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Today’s market is crowded with smart minds who are efficient enough to start their own business. Want to know the best part? They are oh-so-successful at what they do. However, this has led to huge competition in the domain of business and startups. I am sure you agree with me on this!

So how do you move forward and past this market which is screaming with various versions of the same business model that you have? I think you have guessed it already! YES, your business needs to stand out.

Now even standing out is a difficult activity when your competitors are equally good. Don’t you think? But hey, guess what! I said, difficult, not impossible. 

So don’t you worry! Here we are, the best startup enthusiasts in Team TheCodeWork, to look up various ways to make your business stand out. Are you ready to touch the sky?

Then please keep reading!

Starting Out

Undoubtedly, there are numerous things to concentrate on, when you are set to start your very own business. I understand. There are questions like what should be the title of your startup, Ways to launch your product & service, the financial aspect of it, etc. This could be a never-ending list. 

With so many complex forms of doubts and decisions, it is natural to keep some things in the backseat. The sad part is, most of the early-stage startups forget about what they are scheduling for later. One of the biggest such examples can be, skipping the act of building a brand identity. 

The brand is what you build to make your audience connect with your business. This can be the brand logo, slogans, tagline, or even the color palette. Each part of this segment is vital to building a brand that eventually makes your business stand out from the crowd. If you want to know more about building a brand/a brand identity, do read this blog – “Branding a startup company at a small budget”.

The sad part is that people start compromising in this domain and end up leaving a haggard and broken impression of their business on the audience. Tell me, would you choose a company that has 3 different types of logos, no consistency of colors, or any form of visual aspect? I don’t think anyone would! So this is exactly what I am talking about. 

After all,  the first impression is the last impression. So do build around this segment while starting up.  

Now let’s check out the very validity of the need to stand out in business or the market as you call it.

Why is it so Important to Stand Out?

See it is very simple. If there are 2-5 companies with the same business model, one of them has to stand out to grab the attention of the audience or break the monotony at least. Sounds pretty obvious, right? I know, but guess what? Though most brands know to acknowledge this, very few actually practice it.

This is the loophole that you need to shine through! Let me provide a personal example. 

We are an MVP development company. We provide services like web/mobile app development, frontend/backend development, web/mobile app design services to early-stage startups. So if you visit our website @thecodework.com, you will see that we are very specific about the services we offer. We know our target audience and work towards connecting with the same. 

On the contrary, we have some of our healthy competition in the market, who have the same business model but target a huge niche. They are not specific about what they deliver. This leads to confusion and the clients and leads are drifted away. Are you getting my point?

We stand out because we keep it to our target base and are very clear about what we deliver. This is the whole point! In order to be successful in a crowded market, standing out is all you need to achieve so as to move forward. 

How to Stand Out From the Competition

I am aware that you must be waiting for the checklist by now, so I won’t make you wait any longer. Let’s dive in and grow. 

Here are the top 10 ways to stand out from the competition:

1. Incredible Customer Service

Many brands claim to have extraordinary customer service. But you know what? Action is louder than words. Claiming doesn’t land you anywhere! I am sure you agree with me on this. 

 If you want to stand out, let your customers have the most incredible experience while associating with your brand. Just see how customer loyalty adds up then. 

For example, look at Fleet Feet. This brand custom fits running shoes after studying the way you walk/run.  How cool is that? Wait, the best part isn’t over yet!  They allow the customers to try the shoes before buying them, They are also eligible to return the shoes if they don’t fit the need even after months! They refund for that too. Can you imagine! 

Who would buy shoes elsewhere then?

This is the brilliant customer service that is going to make your business stand out!

2. Build a Strong Online Presence

The world is going digital my friend! As a result, building a strong online presence is crucial. Social media is the tool of millions these days. This has also given rise to the concept of digital marketing, right? Around 97% of the population is online. 

Reach out to them through eye-catching designs and content. Stand out via the representation. Refer to the following blogs for more details if you are interested in growing a strong online presence for your business – 

• Social media marketing mistakes that you need to avoid
• Marketing Strategies and its dos and don’ts in 2021
• How to drive traffic to your website using social media

For example, a major chunk of our website traffic is through our Explore Page, which is a visual presentation of news and startup-related content. People are drawn to it. 

Why? Because they don’t get such presentations elsewhere. This leaves a good impression on the potential leads and they end up reaching out. See the trick?

The major ways to build a strong online presence include the following:

1. SEO
2. SEM Strategy
3. Business Listings
4. Social Media Marketing
5. Content marketing

3. Concentrate on a narrow niche.

Heard of the saying, “too many cooks spoil the broth”?  This is particularly true when it comes to service-based brands and startups. Allow me to explain.

Adjusting your business model for a huge variety of customer base is not at all cost-effective. In addition to that, it confuses your potential leads about what exactly you deliver and they end up moving past you. You surely wouldn’t want that for your business, right? 

I already gave you an example of this in the branding section. I guess you remember till now, don’t you?  

4. Work on industry loop-holes and build upon that

In order to stand out from your completion, operate in a way that builds on the loopholes that they bypass. This helps you stand out as well as mend the mistakes that others are committing in the same market that your business belongs to. 

Brands like – Warby Parker and also Dollar Shave Club, are perfect examples of building on industry loopholes. I will tell you why! They discovered ways to use the supply chain in a different way to deliver quality products to customers at a much lower price. Amazing, right?

Look how it all added up!

5. Create a distinct company culture

What do I mean when I say company culture? Company culture basically encompasses the visions of the company through their marketing and all forms of reach out. 

A very effective example of this very pointer would be companies changing their logos to various versions of the pride flag in the month of June. Why do they do that? Well, it’s simple. They want to reflect “inclusion” as a part of their company culture. 

Not just that, remember all the big brands taking a stand for the black lives matter campaign that took place recently for a tragic incident? It is all about reflecting a strong company culture. 

Source: The Markup

Yes, if all brands are doing this, then how can it make you stand out? Well, this is just an example. Every brand finds some or the other way to take stands when situations require action on the big banner. But please don’t think, all it means is about talking moral grounds. No. it isn’t.

For instance, our company culture is about encouraging and helping startups build products and grow. And we don’t miss any opportunity to reflect that. Like, this very paragraph! 

6. Take up social responsibility

Yes, it matters! Like the social campaigns that I have been referring to, just now. If you dodge social responsibilities, then you stand out and grab attention. BUT, IN THE MOST NEGATIVE WAY POSSIBLE! You totally wouldn’t want that. Trust me!

Tell me something. If you have a good reach and some influence over people in the society, then why wouldn’t you take the responsibility to make it a better world? I mean, you can try. 

Today’s businesses and client base consist of a major chunk of millennials. This happens to be the woke (millennial vocabulary alert), smart and sensible part of society. They will end up dumping your brand if you reflect signs of social pessimism and negative traditions. 

Here’s a sneak peek into how various brands took up social responsibility during the outbreak of the global pandemic.

Source: Brand Equity

Hopefully, you are getting my point!

7. Digital mentorship

This is going to be my favorite segment. If you or any other individual from your team has the expertise on something, then why not spread the news on the digital podium? What I mean is, if you want your business to stand out then provide services that are not always about revenue. How about that?

For example, we have a YouTube channel where we provide FREE tutorials/hacks/guidance on the segments of the industry that we feel we have decent knowledge about. We have a segment on marketing, one on technology, and one on the very product that we sell – MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Our followers on Instagram have loved this initiative and they do pick up the content that they feel would help them.

We don’t even run after the numbers here. Quality over quantity, remember?

Overview

Wrapping it up, there are adequate ways for you to make your company stand out. Just trust us and implement the 7 methods that we talked about. If you receive any positive feedback, do leave a comment for us, so that we know we have been helpful.

See, if you deliver value, be humane, provide valuable content freebies, then people are sure to notice you and your work. This is about building an identity that stands out. So do what it takes, you are sure to succeed. 

Also, do share if you have any feedback or suggestions. We will add them to the list and mention you as well. And for now, if you are a startup that is starting from scratch, do reach out to us at TheCodeWork, we are here for you.

Till then, keep innovating!