All over the internet, you’ll find articles that show off just how easy it is to get a business up and running. People will tell you that all you need is the internet and some ideas to get started, and they’ll show you everything from setting up a website to an eCommerce portal. They make it sound so simple and, truth be told, it is much easier to set up a business in today’s modern world than it was a decade or two ago. However, that doesn’t make running a business any easier.
Memorability is a problem in today’s business world. With startups popping up every day and new companies claiming to do better than what the industry can currently offer, there’s a lot of information around and we need to learn to filter out the bad businesses from the good–and there’s a lot of those floating around. Sadly, this means that standing out and being memorable is incredibly difficult. It costs a lot of money to get noticed and even more money to remain in the spotlight as long as possible. So to help you out, we’ve put together some ideas that will help you create a long-lasting and memorable business.
Making public appearances puts you in the spotlight
To make a lasting impression, it’s a good idea to show yourself off now and then and put yourself in the public spotlight. You can do this a number of different ways, but the most important method is to attend trade shows and exhibitions. These are designed to show off new products that people are offering all over the world and you’re not going to get much attention unless you show up in public. Make sure you reach out to exhibitions and trade shows and secure your place with a booth. Here are a couple of tips to help you make a lasting impression with a public appearance:
- Bring some promotional materials. Head over to Promotions Warehouse or a similar service and make sure you purchase some memorable gifts and other items to give to your audience. This includes bags, pens, IT products or even just keyrings that have your information on them.
- Bring a working concept or a demonstration. Don’t come empty handed or with just an idea. Make sure you show people just what you’re offering. For instance, let them see a working demonstration of your product or, better yet, allow them to play around with the product.
- Engage and network with people. Don’t forget aboutnetworking with people. Whether it’s speaking to investors, potential customers and addressing the media, make sure you speak up and practice your social skills to show some charisma.
- Show up with a team, not just yourself. Make sure you have a few people tag along to converse with people, network and gather information about your competitors and businesses that you can form a future relationship with.
Realize that you won’t always be in the spotlight
It’s important to remember that, unless you’re an international superstar company like Apple or Microsoft, you’re never going to be in the spotlight forever. Some companies enjoy the limelight attention for several months or even years before they gradually fall off, but what you do will greatly improve your chances of both getting noticed and creating a lasting impression.
No matter what you do, you’re eventually going to be outclassed by competitors. If you have a revolutionary idea and you manage to make waves, someone is going to come along and try to topple you. In a few year’s time, that same company is going to be overtaken by another rival (perhaps you) and the cycle will repeat. It’s a long process, but it’s undoubtedly one of the facts of business that you need to realize.
This means that while your business is in the spotlight and manages to attract attention, you need to do everything in your power to keep hold of your customers and make people remember your business and give you attention.
What sets you apart from the competition?
Every company has their own niche and it’s important to show this in your marketing materials, the way you do business and generally everything about your company. You need to find unique ways to show that you’re different and highlight the differences that make you both a better business and a more successful one.
Capitalizing on your own niche isn’t easy. You need to have a serious look at what you offer the market that no other company does, and finding this isn’t easy. You may need to come to grips with the idea that you’re not a special company, but this is when things can open up for you. If you finally realize that you don’t do anything different, then it means that you’re ready to take the next step in your business and bring something new to the table.
And this is where the secret lies in standing out from the rest of the industry. You need to find what common denominators you share with the biggest names and stray away from these as your focus points. Of course, you still need to be a steady business that offers great value and you need to focus on customer support, but once you realize what you do similar to other businesses you can upgrade your own services and attempt to do something better. This is where innovation starts to breed and ideas will pop into your head. It also means that you will stay relevant by keeping up with your competitors and the services they offer.
Do you and your competitors both put a heavy emphasis on customer service? How about you get the upper hand by setting up a live chat service, investing more into your call centre services (or getting rid of it entirely), getting involved with social media to show that you care about feedback and comments from your audience, or even adding a huge knowledge base to your website? In other words, you should always be looking for ways to one-up your competitors.
