Stand out from the crowd

Hi everyone,

I hope you're having a good week.

Running a business in 2024 is an interesting beast. 

Simply put, there's never been more opportunity to get yourself in front of an audience.

But, with different channels and shrinking attention spans... the competition has never been fiercer.

Cut through the noise

So, if you run a business, it's never been more important to stand out of the crowd. 

To do this you have to have a compelling and unique offer for your target audience. Something that "jumps off the shelf".

You can generate this uniqueness in many ways (more on this in a bit)... 

But, all rivers then flow into your brand, which needs to be recognisable, compelling, (and protected).

A strong brand sells itself. Over time, it will also save you money. 

Marketing spend for something that doesn't speak to an audience will always be over the odds.

If your brand is boring or generic, you'll lose out as your brand equity will be:

1. Misattributed to other similar brands.

2. Lost in translation, as people don't have something engaging and recognisable to pin it to. 

Businesses who've thought about their marketplace, and tailored their brand just seem to have it easier. 

They "cut through", and have a momentum that drives them forward.

But hard work has to happen at the beginning; you need to understand the marketplace and what it takes to stand out of the crowd.

Market positioning

To do this in your marketplace, create a list or map of all the options that your customers or clients have.

Write down all the attributes that the brands have, and what they offer to buyers. 

How do they feel? Premium? Smart? Traditional? And so on and so on.

Think about what people who buy these things like, as well as their pain points.

Leave no stone unturned, and make sure to write down all the "elephants in the room"!

Now ask yourself, are there any unmet needs in the marketplace?

You can also take attributes from other marketplaces and see if they work in yours. 

Think "outside the box". It's the really eyebrow-raising ideas that have that spark that give people a reason to engage.

Once you've landed on what works, make sure your brand functions as a distilled statement of these values.

An example

OK, so let's think about accountants.

There are certain expectations about how accountants will put themselves out there.

You'd expect them to be: rigorous, sophisticated, trustworthy and reliable.

The problem here is that most of these attributes are a given. 

A lot of the time, accountants (in this example) put themselves try to compete on values that all accountants should (and usually do) have.

Brands that are built on expected values won't really cut through, and can be undermined by competitors who are seen to perform better.

They also don't really answer the "so what" question. The best brands usually offer something above and beyond the expected. 

In this case, let's look at a few options...

1. The anti-traditional

First, you could "turn left when everyone else is turning right". There are certain associations that people have with accountants that you could directly address. You do this by addressing the pain points in your brand directly. 

2. Taking a lesson from an unrelated field

Imagine the "BrewDog" of accountants. What would that look like? Who would that appeal to? How would they behave?

It might not be the tack that you'd want to run with - but it would certainly stand out of the crowd, and have a unique appeal.

Look at compelling brands in unrelated fields, you can take inspiration and transpose it to your marketplace.

3. Taking a lesson from a related field

Similarly, you can look at brands in related fields (in this case other forms of professional services). 

Think about brands that stand out in legal services and whether there's an equivalent in accounting. 

If not, what would that look like?

Reinforcing your brand values

It's quite likely that if you're reading this you already have an established brand.

You can still "pivot" and start to present yourself in a uniquely appealing way.

Brands are also reinforced and defined by:

1. The consistency, cadence and tone of the marketing activity.

2. The behaviour and product/service delivery you provide.

In essence, the brand, in its form as a logo, slogan, colours, name etc. presents a promise - which is reinforced by how you deliver.

None of this matters if the brand isn't in place and protected

Crucially, none of this really matters if you haven't got a compelling brand in place.

Best case scenario, a brand is researched, formulated and then protected before launch.

This allows you to be tactical, protecting its most recognisable and compelling aspects that link into your difference.

Typically, businesses become aware of the importance of brand protection and protect themselves a bit later on.

This isn't the worst approach, but it does miss out on the opportunity to really set up your stall to offer something unique in the first place.

Worst case scenario - you've not got anything protected. Even if your brand becomes popular, you're not on sound footing to protect your unique look and feel. This is all too common, unfortunately!

How we can help

Whether you're thinking about setting up a new brand, or getting to grips with your existing one - we can support you.

Get in touch if you'd like to discuss how your brand is performing, and how it can be protected.

We register trade marks for our clients in the UK, as well as internationally - and help businesses take a strategic approach to their brand growth.

Properly registered trade marks become assets for businesses, which at a relatively low cost - pay back in dividends.

Want to know more? Drop me an email to get in touch and we'll arrange a call.

Keep your eyes peeled for another newsletter later this week.

Liz