How to Differentiate Your Online Presence from Your Competition
You know your business is the best in its class, but does your target audience know that? Separating yourself from the rest of the pack can seem like a daunting task, especially in a digital sense. Organic search rankings, online reviews, Google My Business listings; all of these play a role in establishing credibility for your brand, as well as differentiating your business from the competition. But if you’re a small, local business that can only work with a limited digital marketing budget, how can you do enough virtually to truly make your company stand out?
On this ‘___ Near Me’ local marketing podcast episode, we’ll analyze a few of the ways you can enhance your brand, expand your online presence, and as a result, help your company rise above your competition. Having the right digital marketing strategies at your arsenal is what will inevitably help push your business over the hump, and continue to climb up local, relevant search result page rankings. Take a look at a few key tips for differentiating your company from the competition.
Check out these digital marketing tips for separating your company from the rest of the pack.
Define Your Unique Value Propositions
What truly makes your business different from your competitors? Is it the quality or quantity of services you offer? Are your pricing models more affordable? Are your warranties superior, or do you offer any guarantees?
Defining questions such as this will lead you to develop a core dynamic to digital branding: Unique Value Propositions (UVPs). UVPs are some of the first things a visitor should read on your website or paid advertisement; big, bold, and blatant promises you give to your customers that inform them of what they can expect when they enlist your services. They operate as incentives and levels of expectation for your target audience, so they can immediately assess your brand and compare it to any of your competitors they are familiar with.
A few general examples of UVPs can include:
- Emphasizing any low, affordable pricing offers
- Showcasing any credentials, licenses, or affiliations that display credibility
- Highlighting custom warranties or guarantees
- Informing readers of experience or longevity as a company
- Displaying any inherited awards or certificates
- Stressing your identity as a family owned or locally-operated small business
Any opportunity that you can highlight some of your company’s skills or attributes that will help your business stand out amidst the competition should be heavily incorporated into your branding and digital marketing strategies.
Put a Face Behind the Brand
An eye-catching logo, sleek Web Design, and strong SEO-game can get you quite far in life. But at the end of the day, seeing is believing for many potential customers, and if they don’t have a face they can put behind your brand, they might trust their business with another company that does.
Humanizing your brand will only work toward creating a deeper connection with present and potential customers alike. It’s also what will truly distinguish your business from a sea of local competitors. It can start with telling your company’s story within your advertising and can end with having your smiling face placed right next to your company’s logo on every ad. Some other easy ways to humanize your brand can include:
- Maintain a strong social media presence that incorporates more behind-the-scenes glimpses into your company’s operations rather than strictly posting advertisements.
- Produce compelling video content that showcases your team’s identities as well as their skills.
- Inject your voice into the writing of your website, advertisements, and social media posts.
- Engage with your audience with all of your company’s online reviews, social media channels, or email marketing campaigns.
- Encourage customers to share their experiences with working with your company through writing online reviews or providing customer testimonials that can be used for your website.
Remember, customers may need your company’s services, but they also need to trust and familiarize themselves with your company before they choose to proceed to do business with you.
Hone In On Your Specialities
What’s your company’s bread and butter? That should be evident for every potential customer reading your company’s website or digital advertisements. Sure, your business may provide an array of services or products, but when you’re marketing on a tight budget, you need to emphasize the skills that are truly your company’s most important attributes and breadwinners.
Far too often, companies try to flaunt a wide variety of services and offers that they think will come across as displaying versatility, when in reality they’re only wasting money marketing several services they rarely provide or make money off of. Right off the bat, it’s crucial to drive home whatever it is your company does best, and once you’ve converted a prospect into a routine customer can you then start to broaden their horizons to all the other services you can provide them with.
Build Your Online Presence with Triton Commerce
Differentiating yourself from your competitors requires an investment of time, money, and, most importantly, effort. With more and more customers utilizing the internet to obtain the services they need, failing to adapt to a thorough and well-rounded digital marketing strategy could ultimately leave your business left in the dust.
At Triton Commerce, we work with all of our clients on an individual basis, assessing their current digital marketing needs as well as their budget to create a plan that’s beneficial for the both of us. When you’re ready to take your brand to the next level and separate yourself from the rest of the pack, contact Triton Commerce today to get started on creating your free Digital Marketing Plan. Be sure to also be on the lookout for new episodes of our weekly podcast covering all the latest trends and happenings in digital marketing!