Differentiate Your Brand in 5 Simple Steps

A saturated market is difficult for any business to overcome. There are an estimated 24 million e-commerce websites online today, not including social media businesses and brick and mortar stores advertising online. Getting your brand noticed in a crowded marketplace, even with paid ads and search engine optimization strategies in play, often feels like an uphill battle, but it's not a lost cause. If your brand isn't gaining the recognition it deserves online, what can you do to stand out? Differentiate. 

Teaming up with a digital marketing agency, you can leverage a brand differentiation strategy to stand out from competitors and win online business. 

What is Differentiation?

Differentiation focuses on highlighting and promoting the unique qualities of your brand identity or offerings to make your company stand out from industry competitors. As these differentiators are emphasized in your PPC marketing, SEO strategies, and social media marketing campaigns, you will effectively target and attract consumers by addressing their specific needs or by resonating with their personal interests and beliefs. Leveraging brand differentiation strategies increases sales and improve brand loyalty, leading to customer retention, meaning more repeat business. 

There are a few different approaches you can take to differentiate your brand. 

Once you've rebranded, you can apply your new identity to custom e-commerce SEO and PPC marketing strategies with the support of a local digital marketing agency to amplify your business and boost visibility online. 

How do you differentiate your brand? 

Research your industry. Competitor research will help you determine what is already being done enabling you to identify any gaps in the market your brand is suited to fill.

Once you understand how your competitors are uniquely positioned, you can start to differentiate your business. 

Brand Image

At the primary level, branding involves logos, colours, fonts, slogans, and other visual elements that can be recognized by customers. If a business's branding is too reminiscent of industry competitors, it may not stand out. Be memorable and recognizable by choosing colours and design elements that are distinct and can easily be identified on repeat encounters by your target audience. 

Website 

Before leveraging search engine optimization services to push your website to the top of the search engine rankings, it is helpful to differentiate your business with a custom-built website. Unlike the multitude of template websites online, a custom website offers visitors a unique experience that is more likely to leave a lasting impression. 

Unique Selling Proposition

At a glance, your competitors have the same service or product offerings as your business, but if that's what is conveyed to your potential customers, then who they choose to do business with will come down to chance. So, to be truly competitive and get the attention of online browsers, you must identify a unique selling proposition (USP). 

A USP distinguishes your brand, products, or services from competitors in a way that makes yours appear to be one-of-a-kind and more appealing. Do you offer: 24-hour service? Free shipping? At-home services? Packages or Combos Offerings? 

Any element of your service that is unlike what competitors offer or better than the industry standard should be highlighted in all of your digital collateral, from PPC marketing and e-commerce SEO strategies to social media marketing strategies. 

Relevant Content

Regularly update your website with relevant content. Not only will reliable content updates like blogs or articles boost your search engine ranking, but timely, newsworthy, relevant updates will establish your brand as a trustworthy resource for potential customers. Working with a local SEO company, you can identify the keywords and topics with high search volumes to center content around. 

Brand Story

Differentiation goes beyond a business's product or service offering. A 2018 study found that 76% of millennials would purchase from a brand that showed support for a cause they care about. Your brand story consists of why your brand was created, its purpose, related goals, causes, and global impact, all boiling down to the essence of your business. When you personalize your brand with these defining elements and infuse them into your brand, you will evoke emotion and a connection between your business and potential customers that will separate you from the competition, encouraging brand loyalty. 

Professional Digital Marketing Services

Frequently, companies approach their digital marketing agency unaware of the unique qualities that can set them apart from the competition. If you can't seem to figure out what makes your business different from competitors, work alongside a digital marketing company in Toronto you trust to identify industry niches your business can fill. 

From PPC marketing to our search engine optimization services, the team at Xi Digital is equipped with knowledge that spans various industries. With our expertise, research, and dedication to each brand we serve, we can help you differentiate your brand to cut through the clutter online and generate more sales. 

Ready to get noticed online? 

Call Xi Digital to get started today!