Being an entrepreneur can feel like one of the most daring adventures you could ever embark on. There are so many things you have to go through in order to see your business succeed. I even considered looking for a business registration service to help me file my registration. And, while it can be tough at times, it is absolutely the funnest, most gratifying feeling having a business of your own and fulfilling your dreams. However, dealing with competition and being clever about finding different ways to make your business stand out is something that usually concerns all of us.

So many of my clients come up to me having absolutely no clue how they will differentiate their brand, feeling overwhelmed about whether they will be able to make their businesses stand out. Over the years I have learned a lot of strategies that are made to differentiate your brand, and I share them here with you:

One of the things that I have learned of the years, is that your story is one of the most powerful secrets you have. You see, even though there might be millions of people doing the same thing that you are, there’s only ONE you in the whole world. Your story, your experiences, your abilities, and your personality are completely unique to you and only you. And I get it, you might think that it’s something that only applies if it’s a personal brand. Obviously if what you have is a personal brand, your story is very powerful, but, think about the big brands of the world. Apple has Steve Jobs’ life written all over it. Virgin is all about Richard Branson’s vision. There’s an incredible campaign that just came out telling the story of Burberry, the actual person that built the brand.
So, don’t think for a second that you can’t use your stories to your advantage too. You see, I have lived all over the world and met people from different cultures and places. One of the things that I see keeps repeating itself is that people are always looking to connect. That’s the truth.

So, when you infuse your business with your story, vision, ideals and personality, your brand is capable of standing on its own and be unbeatable in every single way.
I created this SUPER guide that will help you with strategies to make your business stand out today! These are strategies I have spent years applying for clients (and myself) and are PROVEN to work!

Building a powerful brand experience is an amazing way to differentiate your brand. You want to start by identifying the different touch points your audience has with your brand. In other words, whether your business is online or not, you have to look at the different places where people see you and experience your brand. So, go through every single place where people encounter your brand: social media, website, review sites such as Yelp, brick-and-mortar shop, checkout cart, packaging of your products, emails, invoices, newsletters, blog posts…the list could go on and on. Basically, you want to make sure that your brand is consistent in every single one of those places. Your tone must be the same. So, for example, if you’re friendly and down-to-earth on your social media, you should be the same in person or on your website. Being super corporate and could would completely throw your audience off.
When you build a very consistent and strong brand experience, you start to differentiate your brand from others. You see, your audience will know what to expect from you.
One of the brands that has been doing this super effectively over the years is Starbucks. They’re masters at building experiences. From their social media, to the look and feel of their stores…they even have their own language! (venti cappuccino, anyone?)
Building a brand experience throughout your entire business is extremely effective in having people like you and be loyal to your brand.
This is something that I have been really careful with in my own business. It’s really important to me that my clients feel special the whole time they work with me. So, whether it’s in my emails, or anywhere you find me, I always speak the same way and come across as real!

When people see you as a credible expert on your field, it’s an amazing way to differentiate your business. You stand out because you become the most credible source on your field. The great thing about differentiating your brand through expertise is that you’re slowly, but consistently, building a reputation around what you do. That means that, whenever your followers eventually need your services, you will be the first choice for them. This completely changed the way I do business. I mentioned recently that my income had increased by 1,000% in 6 months; separating myself from others as an expert had a lot to do with that.
My advice is this: look at what you already know. What is your experience in? What positive outcomes have you achieved for others during the years? Focus on that. Start eliminating services or products that won’t add much to that expertise. So, for example, I used to design a lot more than logos and websites. However, there came a point in my career where I really just wanted to start focusing on what I was best at, what I enjoyed most and what simply made more sense. So, I eliminated any other service I used to offer. No more brochures, no more flyers, no more invitations. I began reading as much as I possibly could about branding ir order to learn even more about my field. I began writing about branding and marketing everywhere (hola!), and doing all that I could to build a reputation around what I do. After all, I have spent the last 10+ years working on building brands and making businesses successful, I did an MBA, I have dozens of courses on branding and read countless amounts of books on the subject (you should see my nightstand!). Once I began showing what I knew on the subject, my own business radically changed.
So, where I’m getting at is this: being an expert in your field, gives you an incredible advantage over others and will, undoubtedly make your business stand out.

Okay, I don’t want you to be scared here. I know that raising your prices may sound like not a very smart way to differentiate your business. But hold up for a second, here me up. Humans. We’re very tricky people. We see a shiny object, and we’re instantly drawn to it. You know what I mean. We have all been victims to this thought that, if something is more expensive, it must be because it’s the best option. When you’re at a supermarket aisle and you have 50 different options of pasta sauces. You see the really cheap one, and you see one that looks “italian” and is double the price. What do you do? You buy that one, because it’s probably really good and more authentic, right? Wrong! (okay, maybe right, but maybe wrong too). This is actually a very powerful marketing tactic that has been used since forever. Obviously, when you raise prices you are probably leaving out a chunk of people that won’t be willing to pay what you want. But, you’re also adding a new group that wouldn’t consider something cheaper because they automatically will think that if it’s cheaper it must be because it’s cheap. You see where I’m getting at? By charging more, you’re giving people the sensation that they’re getting the best option out there, and people tend to get better results out of what they buy because of it. I mean, think about it. How many free guides have you downloaded online and have done nothing with them? Probably a few, right? But, whenever you have had to buy something, actually spend money on it, your actions — and therefore results, are much better.
When people pay more, they do more. They are willing to follow through and thus get even closer to their goals. Now, this point does come with a warning. If you’re charging more, but delivering very poor value, you won’t be able to sustain your business very long. So, make sure what you do if actually worth the price.

An important factor in business and marketing is understanding what your audience is truly about. If you don’t know your clients and their needs, you’re sort of lost, throwing arrow hoping that maybe, somewhere, someone might connect to what you’re saying. So, one of the keys to differentiating your brand is by defining your values and looking for the ones that best align with your audience’s as well. It all begins with understanding where you stand. What do you as a business believe in? In “How to Make Your Business Stand Out” your will find the steps to understanding your values and many more things you can do to make your business stand out. Make sure to download it by clicking below.

Once you know what your values are and your brand stand for, you want to look at and analyze your audience. I’ve said it a few times already. Remember that people, in the end, want to connect. They’re looking at you to see if you understand what they’re going through and how you can help them with their problems. And it doesn’t matter if their problems are huge or really dumb. People will connect with your brand when you let them know that you understand their problem better than them. This all starts at defining values and aligning your values with theirs.

Your business already is different from others in many, many ways. It’s all about using what you have to your advantage in order build your brand in a way that stays at the top of mind of your potential consumers. Infusing your brand with your own story, creating a brand experience, becoming an expert in your field, raising your prices and using shared values are all different strategies you can follow. You can do 1 or you can do them all. I will share 5 other things you can do starting today to make your business stand out even more in Part 2.