3 Ways to Help Your Brand Stand Out Online

So, you have a business idea. You love it, your friends love it, and you’re ready to turn the idea into a reality. The next step is to start turning your idea into a brand that people recognize. The concept is simple, but the execution is complex.

Join us as we look at three ways you can make your brand stand out in the otherwise static noise of the online world. These strategies will help you embrace the things that make your brand unique, while also making yourself a voice that people want to hear.

3 Ways to Help Your Brand Stand Out  

Small businesses and startups are bound to go through tough times. Overcoming these obstacles helps strengthen your brand and your business as a whole. One way to always push through tough spots is to ensure your brand is always in the public eye — as they say, revenue solves pretty much every problem.  And accountability will help you give your best even when it seems like you can’t keep going.

By leveraging these three tactics, you can help people see your business when they’re exploring the online world.

1. Share Your Story

Storytelling is an underused tactic in today’s businesses. Too many companies are satisfied with resting on their laurels, coasting along based on brand recognition alone. For small companies, your story could be the key to your success.

Where did your brand come from, what does it stand for, and why do you deserve to be successful? What’s the mission that drives your company, and what makes it unique and worth paying attention to? Answer these questions with your storytelling online and in social media to really make yourself stand out.

You’ll quickly find that storytelling is one of the major tenets of branding that should be part of your bread and butter.

2. Be Sincere and Personable

We don’t live in a world where corporate speak works anymore. Today’s customers are often millennials who search for more meaning in their business interactions. They don’t want to be fed corporate jargon, they want to feel like they’re doing business with a friend or a trusted individual.

How do you make them feel this way? It’s simple: just be real. Don’t try to sugarcoat things, don’t speak in terms that they won’t understand, and just engage with them like they’re a fellow human being.

For example, at ZipBooks we think it’s important to recognize there are two sides to every story: when our customers are trying to decide sole proprietorship vs. LLC, Google Ads vs. Facebook, or even whether to use us vs. a competitor, we try to lay out the pros and cons in a real way. This helps us engage our customers more fully and earn brand loyalty, whether or not it works out right then.

3. Own Your Mistakes

Every brand makes mistakes. This is another thing that many modern companies struggle with, but trying to paint yourself as a brand that can do no wrong will drive people away. When the fault is on you or your brand, own up to your mistakes.

Acknowledge what you did wrong, apologize, and do what you can to make things right. It’s a simple thing, but people will respect your brand far more if you are able to take a look inward and admit your flaws when they appear.

How do you help your brand stand out online? Let us know in the comments!

Author

Jaren Nichols is Chief Operating Officer at ZipBooks. Jaren was previously a Product Manager at Google and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Featured Image Credit: Joe The Goat Farmer (Flickr)