Separate Yourself from the Clutter

An over-abundance of look-alike products and me-too services is forcing customers to search for something, anything, to help them separate the winners from the clutter.

The human mind deals with clutter the best way it can — by blocking most of it out. For the first time in history, the barriers to competition are not controlled by companies, but by customers.

What people want today are trustworthy brands. What they don’t want is more intrusiveness, more empty claims, more clutter.

Here are some practical ways you can get noticed. Don’t stress about doing them all…just do a few and do them well!

Be a newsmaker. Both local and national outlets are always on the lookout for compelling stories — so give them one. Find a way to showcase something your company is doing that is cutting-edge, human-interest or unique.

Get behind a cause. This goes beyond the one-time contest sponsorship — become part of the yearly fundraising efforts of a worthy cause and you can find yourself getting repeated exposure each time a new fund drive begins. The positive PR doesn’t hurt, either.

Create a referral program. Finding new customers is expensive, so create an incentive for people to spread the word about you. A generous referral commission program may get your company all the word-of-mouth business you can handle.

Start a blog. You don’t have to be a “pro blogger” to start a blog — a basic company blog that has regular updates can bring you significant amounts of web search traffic over the long run (and in today’s world, it’s also a sign of being a business authority as well).

Participate on blogs and forums. Join comments and conversations on blogs and forums to boost your visibility in front of your target audience (and learn more about them at the same time).

Work on Search Engine Optimization. Whether you have a blog or a website, your search rankings are only as good as your search engine optimization. If you don’t know where to start, read this blog to learn how to get noticed by Google and company.

Write a press release. People still write press releases because they work — when done right. Find a company that does it well and get the word out there.

Start a newsletter. Having a regularly published newsletter tells people you have something worth reading and something worth passing along to others. Write useful content and let your subscribers spread the message.

Write articles. Another useful way to show up in search engines is to submit short, relevant articles to article directories around the web. You’ll not only create useful back links to your site, but position yourself to be found by more web searchers.

Offer a discount to other companies. Many employers and membership sites offer discounts on products and services to their members. By offering a discount of your own, you can get your name in front of all those people quickly and effectively.

Trade ad space with a partner. Find a related company that has an audience you want to reach and swap ads on your website, blog or print publication. It’s easy, free, and can get you noticed by new prospects.

Go “half-and-half” on ads. Big ads get noticed, but are expensive; consider splitting the cost with a relevant partner and making an ad that promotes both of you.

Give publicity to others. In this world, givers get. Take opportunities to publicly spread the good word on other companies and what goes around will come around.

Work the influencers. Get on good terms with industry influencers and help them find valuable contacts and solutions to their problems, and many will repay you by putting you in front of their audiences.

Focus on a niche. It’s a lot easier to become a big fish in a small pond than the other way around. Once you’re a big fish in one pond, it makes hopping to the next one easier.

Give incredible customer service. Nothing beats great customer service for generating word-of-mouth advertising. Go the extra mile for a customer and they’ll come back to you — with their friends.

Do the right thing. In today’s world, people are jaded and skeptical of businesses — and with good reason. Surprise people by always doing the right thing and acting with integrity in all you do, and what goes around will come around. And that’s just good business.

*Practical Tips provided by Small Fuel.