How to Get Your Brand to Really Stand Out Among Its Competitors and Be Profitable

In an age dominated by countless brands, it’s painfully easy to be overlooked by consumers—not because your brand is unworthy of their attention, but because you might not be doing the right things. After all, effective branding is all about proper communication, taking advantage of all of the tools at your disposal, and correctly using them. We’re here to tell you not only how to make your brand appealing to your target, but how to make it more appealing than your competitors. In short, who wouldn’t want a profitable brand?  Here are nine tips to help keep your brand above its competitors and keep you profitable.

1. Primary research should be primal. 

We cannot emphasize the importance of research enough. It’s what will guide your marketing strategy to understand your target, your particular sector of the industry, and exactly who your competitors are. Once you determine your competitors, you should deep dive into the research about what they’ve done in their marketing efforts to figure out what you feel is missing. Your brand can fill those gaps.

2. Identify your unique edge and capitalize on it.

Your competitive advantage should be at the forefront of your messaging and missing from your competitors. Clearly demonstrate to your target what this edge is and how it can improve their livelihood.

3. Be clear and intentional.

First, internally, you should be clear about your brand’s goals: the business model, roadmap, profit margins, potential obstacles to overcome. But then, be clear to your audience about your intentions. Be intentional with every aspect of your campaign because time is currency.

4. Be quick and prepared to adapt.

A big item to help your brand stay profitable is to be ready to adapt. While you should be firmly set in your goals and objectives, make them malleable enough to accommodate potential shifts in the market. Trends and other factors can lead you to pivot your direction.

5. Have a stable and distinguishable brand identity.

This goes hand-in-hand with your competitive edge. Make your particular brand stand out among the rest through distinguishable voices and visuals. Remember, design elements like a strategic logo, typeface/font combination, marketing collateral, color palette, and style guide can all bring your brand to consumers’ attention. The right design can even help make your brand top-of-mind for consumers.

6. Focus on the long term goal.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. While you should put effort into fine-tuning every element of your brand that goes out, remember that your results are meant for the long run. There is no benefit of short term success.

7. Share one message, different ways.

Your brand’s messaging to the audience should be consistent overall but nuanced depending on the platform. Keeping the messaging consistent and cohesive will establish the brand identity that much more.

8. Humanize your brand.

Your consumers will always be human; even a dog food company caters its messaging to humans because we are the only ones capable of retaining and comprehending the messaging. Your brand should be treated as such, as a result: a humanized brand. Incorporate elements that make it humanized, revolving around emotional appeals.

9. Do more of what works.

Don’t spread your brand too thin. After a while, you will evaluate which initiatives have worked and which have not. Stick with the ones that have worked, even if there are other “trendier” options. They will be the ones that help you out in the long run.

Grova Creative is a woman, minority and veteran-owned agency headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, and works with clients all across the United States. If you are a business or organization seeking help with advertising, marketing, branding, messaging, marketing, strategy, website development, or other creative assets, visit grova.com.