How does a brand stand out in a crowded marketplace?

There are over seven billion people in the world. Talk about a crowded place.

If you want to stand out, you need to have (and do) what it takes to make you—your brand—get noticed.

According to the Small Business Administration the 600,000 plus franchised small businesses in the U.S., account for 40 percent of all retail sales and provide jobs for some 8 million people. But with thousands of different brands and concepts out there, the marketplace can become flooded. Keep the following tips in mind for your brand to stand out.

What is your objective?
In the smoothie world, the competition can get pretty serious. But Smoothie King keeps cool and markets the brand with its main objective in mind, “Smoothies with a Purpose.”

“An important part at Smoothie King is to market our brand but also our product, which is our main differentiator,” said Smoothie King Franchise Development Manager Chris Elam. “We are ‘Smoothies with a Purpose.’ Our competitors have smoothies, but they don’t have underlying health purposes—meaning they can’t apply the same messaging that we do.”

Smoothie King’s health benefits go on and on—if consumers want to bulk up, lose weight, hydrate, energize or even receive more than their daily dose of vitamins, Smoothie King has the perfect smoothie to fit any of these needs.

Target the correct audience and make it fun.
You know those silly “national days?" If there are days that work for your brand, that can become a golden marketing opportunity—use it to your advantage.

Chicken Salad Chick may not have a lot of competitors with the same concept, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t coming up with unique ideas to stand out from the crowd. The team is continuously trying to raise the bar to be known for something more than its delicious 15 different chicken salads.

“We are lucky in the sense that we're the only restaurant of our kind which allowed us to stand out from the crowd,” said Ali Rauch, marketing director for Chicken Salad Chick. “In terms of marketing, we try to come up with unique, fun, and brand specific opportunities that work for us. Special events like Customer Appreciation Day, where we show our guests how much they mean to us by offering free food, without any strings attached, is certainly something we enjoy as do our loyal and new customers.”

Give consumers a reason to check your brand out.
When brands look at marketing tactics to give consumers a reason to come to them, it could be a smart idea to establish a business relationship with national brands. This can create a built-in sense of trust and quality—giving your brand an extra edge amongst the competition.

“Not only do we use Chobani Greek Yogurt and Ghirardelli chocolate, but our new Summer Hydration Smoothie series uses Zico Vita Coconut water,” said Elam. “Marketing with these national brand names automatically gains the consumers’ trust, ensures the quality as well as illustrates a strong flavor profile.”