to do;” however, all of these efforts and tactics are a waste of time, money, and resources if your messaging isn’t clear and customer-focused because nothing you create will resonate with ideal clients.
In order to convert prospects into paying customers, you have to know exactly what to say to connect with your ideal customers, hold their attention, and—ultimately—make them want to do business with you.
How can you create clear messaging?
The best way to create clear, customer-focused messaging is to write what we call your “Marketing Guiding Statements.” Marketing Guiding Statements are written guidelines that position your brand and business as a trusted partner, and the process of developing these statements gives you the information you need to write clear, concise, and effective messaging in a story-based framework.
When you take the time to create Marketing Guiding Statements, you can refer back to this language as you work on writing website copy, blog posts, social media posts, or developing any other marketing piece to make sure your marketing is customer-focused—rather than braggy or salesy—and has the power to convert your ideal customers.
Because we know that small businesses' marketing cannot succeed without clear messaging, we put together a free mini course that walks you through exactly how to develop your messaging: “The First Step to Effective Marketing for Small Businesses: Writing Your Marketing Guiding Statements.”
Use your messaging to differentiate your business from your competitors.
Clear messaging alone is going to help you stand out because, unlike your competitors who are likely making what they offer difficult to understand, your marketing is going to be clear, concise, and tailored to your ideal customer.
However, if you really want to stand out in your market, use your messaging to differentiate your business from your competitors.
For example, pretend you’re a newborn photographer. Yes, you can create clear messaging about the fact that babies are only newborns for a short time, and moms don’t want to fail to capture these sweet moments before they’re gone.
However, don’t you think it’s safe to say that all of your competitors are saying something similar?
Creating clear messaging around this concept will probably get you far. However, creating clear messaging that differentiates your business will take you even further.
For example, rather than talking about fleeting newborn moments, your messaging could focus on the fact that you make newborn photos a luxurious, convenient experience for moms. Maybe you assist with outfit selection or have pre-planning sessions with clients so that way after babies arrive and parents are exhausted, you’ve already taken care of all of the details. Your clients can just show up and enjoy a luxurious, convenient experience while ensuring these fleeting moments are captured.
Basically, when your messaging is clear and different from your competitors’ messaging, your business is so much more likely to stand out in a crowded market.
With this in mind, as you write your Marketing Guiding Statements, we want to encourage you to analyze your competitors’ messaging by going to their websites and determining a gap, niche, or just something slightly different that you can include in your messaging and make part of your brand to set your business apart.
Again, you can learn how to write your Marketing Guiding Statements with our free mini course: “The First Step to Effective Marketing for Small Businesses: Writing Your Marketing Guiding Statements.”
3. Include the “right” information on your website.
In order to be effective, your website needs to serve your ideal clients well by helping them quickly and easily understand what you offer, how you can help solve their problem, and how they can work with you.
In other words, your website needs to include the “right” information. Because, if it takes longer than five seconds for website visitors to determine the answers to these questions, they’re practically guaranteed to leave your site—meaning you’ll miss out on business.
In our experience, there are eight things that every business’s website needs to include to convert site visitors into paying customers. If you’d like to learn what those eight elements are, check out our free guide: “8 Things Every Small Business’s Website MUST Include to Convert Visitors into Paying Customers.”
When your website includes these eight elements and provides the information your ideal client actually wants and needs, your website will serve as a 24/7 salesperson for your small business and be much more likely to stand out from your competitors’ sites.
4. Make sure your business appears on the first page of Google search results.
Another highly effective way to stand out in a crowded market is to leverage SEO and make sure that your business appears on the first page of Google search results.
97% of people use Google when they’re in need of a product or service. As a result, if you can get your website and business to rank on the first page of Google, you can get your information in front of prospects who are actively searching for—and likely ready to purchase—exactly what you have to offer.
When your website ranks at the top of Google search results, you don’t have to spend so much of your time going after new leads. Instead, many of your strongest leads will start coming to you through Google.
SEO (which stands for search engine optimization) is a free process that helps your website rank well on Google (or other search engines) when users conduct searches related to your products, services, or content.
There are a lot of moving parts to a successful SEO strategy, but SEO has the power to do big things for your small business. After all, when people intentionally look for a service or product, most go to Google and many are ready to make a purchase. So, when your website is one of the first solutions they see in a search, they will be more likely to find and buy from you.
If you’re ready to get started with SEO, check out “Episode 086: The Three Most Effective Ways to Improve Your Small Business’s SEO.”
5. Provide content that serves your ideal clients well.
Another way to stand out in a crowded market is to provide your audience with blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, or other content that serves your ideal clients well.
Now, in a world where there’s more content available than ever before, if you want to stand out, you have to create quality content that helps your ideal clients either survive or thrive—which are the things we, as people, naturally want most in life.
In other words, you need to create content that makes people’s lives better—whether that be content that helps them do something (like reach a goal or complete a task), feel more informed and confident, or simply feel more connected or less alone.
When you consistently provide quality content, you’ll be able to position yourself as a trusted expert in your field, and when your audience sees that you’re consistently providing valuable information, they’ll begin to trust your expertise and will be more likely to turn to you when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Additionally, providing great content is also going to help you build relationships with your audience. Content that resonates with your ideal clients helps you establish a connection with them. They get to know your brand, understand your values, and see how you can solve their problems, which—ultimately—makes them more likely to become paying customers.
With this in mind, if you want to stand out in a crowded market, rather than focusing on quantity, focus on quality. Create content that addresses the specific needs and challenges of your ideal clients. And, remember, it’s better to produce one piece of high-quality content than to churn out five pieces that don’t resonate.
At the end of the day, content that serves your ideal clients well will not only help you stand out in a crowded market but will also help you build a loyal audience that trusts your brand and turns to you for solutions.
If you’d like more guidance in creating a content marketing strategy, check out “Episode 110: A Proven Content Marketing Strategy for Small Businesses.”
6. Utilize email marketing.
Another way you can stand out in a crowded market is by utilizing email marketing.
In a seemingly social-media-driven world, you might be thinking, “Why the heck would I want to do that?” But, the numbers don’t lie.
Email has again and again proven to be the best marketing channel in terms of ROI. In fact, according to AgencyAnalytics, “It's estimated that email generates $36 for every $1 spent.” That’s a 3500% ROI. On the other hand, social media generates an estimated return of $2.80 for every dollar spent.
At this point, fewer than 10% of your followers will likely see your organic social media posts. However, email allows you to communicate directly with your audience, and your emails are more or less guaranteed to end up in prospects’ inboxes, making email a direct line of communication between you and prospective customers who have already expressed interest in your products or services. (They’ve already shared their email address with you, so you know that they’re warm leads.)
On top of this, only 64% of small businesses utilize email marketing. That means that 36% aren’t utilizing this powerful marketing tool. And, as Victoria says in this episode, “If I were a betting kind of gal, I’d bet that a majority of the 64% who are using it aren’t using it well or strategically. If you’re willing to commit to email marketing, build an email list, and serve your subscribers in their inboxes, you will almost certainly stand out in your market.”
Now, if you want to get started with email marketing, you have to have an email list. To learn how to build your list, check out episodes “114: How to Build a Sales Funnel as a Small Business” and “130: The Best Opt-in Email Strategies for Small Businesses.”
7. Run Google & social media ads.
Another highly effective way to set your small business apart is by using Google and social media ads. These advertising platforms allow you to reach your ideal clients directly, ensuring that your message gets in front of the right people.
Why should small businesses use Google ads?
Google Ads offer a powerful way to capture attention when potential customers are actively searching for the products or services you offer. By targeting specific keywords related to your business, you can ensure that your ads appear at the top of search results.
Google ads make it easier for prospective clients to find you. This is particularly valuable because, as we discussed, 97% of people use Google when they need a product or service. With Google Ads, you’re meeting your audience precisely where and when they’re looking for what you provide—even if your website isn’t currently organically ranking on the first page.
Why should small businesses use social media ads?
Social media ads—which you can run on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and nearly any other social media platform—allow for highly targeted campaigns, enabling you to tailor your ads based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and even past interactions with your content. This means you can get your business in front of a highly relevant audience.
Basically, with Google and social media ads, you can strategically increase your visibility, reach your target audience more effectively, and—ultimately—stand out in a crowded market. These ads not only help drive traffic to your website but also reinforce your brand’s presence, making it easier for potential customers to remember and choose you when they’re ready to make a purchase.
8. Ask for customer reviews.
A simple way to stand out in your market is to get more Google reviews.
Studies show that businesses with higher average ratings and more reviews are more likely to attract customers.
When your business appears in Google search results and has high ratings and more reviews than your competitors, your business becomes the obvious choice—allowing you to stand out in even the most crowded markets.
So, ask your customers for Google reviews.
While there are other sites—such as Yelp—where you can earn reviews, we want to encourage you to ask your customers specifically for Google reviews because most people (81%) read reviews on Google, and Google reviews are going to help improve your SEO—which, as we already discussed—is also going to help you stand out.
That said, you have to ask for reviews. More than 70% of consumers will leave reviews when directly asked. However, you’ll likely find that few to none of your customers will take the time to leave you a positive review without being prompted. That isn’t to say that your customers don’t appreciate you, but with busy lives of their own and because they don’t necessarily realize how helpful reviews can be to small businesses, it likely won’t occur to them to leave you a Google review unless you ask.
So, make requesting reviews part of your workflow. And, if you’re short on Google reviews now, reach out to past customers and ask them to take a minute to leave you a review.
Again, this is an easy way to stand out in a crowded market.
9. Develop a personal brand.
In today’s competitive market, one of the most powerful ways to differentiate yourself and your business is by developing a personal brand.
While your business's brand is its identity, image, reputation, and what comes to mind when people think about it, your personal brand is what comes to mind when people think about you as an individual. It’s the unique combination of qualities, values, expertise, and personality traits that make you you and differentiate you from others. Your personal brand is how you’re perceived by your audience, peers, and industry.
There are several reasons to develop a personal brand, but the biggest reason is simply because people buy from people, not businesses. And, they don’t just buy from anyone; they make purchases from those they know, like, and trust.
Today, consumers are increasingly looking for true connections with the individuals behind businesses often before choosing to support a business. In fact, 77% of people are more likely to support a business when its founder has a strong personal brand and the founder’s personal values align with the consumer’s values.
By simply sharing your story, your values, and what matters most to you, you can create a sense of connection and relatability that leads to sales. Because, again, when customers feel a personal connection to you, they’re more likely to choose your business over your competitors, as well as become loyal, repeat customers.
Having a personal brand allows you to differentiate yourself—especially in a crowded market—and connect with customers on a deeper level, which can help you stand out and drive long-term success for your business.
If you’d like to learn more about how to develop a personal brand, check out “Episode 147: Why Every Small Business Owner Needs a Personal Brand & How to Build Yours.”
10. Show up consistently.
Last but not least, if you want to stand out in a crowded market, you have to show up consistently.
Consistency is one of—if not the—most underrated yet effective ways to stand out in a crowded market. When you show up consistently in your marketing efforts, in your customer service, and in the quality of your work, you’ll build trust with your customers and audience and establish reliability and dependability.
We discussed the importance of offering a great customer experience, and it probably goes without saying that your products and services should also have great, consistent quality. But, so often, we see small businesses fail to be consistent in their marketing.
This is usually because they’re busy and don’t have time to focus on their marketing or because they aren’t operating from a marketing strategy, and as a result, they don’t know what to focus on.
During busy seasons of business, this doesn’t seem like a problem. After all, if you’re serving your customers well, referrals can take you a long way. However, what happens during a slow season of referrals? What happens when organic leads dry up?
This is why it’s so important to consistently market your business and to remember the “rule of seven.” The rule of seven is a marketing principle that says that customers need to see your brand at least seven times before they commit to a purchase decision.
With this in mind, if you want to stand out in a crowded market, your audience needs to consistently hear from you so that they remember you when they’re in need of your products or services.
Now, you can’t consistently market your business unless you’re operating from an effective marketing strategy.
If you’ve listened to past episodes of Priority Pursuit, you know that we recommend the flywheel marketing strategy. This is the exact strategy we use for nearly all of our agency clients because it’s proven to work for small businesses. It’s helped our clients see up to 800% growth.
And, because there’s nothing we want more than for your small business to succeed, we want to share this strategy with you—in full for free. Download ”The Most Effective Marketing Strategy for Small Businesses: The Flywheel Marketing Method”.
You deserve to stand out.
You work hard and deserve to be noticed by your ideal customers and have a marketing strategy that conveys your value and makes prospects want to work with you.
Again, there are more small businesses than ever before, and if you want your business to thrive, you have to stand out. Now, if you aren’t sure where to start, we want to give you three action items:
- Make sure you’re offering an incredible client experience. Your business won’t stand out—at least not in a good way—if you offer average or anything less than great customer service.
- Clarify your message. All marketing is a waste of time and money unless you know what to say.
- Check out the flywheel marketing guide. If you want your marketing to be successful, you have to operate from an effective strategy so that you know what to focus on and where to invest your resources so that you can reach your business goals.
There may be more small businesses than ever before, but there isn’t another you or business just like yours. You deserve to stand out so that your ideal clients can find you and be blessed by you.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- “Episode 017: How to Create a Client Experience that Allows You to Book More Clients & Raise Your Prices”
- “The First Step to Effective Marketing for Small Businesses: Writing Your Marketing Guiding Statements”
- “8 Things Every Small Business’s Website MUST Include to Convert Visitors into Paying Customers”
- “Episode 086: The Three Most Effective Ways to Improve Your Small Business’s SEO”
- “114: How to Build a Sales Funnel as a Small Business”
- “130: The Best Opt-in Email Strategies for Small Businesses”
- “Episode 115: How to Use Google Ads as a Small Business”
- “Episode 126: Why Small Businesses Should Invest in Social Media Ads”
- “Episode 147: Why Every Small Business Owner Needs a Personal Brand & How to Build Yours”
- ”The Most Effective Marketing Strategy for Small Businesses: The Flywheel Marketing Method”
- Learn More About Treefrog’s Small Business Marketing Resources & Services
- Join the Priority Pursuit Facebook Community
- Follow or DM Treefrog Marketing on Instagram
- Follow or DM Kelly Rice on Instagram
- Follow or DM Victoria Rayburn on Instagram
The Priority Pursuit Podcast is a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners define, maintain, and pursue both their personal and business priorities so they can build lives and businesses they love.
You can find The Priority Pursuit Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Stitcher, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
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