“How do I compete against these big guns (big players) and get potential clients to understand that I offer a more individualized approach?”
This is the question I was asked as I was doing a live coaching session with a Foot Traffic Formula client.
With over 18 years of experience as a business owner, I know that this question in particular is top of mind for many. It is no secret that standing out amongst the big player crowd helps your success, especially as a small business.
Now, of course it can be difficult to find great success when you are a small business owner competing with large companies that have already established themselves in your market. But that in no way means that it can’t happen.
So, I responded to my client by asking her if she had ever stumbled upon somebody that she had never heard of before but had a massive following.
As I expected, she said, “Yes, of course.”
This happens all the time. We could be scrolling through Instagram or watching YouTube when someone who we have never heard of before has been suggested to us by the algorithm. Then, after checking out their profile, we see that they have hundreds of thousands of followers… which brings me to my point:
Just because somebody is big in your space does not mean that everybody knows who they are.
There are also plenty of people who have never heard of that big player and can find you instead.
What you shouldn’t do is let the fact that there are other people who have more successful businesses stop you from trying.
Now that I have hopefully convinced you that it is possible to stand out from your competitors as a small business, let’s talk about how you can make that happen.
Even though I said you can succeed amongst the leaders in your industry, you still need to put in the work.
As a small business, you simply can’t compete against some of these people playing the way that they are playing. You are going to need to switch things up if you want to catch the attention of your ideal client.
The one thought that kept me going with my brick and mortar business during the pandemic was picturing my ideal client and asking, “What do they want and what can I give them?”
I want you to ask yourself this very question and picture the answers in a Venn diagram. There will be many things listed in each circle and only a few things that overlap.
What you have listed in the overlapping section represents the gap in the marketplace and what you can provide… lean into that.
This will give you the information you need to start marketing yourself in a way that sets you apart from everyone else. You know that you will be meeting the needs of your ideal client in a way that not everybody in your industry is doing.
Next time you are feeling discouraged or having a rough time competing in your business, I want you to ask yourself the same question and remember this tip. We can all succeed, it just takes hard work and strategy to make it happen.
While you’re strategizing to make big things happen for your business, make sure to check out The Content Machine™ to help you take one single piece of content and turn it into weeks of microcontent – just another way to gain visibility and organic traffic for your business.
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