How Service Providers Can Stand Out Online

In the 20th century, small businesses were locally-based and only had to compete with a handful of similar businesses in their town. Today, small businesses are competing with hundreds ( if not thousands ) of similar businesses online. 

This market saturation means you need to get specific with your brand strategy. When you stop trying to appease everyone, and start understanding what makes you unique, you can become the obvious choice for your dream clients. Here are concepts to think-through to help your small business stand out:

Embrace Your Story

As small business owners, we often think our story is a quick tale of how we started our business. But, I’d like you to expand that view.

For service providers and personal brands, your business’s story should encompasses all of the personal beliefs and experiences that drive your business. For example, your mission, purpose and values should be the foundational qualities of your brand

In Simon Sinek’s book, and his legendary TEDx Talk, Start with Why, he explains that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Sharing your brand’s mission and values will increase trust among your consumers. Rather than seeing you as someone who just wants to make money, they’ll understand your personal story and the motivations behind your business. 

In turn, by embracing these qualities, I believe you set yourself up for a sustainable business that motivates and inspires you.

Uncover Your USP

Your USP is also known as your “unique selling point”. In essence: How are you different than your competitors?

Your USP could be related to your unique process, the unique solution you have, or the unique point of view you have on your industry.

Don’t expect to have your USP figured out right away. Sometimes, it takes a little digging to uncover. Here’s a prompt to help pinpoint what sets you apart:

Write down (or ask ChatGPT) to give you a list of all the assumptions about your industry.

In what ways do you agree with these assumptions? In what ways do you disagree?

See if this helps you uncover how your brand stands out from your competitors. Don’t forget to add this stance to your website, social media, and other marketing materials.

Serve Your Community

Lastly, you need to serve your community with free content. The key here is really showing up consistently with valuable content and giving your audience quick wins. This not only demonstrates your knowledge and expertise but also helps build credibility and trust with potential customers.

Additionally, the more you show up online, the more likely the chance that you’ll be “top of mind” when your customers decide they need what you offer.

As a brand designer, my goal is to take these three parts of your brand and package them into a cohesive visual identity that and tells your story, communicates your unique value, and resonates with your community.

Your visual branding is often the first impression potential clients will have, so it needs to stand out enough to grab attention while telling the unique story of your brand.

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