How to Make a Unique Brand that Stands Out
Okay, can we just talk about how hard it can be to make a unique brand that stands out for your small business?
Because, sometimes, it’s just a STRUGGLE.
Maybe you feel like the market is completely oversaturated and you don’t stand a chance out there - or perhaps you just are really having trouble identifying ANYTHING that makes your brand different from others out there.
No matter where your story is, know that you aren’t alone! Lots of brands really struggle to make their brands unique - because it’s easier to just follow the crowd and do what seems to be working (even though that doesn’t seem to be helping you at the moment).
In this post, I’m going to walk you through 3 steps you can take to research and identify pieces to your brand that are unique and that can make you stand out in your ideal clients eyes - so let’s jump right into it!
Don’t feel like reading? Then watch the Youtube video below, where I walk through the tips in this post in video format!
Identify and Research Your Competitors
The first thing you want to do is spend some time identifying and researching your competitors in the market. It’s super important to understand WHAT is already out there so you can identify the spaces where you can show up differently.
I would recommend choosing about 2-5 competitors to research in your market - not too many to overwhelm you, but enough to get a well-rounded view.
Here are some items to look for in your competitive research:
Their colors and typography
Their brand messaging - their one-liner and/or mission statement
Brand words and themes they use throughout their content/website
Their Brand tone and how they engage with customers
Their offerings and experience - look at things like pricing, different offering types, what exactly is involved in their experience
Make sure to write all of this down in a competitive research doc - I would recommend making a table so you can easily compare and see all the data from your research!
Doing this type of research will help you see that the market is not 10000% oversaturated - and there is going to be space for you!
Identify Ways to Be Unique Against Competitors
So now that you have a competitive profile drawn up for your competitors, it’s time to take the next step and identify ways to be unique against them.
Now, you probably have a similar ideal client to these competitors, so know that your brand doesn’t have to be completely different from them to stand out - you still want to make sure you are identifying your ideal client.
Here are some areas to look at in your brand to find unique ways to stand out:
Your offerings: Is there a different way that you can offer your product/service (whether it’s a package change, price change, details included, etc) that isn’t on the market currently?
Your experience: Can you make your experience different - i.e. faster, more personalized, more custom, etc?
Your brand messaging: Find words that are different from what your competitors are using that still connect with your customers
Brand tone: For this step, choose a brand tone that feels right to you - even if it may be similar to your competitors
Colors and typography: Don’t overthink this too much - usually, customers pay more attention to brand messaging and offerings than your visual brand
Don’t rush this step! Brainstorm with a friend or mentor if you are having trouble coming up with ideas.
Focus on Your Customer and Why Your Uniqueness Matters to Them
Lastly, you’ll want to spend some time outlining WHY your unique brand should matter to your customers.
Because, remember, your customers are one of the most integral parts of your business - so you want to make sure they understand why they should choose you over your competitors!
If you are having trouble identifying your ideal client, check out this post on how to create your ideal client avatar!
Craft a story about your unique brand around your clients and how that “uniqueness” can bring more success into their lives.
Simply being unique doesn’t mean your client will buy from you - you have to make it matter to them!
For example, let’s say you are a wedding photographer, and a unique part of your experience is a quick photo editing turnaround time.
To make this matter to your customers, connect this back to their story by highlighting that they will be able to maintain that “top of the world” feeling from their wedding day by getting their photos back in a FLASH to relive it all again!
As you can see, you want to make that connection point with your customer and your brand so they know why it truly benefits them.
And there you have it! Now you have the steps to create a totally unique brand for your small business that will draw in your ideal clients and stand out against your competitors!
Remember, always bring your branding back around your customers because they should be the main character in your brand story - so each piece of your brand should matter to them!
