Making your business stand out from the crowd is something that is becoming harder and harder to do – so many more people are choosing to become entrepreneurs thanks to lower barriers to entry and plenty of advice.
This in itself is not a bad thing; in fact, we celebrate these people and admire them for going ahead with making their dreams come true.
However, when it comes to your own business, you might not be quite so glad to see lots of competition starting up. It can mean you get lost in the crowd, and when that happens, it’s hard to rise to the top again.
It is possible, though, if you give your business added value. When you do this, you’ll be noticed and people will be happy to spend money with you rather than the competition. Here are some ways to get started.
1. Be Fast
Although this isn’t true (stat is merely short for ‘statum’ which is a Latin word meaning ‘immediately’), it’s a nice idea to keep in your head when it comes to your business. If you can do everything ‘stat’ (without rushing and comprising quality, of course), then you will undoubtedly stand out.
When someone orders something online, they want it as soon as possible, and they won’t want to wait many weeks or days to get it. This is why you need to be fast when you are sending out orders.
If you can do it at no extra cost to the buyer, that’s even better. They’ll remember you, remember that you’re great value for money, and they’ll tell their friends and family, helping you to grow.
2. Offer Good Quality
If you sell cheap, low-quality items, you might get some sales, but when it comes to returning customers, it’s unlikely you’ll persuade them to come back to you. Not when they can buy something of better quality from a competitor.
To this end, always offering the best quality items you can must be a priority. This doesn’t mean you have to become an expensive place to shop; it just means that, for the money you’re charging, you should look for the best, not the cheapest
Good quality extends to every part of your business. Using high-quality rollstock for packaging and a reputable courier firm for deliveries, for example, will also impress your customers and they’ll remember you for longer.
3. Be Human
You might be the added value your business needs. Rather than a corporate blankness which can sometimes be what people find when they are buying items, if you can show that you are a human, that there is someone real behind the business, you will find many more customers to buy from you.
Your business social media account is a great way to do this. Make your posts relevant but add a personal touch to them. Answer queries with real responses, not stock answers. It will make all the difference.
Image Credit: Pixabay
