Startups: How to beat the competition in 2021

It’s a similar conundrum for many other new businesses and SMEs the world over: how do you beat the competition?

17:59 03 March 2021

In a digital landscape where everyone seems visible, how do you stand out?

 

The rewards are massive. With the potential to go viral and rake in a sudden spike in brand awareness and digital presence, any company that can make itself unique in a sea of similar will be rewarded quickly and consistently.

 

And so today we’re offering some more advice. Today, the team will run you through short, powerful and effective ways to stand out in business.

 

Retention matters

 

To the surprise of some, our first point is about what’s inside your company: the people! Global talent shortages are a thing – and they’re crippling companies who are bad at keeping people around. With the average working professional able to move between jobs more readily than ever before, businesses have realised they need to do more to keep people around.

 

And if you’re hiring staff for your operation, it’ll be true for you too. You need to think long and hard about how you can keep your employees engaged with their work and happy to be around – most of the time, at least!

 

Personalisation is useful at this point, as are ways to recognise performance and feats. With many teams working remotely due to present constraints, your retention strategy can neatly feed into your efforts to maintain a close, regular and approachable level of contact with your remote employees.

 

Surprise your customers

 

This is an easy trick that so many businesses fall short of utilising. Surprise and novelty are tremendous ways to please your customers and promote your business. Prone to creating viral events where your brand is shared with many other people via social media, a personalised surprise or thank-you from a business is a fantastic idea to consider.

 

You can start this humbly by planning a series of free gifts and then take it from there. The skies the limit; why not try things like lotteries, free event day rewards and communications with informal and personalised messaging?

 

Promote your approachability

 

We’ve talked briefly about how people are distanced during the current global situation and it’s important for a new or small business too. People are deprived of human connection and this changes their wellbeing, wants and needs. From simple isolation to compounding factors such as financial issues for those who struggle with bad credit, it’s tough out there right now.

 

And as a business, you can be a more meaningful part of your customers and client’s lives by being accessible. Let them know that you’re available for a chat and consider calling up mailing lists of past customers and clients to make a friendly call – if it’s suitable to do so.

 

You can tie this into social media campaigns and subsequent newsletter efforts quite neatly. Just as it’s important you let your employees know you’re there and available to chat and hang out digitally, so to should you prioritise letting your clients and customers know that your teams are made up of people – and that those people are here to talk if anyone needs to.

 

And keep trying!

 

There’s no magic answer to the challenges many SMEs are facing right now, but that doesn’t mean doom and gloom. Continuous effort will trump the current situation and working to keep your business apart from the competition is something you can certainly work on in the months ahead.

 

With a little effort and a plan behind you, you too can emerge from our current global situation with a business that’s firing on all cylinders. We wish you the best of luck in your efforts! Stay safe.