With an estimated 359 million companies worldwide in 2023, a significant increase on 328 million in 2020, it’s highly unlikely that any business started today is going to be unique. So how can you make sure your business stands out, when it would be so easy to blend into a sea of sameness?

The first step is to recognise why you want to stand out. It’s no good simply wanting to be different for the sake of being different. It’s about the desire to be innovative - either in terms of your offerings, delivery or marketing - so that your business is actually doing things differently and creating better outcomes for your customers, whatever those may be. 

Innovation can take many forms. It doesn’t (and shouldn’t) be limited purely to technology. In fact, discouraging other forms of innovation is dangerous, the world needs progressive thinking within all industries to avoid things standing still. Innovation is also an important way to protect your business.

If you create something that has Intellectual Property, you can apply to protect it, meaning that nobody else can claim it as theirs. If you’re delivering a service, focus on delivering an exceptional customer experience from pre-purchase to after-care. Great after-sales support can turn one-time buyers into lifelong customers and brand advocates. Streamline processes, train staff, promptly resolve any issues and remove friction from the buyer’s journey.

If you want to stay relevant and top of your game (and to stay profitable, you need to aim for this, always), then your business offerings, branding, marketing and processes all need to be reviewed regularly and reimagined accordingly. You need to pay attention to what everybody else in your niche, or selling to a similar customer base, is doing – and do things differently.

You may even want to niche down further, so that you become THE business servicing one key segment of your industry. Your finger needs to be well and truly on the pulse and you need to keep one eye on the competition as you continuously challenge yourself to do better.

If you’ve compared your offerings and processes and they’re pretty similar to the rest of your industry, possibly through necessity, then there are still ways you can create standout. Take a good look at your branding and marketing activities. Is there a certain aesthetic that’s all too common in your industry? Are you vying for attention in all the same places?

If the answer is yes, this is great news! You simply need to lean in to what makes your business, your business. Perhaps it’s your values, your backstory or your brand personality that’s different. Dig deep enough and there will likely be several things you could leverage and shine the spotlight on, that are part of your individuality.

Take these things (and there will be some things) and use them to define your brand. This is what makes you unique, even if you’re not yet aware of it. Define your brand values (what you stand for), your brand personality, tone of voice, your brand essence (what’s at the absolute heart of what your business is all about, why it exists), the benefits of working with your business, rather than a competitor, the evidence you have to back this up.

Then take all of this information and use it to decide what a brand like yours could look like visually. Unless you’re a graphic designer, then it’s likely you’ll need professional help at this point.

If, once your visual brand has been created, there’s a sniff of familiarity about it, a hint of ‘I’ve seen that somewhere before’, keep working until it’s gone. This is crucial! You don’t want any of your precious marketing efforts to go to waste, which they will if your brand looks like anyone else’s.

Once you’ve done all of the above, it’s time to use content marketing to showcase your brand personality, not only visually but also tonally. What do you have to say that’s different to everybody else? What interesting things can you share in exciting ways? Create valuable content and think about the different formats you’re going to deliver it in, perhaps a blog, podcast, or regular in-person sessions. By providing value beyond your core offerings, you position your business as an authority in your field.

So while having a unique product or service can be advantageous, it’s not the only path to creating standout out in a competitive market. By focusing on the strategies above, you can differentiate your business based on how you operate, the experience you provide, and the values you embody.

Remember, success often comes not simply from being different, but from making a difference in the lives of your customers - and communicating that difference effectively.