As a kid, there is no experience quite as nightmarish as transferring schools. Being in a new environment, meeting new students, getting to know new school rules and culture, or even starting a new job or a good career may be daunting.
The same is true for starting a small business in a world where big companies, it seems, have the upper hand both in marketing and resources. Finding your own audience and niche may seem like an impossible task. In fact, a majority of your time will be spent looking at your competitors, both big and small, and pinpointing gaps in what they are offering. But no matter how time consuming it is, looking for a new way to solve an old problem is rewarding in the long term.
In this article, we will talk about how your small business can have a competitive edge against big companies.
Focus on a specific core group
Remember that while big companies have largely been successful because their brands have become a lifestyle, there will be consumers who will be untapped. There are many reasons for this: the product is too expensive, it is not exactly special, or it’s just consumer preference not to buy what they are offering. Take advantage of those gaps and focus on that untapped audience.
This untapped audience is called basic consumers. It can be your daily labourer, students, and the people who just prefer buying local or from small enterprises. The trick is to focus on any one of those groups first before expanding to a bigger market.
Learn how to maximise SEO
The biggest battlefield today is the Internet, and to get ahead, you have to know what search engine optimisation is and how to setup your own digital marketing strategies. Your advantage, in this case, is knowing digital marketing first hand. You are not relying on a team to push your efforts for you. Every strategy made and executed will be personally supervised by you. In case something unexpected happens like a decrease in customer engagement, you will be able to react fast and adapt to the situation.
You will also know the technical side of SEO. For instance, you know that choosing the right web hosting will help you keep your website performing properly. This includes faster loading time and better online security. So you start researching first and consulting with specialists before purchasing the right one.
Create a story around your brand
The most effective marketing started out with a compelling story around your brand. Right at this time, you have probably already chosen a group you will hyper focus on. The next step is to create an angle for them. If you have chosen college students as the first group you will focus on, target them in all your online marketing efforts. Which means you need to look at the jokes they tell each other, their concerns, and other things related to their culture and jargon. You might even start taking advantage of certain memes to get their attention.
Note that this is different from pandering to an audience. What you want is to connect with them, not gratify them by using memes and jokes all the time.
Make sure you have awesome products or services to offer
The most important tip of all is to make sure you are delivering on your promise. There is nothing more annoying than buying a product or service that does not function as well as it is marketed. So make sure you are providing them with only the best.