Right now, Utah possesses a thriving business scene. Salt Lake City, in particular, enjoys a favorable climate to startups across different industries, but especially in the IT sector. With great opportunities for work and higher education, it’s also bringing in a steady influx of talented millennials. In this crowded scene, if you’re looking to set your small business apart, try to create more brand value with your customers. Here are some ways that even a startup enterprise can get this done.
Know your target consumer
Every small business wants to look for ways to grow; it’s only natural to be scouting opportunities to diversify your product and reach out to more consumers. But it doesn’t pay to expand at the cost of losing your identity. Remember, if you try to please everybody, you often end up leaving everyone unhappy, yourself included.
The key is to simplify. Always keep in mind what you stand for, who your product’s target audience is, and what needs you are fulfilling. If it seems like you’re losing focus, go back to your customer profile; mine more data if you need to. You’ll be able to identify your target consumer, using their behaviors, demographics, purchasing power, and preferences to inform all subsequent marketing decisions. Your efforts will bear fruit with the people who matter most to your business.
Provide a consistent experience
Think about all the ways consumers interact with your business and experience your products. From customer service to advertising and packaging, consistency is the unifying factor that creates a great experience. A consumer might not immediately think of consistency as important to a brand’s appeal, but its absence is something they will notice right away.
For instance, investing in standout graphic design is important – if you started out on a limited budget for such matters, then don’t be afraid to go back and redesign, as long as you update and implement the new visuals consistently. Look for opportunities to file trademarks in Salt Lake City and firmly establish your business identity in the area and beyond.
Be present
The ways in which you can communicate with consumers are constantly increasing. From your website and blog posts to email marketing and various social media channels, it’s important to establish your presence and build relationships with your consumer base.
Even if you can’t engage equally with consumers across all channels – you might be more invested in the visual platform offered by Instagram, for instance, with only occasional posts to Facebook or Twitter – it still makes sense to create and maintain accounts for your business across these platforms. Like registering your website domain, it’s a way to reserve your identity for when you might need it.
Handle criticism well
Throughout your interactions with existing and potential consumers, always strive to be responsive and maintain a high level of honesty and transparency. Your ability to take negative feedback along with the good reviews will really help build trust and signal to consumers that you care and are willing to work on areas that need improvement.
Many startups fail within a year or two of their inception, but new ventures keep coming to take their place. In the midst of this busy scene, find success by making yourself heard by your ideal consumers, bringing brand value through a great and uniform experience, and letting your audience know that their voice matters to you.