Follow These Simple Tips

Making your business stand out is absurdly difficult -- and competitive. Everyone is vying for the top spot, but not everyone has a seven- or ten-figure marketing and PR budget. So, how exactly does a business, especially a startup, break through?

The answer is with a bit of clever thought, strategic planning and effort. Because breaking through the identity barrier can be done; your new, small or entrepreneurial business just has to be positioned to stand out. Here are four ways to get it there:

1. Guerrilla marketing
The marketing world is a far cry from what it was decades ago, and its undergoing massive changes have completely altered the way marketers and publicists (and businesses) operate.

One of these changes, so-called guerrilla marketing, entails making a public splash without spending a ton of cash. We used to call these moves “PR stunts.” And, indeed, for small, underfunded endeavors, being creative and unpredictable used to be the only option.

But today, even large companies utilize guerrilla marketing; and big, established public relations firms now specialize in it. Done well, guerrilla marketing can make traditional marketing efforts fall flat, thanks to their stagnant and uninspired nature.

But getting guerilla marketing right can be tricky, and it may be well worth bringing in an expert because, while there are great rewards for getting it right, getting it wrong can be very costly.

2. Not-Coms
For many new companies, notably those primarily online, picking an unusual website or company name helps puncture the attention clutter. This means shunning standard, stodgy ".com" addresses in favor or more creative or descriptive options. The great news is that hundreds of new domain names are now available, with words like ".florist," ".photography," ".coffee," and more.

Great examples of this creative naming include "Fathom.Clothing" and "Driftaway.Coffee," "TheHungerGames.Movie" and Lady Gaga’s "BornThisWay.Foundation."

3. Social responsibility
Businesses that focus on more than just investor value are winning marketing and marketplace advantages. Being connected to a cause creates a conversation and brand awareness and, in turn, cements customer loyalty.

Supporting a cause or issue your founders or employees really care about is good not just for the cause and your company, it’s a marketing opportunity. Even if your company doesn’t directly promote the action, engagement or generosity (which some still mistakenly see as unseemly), those who care about the issue are likely to know. So will your employees. With the instant and viral power of social media, that can be more than enough.

4. Office culture
The benefits of a strong company culture are well established. A clear, positive workplace culture can improve management, boost employee morale and help attract customers. Often overlooked, though, is how an office culture can help your business stand out.

Nothing is exciting about a bland office. But what comes to your mind when someone mentions working at Google? That company has successfully made workplace culture a big part of its brand.

Source: entrepreneur

About LaraNet: We are a web design firm focused to help you to grow your business and communicate with your customers and prospects using two simple but powerful tools: 1) Interactive Website and 2) Internet Marketing Strategy on social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc …
Whether you want to work with just a web page, or launch or improve your presence on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn or communicate with your customers through newsletters, or improve the location of your business in the search engines through Search Engine Optimization, or start marketing your products or services online, in LaraNet we can help you.

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