Running a business isn’t easy. As well as managing the business itself, including your workers and your projects, you also have to try to make sure your company stands out from your competitors. Yes, great service and good prices will help you develop a good reputation, but people still need to be able to recognize your business and differentiate it from other, similar businesses. 

Essentially, your marketing strategy needs to be focused on making sure your customers choose your business rather than just hoping for the best and stumbling on them. Here are a few things that can help your business stand out more.

The best kind of marketing is targeted marketing. This means you need to identify who your customers are and what they want from your business. If you know what your target market actually wants and needs, you can meet those needs and appeal to them more.

Let’s break this down. First, who are your target customers? 

Your target customers will depend on what you’re selling and, to a degree, your branding. Different people are interested in different things. Market research can help you to identify who are more likely to buy your product or service. Some things are more obvious than others. For example, a child is more likely to be interested in a toy than a printer. But when in doubt, do surveys and look at similar products on the market and who they are geared toward.

Next, you need to focus on that target market. Again, one of the best ways to learn what people are interested in is to ask them. Surveys and market research events are a great way to find out what people are interested in and concerned about.

This will inform the type of marketing and branding you use. For example, while most demographics use social media, different people use different types of social media. Older people might gravitate towards Facebook, while younger people might use TikTok. Linkedin appeals to professionals, while X and Instagram might appeal to most adults.

If you use a targeted marketing strategy, you’re more likely to stand out than a company that uses a generic strategy of essentially shouting their company name from the rooftop. Let people know that you’re the best, and let them know why. Market research makes all of that possible.

As well as typical marketing strategies like advertisements and posters, you should also think about the brand and personality of your business. Branding is more than just a color scheme and a business name that sounds kind of snappy. It’s also about creating an identity.

There are different ways to do this. Wendy's and Denny's were especially effective at using social media to create a specific personality that appealed to their audience. Wendys famously engaged with customers and mocked other businesses, and Denny's Tumblr posts were simply bizarre. But while it doesn’t sound like much, it worked.

People on social media would deliberately follow these accounts because they found them funny, they liked their personality. And, along with the posts that make people laugh, these corporations become more and more integral to these people’s lives.

Marketing is largely about becoming memorable so, if someone fancies a burger, they choose Wendy's because they have them on their mind. 

You don’t necessarily have to do the same thing, but people find personality easier to remember than anything else. Building a brand also comes down to building a reputation and a relationship with your customers. If you want to create a family-based company, think about ways to communicate this to your customers.

You might have an “and Sons/Daughters”, name, which makes it very obvious that your company is run by family. Social media posts can highlight this relationship between your family who are also your business partners. 

Building a brand can take time. Think about supporting different charities or causes. If you want to create an eco-friendly brand, for example, get involved in local eco-friendly events and support different charities and organizations that invest in the environment. It’s more than just putting a “we love the environment” sticker on your products, you have to put something behind it. This way, people think of your company in the same moment as they think about saving the environment.

If you want to attract more customers, one of the best strategies is to use deals and promotions. People love feeling as though they’ve got a good deal, so regular promotions can get more and more people interested in your product or service.

Of course, slashing your prices only works if people know about it in the first place. Use social media campaigns to get the word out about your promotion, or consider using email marketing to reach more people. 

If you boost your marketing efforts as a deal starts or just before, people are more likely to go for their first taste. Even better, you can use social media to create special deals for people who use that code, making it more appealing for people to follow your account so they can get more of these deals.

Often, one of the hardest things you can do in marketing is to get a new customer. If they like your product or service, they’re more likely to come back in the future. Also they’ve already heard of your company, and people often like what’s familiar to them, especially if it worked out well.

However, getting repeat customers can sometimes be a challenge. Repeat customers are a company’s bread and butter, as it’s cheaper to get back in touch than to find a new customer completely. Use email marketing to let them know about deals, and consider a loyalty program to keep people coming back for more.

Another good thing about repeat customers is that they are more likely to help your business via word of mouth. This is especially true if you also use a scheme that encourages people to tell others about your company and rewards them.

So far, we've mostly talked about digital marketing strategies like social media marketing, email campaigns, and adverts. But these aren't the only ways that you can market your business, and depending on your business, you should consider a traditional focus as well as digital marketing. 

If you run a physical store or service based industry, the best customer base for your company will be your local market. While some people will travel to get a local product or service from a brand they like, most people will go for what's convenient. If you can't ship your product or service, then this means keeping it local. 

First, think about your storefront. Signage and store displays are the best way to make your business stand out in the high street. Whether you're in a busy area or not, this lets people know they're in the correct place and what your business is all about. 

This applies in the local area and in other places as well. National signage program management means knowing what signs will work where. You also want high quality signs that are attractive and easy to read, so people aren't confused or put off. 

After all, once you get people in the door of your local business, then you can use your excellent salesmanship and your  amazing products to speak for themselves.