Want to be the next Richard Branson or Elon Musk? Or maybe you want to build businesses like Panera, Chipotle or Levis? One thing they all have in common is their innovative spirit, strong branding and courage to test the limits. Below 5 tips on how your small business can stand out from the crowd.
Do things Differently. Entrepreneurs & CEOs often here this advice without the step that come right after it. It’s easier to tell others to do things differently and test the waters without getting into the “nitty gritty”. So, for those of you waiting to know exactly what doing things differently looks like here it is: Research. I bet you weren’t expecting that! Yes, research. Research your competition, possible JVs, trends in your industry and the “going-ons” in your field. Once you become a pro then start to ask yourself: What is missing? What are people not doing? What need isn’t being met? Then meet it. By then, you won’t just be doing things differently you'll be a thought leader in your industry.
Interact with Clients. Sending a thank you note once a year on calendar holidays isn’t enough. You need to make your clients feel like they are being heard not just entertained. Send them more than just a 10% discount code on their birthday and start thinking as your client. How would you want your favorite brand to interact with you? Host an event or race, give away tickets or have an annual popsicle contest. Whatever it is make it fun, creative and something that would get your clients jumping out of their seats screaming “Hell yeah!”. If you don’t know what that is then you need to get to know your target market better. Consider sending out surveys or polls and doing some market research.
Foster Community Spirit. Many small businesses are indebted to their communities. Consider innovative ways to give back: start a softball team, donate trees or equipment for a local park or start a community program to help certain socio or economic groups. By giving back you are creating an even stronger loyalty among your fans but also supporting the community you love in an innovative way.
Stand for Something. Companies like Telstra, Virgin, Panera, Levis and Chipotle have something else in common: they all stand for something. Their branding is strong not only because of the resources they have but the causes they support from homeless programs to environmentally friendly companies and supporting local farms, each of these companies have fans that support their products but also their bigger causes. Consider different ways in which your small business could be more socially aware and take a stand for a larger cause or purpose.
Make the old New Again. The oldest trick in being an innovator is taking an ageless classic and making it new again. Take the FIAT or the Mini Cooper which were both given a touch-up recently as timeless cars. Sometimes the old can lead us to explore innovative themes or trends we might have otherwise missed. Feast On Innovation, an innovation series on May 1st, was created specifically for this purpose. This interactive event uses Michelangelo as its guiding spirit as it explores the next frontier of innovation, genius and collaboration. Consider classic themes, tales or products in your industry and think about bringing them back into style.
