Struggling to stand out on social media? We got you.
You're not special. Or are you?
Of course you are! And here's what I teach my brand strategy clients when they're feeling lost in a crowded market. Standing out is hard, but not impossible. Your uniqueness is what makes you undeniable, magnetic, worthy of working with your dream people.
As business owners, there's so much we try to do to 'stand out', but what if it was really as simple as just standing out enough for the people that you want to attract? You don't need to talk to everyone, in fact, you definitely shouldn't be. So, how do you truly stand out when you're selling a service, not a product?
Products are easy to differentiate through features and benefits, form and function. Services are a little trickier. As a brand designer, there's plenty of my competitors who have very similar offerings. We're all designers, offering similar services, but I know what makes me different to them. I know how I'm unique. I know what I can offer my clients that no other business can.
Audience
Knowing your audience is the most important asset you can have in your business. To connect with them, you must understand them. Understand their psyche, their deep desires, their dreams and their fears.
Talk to them as if you're talking to only them, as if no one else exists. Have an opinion, a point of view, a voice. Embrace your unique perspectives to engage your ideal audience.
How do you know your audience? Understanding your brand archetypes, which we do in our signature Brand Blueprint process, helps to define and sort your audience and how they want to be spoken to, what they need from you and how you can show up in the best way.
You can also conduct audience research. Talk to past ideal clients, ask about their pain points, their current state, their future state, their goals and fears. What language and messaging resonates the most? Analyse your IG analytics, Pinterest insights and TikTok data to reveal what posts performed the best. What resonated the most? What got people talking and engaged?
Use these insights to continue informing how you show up across your platforms!
Point of Difference
Find your point of difference and exploit it. Analyse the opportunities within your industry. Where can you be different, go against the grain? What opportunities do you have with your visuals, your content, your voice, your services?
How do you do this? Well, brand strategy does this. In our signature Brand Blueprint process, we analyse all aspects of your business to understand where you fit within your market, industry and audience. We analyse your competitors and current and future states to pinpoint exactly where you are different and how to utilise that in your marketing, messaging and brand. We design soulful, undeniable brands, by understanding and exploiting key points of difference that your audience needs to see.
Going against the grain can look like:
You're a female wellness professional, focusing on women before, during and after pregnancy. These types of businesses typically use soft colours like pink, purple, turquoise etc. Conducting marketing research and analysing your competitors, you might find that working with a blue or peach colour could work in your favour, by setting you apart.
You're a brand designer where the most common aesthetic right now is minimal beige, abstract stock photography and dainty serif fonts. Analysing your audience and having an inherent understanding of you who are you what you bring to the table, reveals that a bold colour palette, striking bold serif and unique graphics is the right direction for you.
It could also be as simple as speaking in a different way, having a slightly more nuanced core message or going deeper in your content that sets you apart.
Once you've got your point of difference, it's time to take advantage of it!
The Need
What need does your service solve? Your audience has a need that only you, with your unique abilities can provide a solution. But if you don't know that need, how do you expect to talk about it and encourage someone to work with you? Conduct market research, talk to past clients, analyse your enquiries — what is a common thread that your audience struggles with? What is the very specific, niche problem that your audience has?
Depending on the stage of your business and your ideal audience, the needs can vary greatly. It can be as simple as
struggling to create content for social media or
needing professional photography for a new website.
On the other end, it can be as complex as
wanting a detailed marketing strategy to attract an audience in a new geographic location or
needing a custom built and designed website to house their unique product, set up for maximum conversions and an easy checkout experience.
In order to talk to either end of the spectrum, you need to know what problem you're actually solving.
Meaning
Reading and analysing brand archetypes, it solidifies and backs exactly what we do through research, proving that your visual identity (your brand) doesn't work and won't resonate unless there's meaning. Meaning is the key to a successful brand and business. Meaning is the most important thing you can inject into your brand, your messaging, your service. Meaning allows you to make meaningful, undeniable connections with your audience in a way that only you can. No one else can do that the way you do. Your meaning looks like your vision, mission, values and purpose. These are unique to you based on your experiences, your mindset, your behaviours, your life, your beliefs and so much more. Take advantage of that across your digital platforms!
Your vision is: The future state of your business.
Your mission is: The current state of your business.
Your values are: What you stand for and what you come back to when things get tough.
Your purpose is: Why you exist.
Stop waiting around for someone to make the changes for you. Only you can take control of the success of your brand.