Making your brand stand out

Making your brand stand out

It is getting harder than ever to stand out from the crowd in today’s market. There are constant changes in the industry, new ventures and competitors cropping up, and you need every advantage you can get. 

Promoting yourself in a focused way and making your point of difference clear to your target audience is crucial to your ongoing success.

There has been a seismic shift in what will and does gain attention in an often overloaded area of marketing. With all the different streams of advertising bombarding the audience, you need to have a clear message that has some distinct hook for traction.

That could be marketing yourself as ‘being on the ball’ and having custom basketball jerseys made. Maybe your brand is proud to be a local operation, and you could promote your enterprise with a Melbourne showbag

Whatever you do, the marketing that you choose needs to reflect your brand personality, why you are the best company and the benefits for the end consumer.

A more discerning market

There is a strong trend in today’s market to demand more of the business they deal with. The audience wants to know anything from what you stand for, your impact on the environment, how you source your materials and the true origin of manufacture.

Too many businesses rely on a simple marketing campaign that showcases a special sale or discounted items, with the ‘great price’ being the one hook to lure customers.

A growing number of especially younger shoppers, want to know more about a business and what they stand for. 

Being environmentally conscious, using ethically sourced materials, guaranteeing Fairtrade or only using Australian made promotional products can be the point of difference you are looking for.

Finding something that adds value to your brand and a way to stand out from competitors is the first step, but then comes the question, ‘how do people find you?’.

Your online presence is everything in this regard.

Making your name online

Australian made promotional products

There are many varied ideas of how to make your online presence count. The focus needs to be on having the most impact through engagement and interest.

This is where the best of SEO marketing comes into the equation. 

Knowing who your target market is and what they are looking for is imperative for your online and ongoing success. If you have a ‘bricks & mortar’ store, then you will need to utilise the ultimate in Local SEO service.

When someone is in your area and looking for something close to what you offer, then your business should be the first thing that they see in their search.

Having the optimum content that highlights why you are the best choice and how easy it is to find you can bring powerful results.

It doesn’t matter if you are a restaurant or café, a shoe shop, a fashion outlet or a sports store selling the latest basketball jerseys, you have a chance to be the first port of call for those would-be clients.

Making a positive change to your brand

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to revitalising your brand. More often than not, it is making sure your messaging is all in line with all you do.

Adding the right tone and voice across each of your promotional and marketing streams gives you a cohesive approach and gives your audience a chance to identify with you.

Without a clear idea of who you are and what you offer, your business is lost in the mix. If you are not clearly identifiable, your brand is basically invisible.

There are a number of ways that you can hone your branding and promote your name in the most powerful way. This can be with the help of an agency, professional marketers or an internal communications person. 

Remembering that your brand is an entity in itself that needs to speak in a specific way, show its personality and offer something unique is of the highest performance.

Authenticity

Just as everyone has something unique about them, so too does a brand. It may be a small difference or a quirk that is easily identifiable. The point is to highlight that uniqueness and help your audience find you more easily. 

This focus on being unique must go hand in hand with being authentic. 

The market is more sophisticated than ever, yet many brands take the target market for being superficial and impatient. 

While online behaviour is often broken down to how quickly someone clicks or how long they stay on a website, the audience is attuned to what is genuine.

This can be a stumbling block for some brands that make outlandish claims and for those who cannot back up what they say or do.

It is vital that your brand lives up to its name and its reputation, especially with the cut-throat nature of online ‘word of mouth’. 

One look at any advertising news bulletin or social media report will show just how far even a well-known brand can fall if it is found to be inauthentic.

Rather than being an area to avoid, adding a strong element of your authenticity can be one of your most powerful promotional assets.

Going further with your branding

One of the keys to ongoing success is to build a loyal customer base. This is not always easy, but it has multiple benefits.

With an active and loyal clientele, you have the means to see out the inevitable ups and downs of seasonal and fluctuating times. 

You cannot build that customer loyalty in a short time. 

There is no way to ask for loyalty from a customer until you have shown that what you offer is exactly what they will get. Then they will need to know and be sure that they can expect that same level of service or product each and every time they engage with you.

Having the means to stand out from the crowd and show your target market why you are the best choice is an outstanding advantage.

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