There are so many things to think about and plan for when you are first starting your business. Finding out what makes you stand out from the rest needs to be a top priority.

If you have been working hard to understand your ideal customer and get to know your competition, then finding your “brand-“ or at least the start of what you want your business to say to the world- you know the importance of finding what makes you stand out from the rest. What is going to make you the best, if not the only, choice in the mind of your customers.

Here’s what you can do:

Here are a few simple steps to help you figure that out.

1. What makes you unique in a way that your competition cannot claim? Take some time and write down everything that comes to mind, whether it sounds unique or not. Think of the services you offer. Think of the words that describe you and your business.
2. Think about what it is that your ideal customer really wants more than anything else. Are you providing that in a way that is different than your competition? If not, could you?
3. Think about the type of person that you don’t want to do business with. Some call them your “irrelevant customers.” What can you do that helps them not choose you? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
4. Once you are clear on this it will be much easier to find your specialty, your unique advantage in the marketplace.

You might not be able to be the first or the only to provide that product or service in your community but don’t let that discourage you. Maybe you will be the first to really stake a claim on what you do in your marketplace. That doesn’t mean that someone else might not come along with the same claim, but you did it first.

You might also be able to come up with a variation on what others are already doing that will set you apart and make you stand out. Get creative and think of how you could find one or more new ways to do what you are already doing to set you apart from your competition.

In the end it is all about making you and your business a “destination,” either real or figuratively, in the eyes of your target market. It makes you the obvious choice when they are looking for your products or services.

If this still seems a little daunting, reach out if you would like to work on this together.