In today's market, no matter what industry you're in, it is competitive by nature and challenging to stand out. This is a big reason, so many small businesses fail in their first few years of opening.

According to the Small Business Administration, there are about 31.7 million small businesses in the United States, with around one million establishments opening in the same year that nearly 898,000 establishments close. Survival rates do drop by the year, with those that exceed a decade or more increasing their odds of survival. In the first two years of opening, only about 67.6% survive. Only 48.8% survive in the first five years, 33.6% in 10 years, and 25.7% in 15 years.

The reason for their failure? They're not standing out with advertising, incorporating unique branding, or bringing value to the right consumers. Businesses need to leverage what makes them different to set them apart from competitors.

Here are the top tips to inspire your unique marketing campaigns, including how to create a unique brand and marketing strategies that get you ahead of competitors.

Why Standing Out is Crucial for Success

The most crucial reason you need to stand out for success is that there are several similar — sometimes even exact replicas — of your product/services in the market today. Without advertising and with so many options, it's more likely that consumers would just close their eyes and point to make a purchase, spreading out sales randomly, so no one makes money.

On the other hand, when your advertising is unique and memorable, you strategically open your target audience's eyes and pull all those sales to your offer. You also benefit from: 

• Brand Loyalty — when you stand out with your advertising and resonate with the right consumers, you almost immediately benefit from brand loyalty (assuming customer experiences are always positive!). According to The Circular Board, this kind of loyalty to your brand will make up for about 80% of future profits, saving on the costs of acquiring new prospects (according to 4 out of 5 companies) and increasing company profitability by 75%. 
• Recall and Recognition — it takes anywhere from 5 to 7 impressions for a consumer to remember your brand. It can take even longer if your brand blends in with other brands too easily. When you successfully stand out, you can benefit from the 71% of consumers who say it's important to recognize a brand before purchasing from them. 
• Word of Mouth — likewise, if people not only know you but approve of your products, they also are more inclined to spread the word to friends and family. This can be significant considering most (83%) consumers admit that word-of-mouth recommendations strongly influence their purchasing decisions. 

The truth is that the competitive nature of business has, is, and always will be an essential component of every industry. Your marketing needs to attract audiences to your brand to build and maintain more relevance than the competition.  

Decide What Makes Your Brand Unique

You don't want to oversell your brand or your products/services by exaggerating what you have to offer. Strategies that stretch the truth and set high expectations for your brand can backfire into disappointment, negative experiences/reviews, and bad word of mouth. There is a consumer base for every spectrum of quality and value a product can offer — you just need to be honest about what yours offers, so customers know what to expect from the purchase.

With that being said, consider what makes your brand unique while staying honest about your product's limitations and features. Do you prioritize quality at a higher price over lower quality at a lower price? Vice versa? From there, dive deeper. After all, there are several high-quality and low-quality products on the shelves. 

Consider these additional ways to make your business stand out: 

• Superior customer service
• Being the only business in the area offering X, Y, or Z
• A different way of doing things
• Personalization (utilizing consumer data to resonate more with the right people)
• A strong online presence
• Highlight community efforts
• Values and opinions (i.e., environmentally-friendly, diverse and inclusive, charitable, etc.)

Which way you choose to stand out depends on the perception you want of your brand and the audience you intend to appeal to. Some ways you and your team can brainstorm this is by checking out what is missing from the competition via customer feedback and reviews, taking the time to list all the features and stances that make you different, and by surveying/asking for feedback from your existing customers (i.e., "What do you like about our product?" and "What attracted you to our product?" etc.).

Use this insight to fill in the gaps other businesses in your industry have yet to cater to.

Use Your Uniqueness in Your Advertising

Once you have a good handle on what makes your brand and its offers so unique, it's time to highlight it with your advertising.

One way to do this efficiently is to ensure that your marketing channels are integrated, and customer experiences are consistent at all touchpoints. This is crucial because it will allow consumers to instantly recognize your brand's uniqueness and know what to expect in future touchpoints.

From there, you can advertise your uniqueness in one or more of the following ways:

• Social media — social platforms are the perfect place to meet and connect with similarly unique consumers who have the same values, opinions, and interests as your brand. Use this opportunity to strengthen your relationship with them.
• Website — give special attention to your 'about me' page and ensure you're speaking directly to your audience when you expand on what you do, why you do it, and the motivations that inspire your brand to keep going.
• Email — highlight your uniqueness by keeping recipients informed and engaged. If you're differentiating factor is in customer service, be sure to check in on every recipient's experience. If your differentiating element adds more value for less, keep up with deals, promotions, and sale-announcement emails.

Leverage Expert Partnerships to Highlight Your Individuality in Marketing Campaigns

To truly set yourself apart from the competition, consider working with a trusted Kansas City media partner. With expertise and knowledge of your target audience, KCTV5 can take your marketing campaigns to the next level with unique and compelling marketing tactics specific to you and your needs.