5 Ways to Help Your Business Stand Out from Your Competition

Lizzie Weakley

February 12, 2015

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The amount of funding for startups today is unprecedented. A record 1500 new companies received seed money from venture capitalists last year alone, according to a recent article in Forbes.

The competition to remain viable is fierce, and even established businesses are looking for ways to attract new customers and engage new markets. Some companies have decided to outsource their marketing efforts to an internet marketing company while other businesses have employed CRM software to streamline their customer service.

There's rarely a right or wrong answer when looking for ways to make your business more competitive. With that in mind, let's look at some of the most popular strategies that businesses looking to stand out often adopt.

Outsource Internet Marketing

If your business is feeling overwhelmed with social media and the prospect of creating huge email marketing campaigns, then contact an internet marketing company.

An internet marketing company that can handle everything from brand management to local SEO is hugely beneficial considering most customers are time-strapped yet eager to engage.
Creating a good first impression though an intuitive website, blog content and purposeful email marketing campaign is a great way to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Over 80 percent of customers use a search engine to discover more about local businesses, so getting SEO right is essential to staying ahead of the competition. (2)

Offer Expanded Services

There's something to be said for a company that fine-tunes a working formula. You should, though, think about offering more of what makes customers happy from time to time as well.

Ask customers how they would like to see your list of services expand and work towards accommodating those requests.

If you run a coffee shop, for instance, and your customers want you to serve lunch items or stay open later, then consider the fact that the customer (alas) might be right!

Try Merchant Solutions

A great way to accept most major forms of payment from customers is to incorporate merchant solutions into your website or retail locations.

Merchant solutions work with respected financial institutions and allow customers to pay instantly online through your company's website.

In short, merchant solutions ultimately drive business towards your company by providing more value to customers and offering easier ways to pay.

Engage New Markets

Have you considered selling your product overseas or in a different region of the country? Maybe now's the time to broaden your horizons and cater to a fresh batch of customers.

Although branding and marketing through social media is important, many businesses miss the boat when it comes to engaging new markets.

Take a survey and find out your barriers to scalability before you consider selling to new markets.

Expedited Check Processing

Instead of a customer handing you a check then filing the check with the bank to deposit, you can now use electronic check processing to get paid much more quickly.

An electronic check allows money to transfer from the customer's bank account to your business' bank account through an ACH transfer. This process is good for your business and convenient for customers.

Staying Competitive

There are many ways that your business can remain competitive in an increasingly mobile world. Using an internet marketing company to handle your social-media marketing, for instance, could help just as much as deciding to expand your list of services. Making online payments more seamless through offering merchant solutions is another way to stay one step ahead of the competition.