How to stand out from the crowd as a new entrepreneur

When was the last time you couldn’t wait to buy what someone was selling? A product or service so incredible that you had to be first in line to buy it?

Every entrepreneur wants their startup to be a huge hit with their target audience. But it isn’t enough to promote your business and hope that customers will turn up on launch day to buy it. That’s a lot of wasted energy if your efforts fail to pique anyone’s interest.

A marketing campaign doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and neither does your business. The only way to make your startup succeed is by communicating, connecting and convincing your audience that what you're selling is the answer to their prayers.

This week, we’re joined by branding expert Caroline McQueen, who’s marketed everything from AAA video games to household names. In the video below she shares three ways you can promote your startup to create loyal fans, and have people queuing overnight to buy what you’re selling.

Here's Caroline's advice on how to make you and your startup stand out from the crowd, and build a legion of raving fans.

1. Know your style of influence

Everyone naturally has a fascinating streak to their personality, and when it's turned on, people find impossible it to resist.

Research shows that when people find a brand fascinating, they’re willing pay up to four times more for a product - even if product in question is a commodity item.

So, use the power of persuasion to make your product or service indispensable.

2. Don’t compare yourself to the competition

They say, “imitation is the best form of flattery”, but people tend to be turned off by brands that look same as another. If customers see your brand as a copy of another that’s more popular, the only way to convince anyone to buy your product or service is to virtually give it away free.

3. Collaborate with more popular brands

When you work with a more established brand, their credibility rubs off on you, which makes your product or service a must-have for their customer base. So look for companies who are already serving your audience and aren’t in direct competition with you. This is one of the quickest ways to not only establish credibility in your field, but to build that all important know-like-trust factor with your potential audience.