5 Simple steps to make sure your brand knocks the socks off potential customers.
You got the brilliant idea, you knuckled down and went all in, you got some sales, you got great feedback, felt like you had cracked the entrepreneurial code and ‘made it’ buuuuut business has slowed down and now it’s not feeling like it’s as financially sustainable as it may have first seemed. Sound familiar? Starting a business can be very easy but staying in business is the hard part, seeing as customers have way too many options on where to spend their hard-earned bucks. Competition is fierce as ever with so many more kick-ass women entrepreneurs doing business on their terms with some freaking amazing products and services on offer. But there is totes room for everyone! You don't need to rethink your entire biz yet! Here are 5 steps you can take today to help your business stand out and bring back that Kanye confidence you started with.
Find your unique selling point (USP)
What makes your biz so different to others in your field? What sets apart your offering? Ask yourself some questions like why is what I sell important? Why did I start the business? What makes me so passionate about helping others? Is there a particular area I know I can deliver absolute gold in? Find the words and use them across all touch points. If there’s a phrase that you keep coming back to, use it as your tagline. Using the same phrase over and over will help your brand be recognised for just the right reason. Don’t hold back and don’t feel like you can’t big note yourself, it shows you truly believe in your biz and earns you a whole lotta trust from your customers.
Make sure your branding is on point
Customers make a decision on your brand in less than a second. Yep that’s right we’re all way more judgey wudgey than you may like to think. That’s why it’s so important to get your branding right. If you haven’t invested in quality branding with a designer who knows all about strategy there’s still a few things you can get right in the meantime. Consistency, quality, engaging visuals and messaging are all aspects that customers see and consider in seconds when deciding between your brand and others. Consistency being above all.
Stick to your brand colours and use quality pictures which you can achieve with the right lighting and a basic phone these days. Check out free to use stock images on sites such as Canva, Unsplash and Pixels as well. Use images that relate to your target audience and industry, it’s even better if you can match your brand colours within the photos. These simple things will have your brand looking professional and recognisable straight away.
Build A Strong Online Presence
Let’s face it if it’s not online does it even exist? 97% Of consumers find local businesses online first. Because of this, building a strong online presence is essential to your success. That means not only creating an attractive website but actually showing up on social platforms commonly used by your target audience. Yep, I mean show your face at least once in a while. If you were stuck figuring out how your biz stands out to others in your niche, this is a big one, it’s because of you! (*sings it’s me hi! I’m the problem it’s me!). You need to post fresh, valuable content on all of these platforms to remain visible and keep conversations going with your followers by engaging with them. You can also position yourself as the expert in your industry by launching a blog and publishing relevant and high-quality content. This may seem like a lot, but you got into this biz because you know your shit right? Well, it’s time to own it and talk about it a lot… like a lot a lot! And you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you need to post. Batch content using the same consistent templates and use parts of your blog in posts. If a post shows high engagement don’t feel like you can’t reuse it maybe with slight changes down the track.
Connect with your customers
Customers expect and value more than just a great product or service. They want an experience. When customers have a positive and encouraging experience with your brand, they’re more likely to recommend you to others and return in the future. If they have even one bad experience that remains unresolved, they will write off the brand. And negative feedback spreads like wildfire. You need to be on top of your game to improve the customer experience, sometimes by going far out of your way. One major point is to accept your mistakes, whether they are your fault or not. Customers prefer businesses that own up to their mistakes and take steps to correct them. In fact, customer relationships can actually be stronger after a problem than before, if handled well. Treat your customers like gold and acknowledge and reward loyal customers to make sure they continue to stick around.
Connect with your local market
There’s something truly special about local businesses don’t you think? They’re your people and are most likely going to be your loyal followers. You’re sure to get noticed when you’re involving yourself in the community and networking to form business relationships that can be ongoing not to mention having allies in the business world can be both fun and extremely helpful. Jump onto local fb communities, find out what’s happening around your town and show up as a local expert.
If you’ve wondered why business has slowed down or why you're maybe not having as much impact as you should be don’t feel so certain you need to throw in the towel just yet. And if you’ve done these steps before, it may be worth revisiting them. You are a big part of your brand and just like you, your biz evolves and some things may need a refresh. When your business stand outs for all it’s awesomeness you can get back to kicking butt and doing more of what you love.
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