It gets harder and harder every day to make your brand stand out in today’s crowded digital landscape. Most coaches, healers, and online experts know that in order to truly stand out, you have to give your audience some reasons why you’re different from everyone else. 

For new entrepreneurs, or those of you just starting to figure out how to differentiate yourself from the crowd, it can be incredibly difficult to determine and articulate what makes you and your business stand out. I constantly see so many entrepreneurs trying to differentiate themselves with factors that aren’t actually differentiators. 

So today, I’m here to break down 3 common things entrepreneurs are highlighting to potential clients as reasons they should choose them to work with, that actually don’t make their brand stand out.

Don't get me wrong, these things are important. They're so important in fact, that they should be a GIVEN in your brand - not things that set you apart, but rather things that are expected. Here they are.

Your Services, Programs, and Courses are High-Quality 

Of course quality is important. There are so many entrepreneurs out there today, that if what you’re producing isn’t high quality, there’s no way that your business will survive. Whether your quality comes in the form of an exceptional service or course, a magnetizing brand presence, or a combination of the two – this is really just the standard these days.

Using high-quality service as a differentiator really isn’t differentiating you from any other business out there (especially because so many entrepreneurs try to use this as a differentiator for their business). When high quality services, programs, and courses are your standard, rather than your specialty, you position yourself in the market a step above the rest, and leave room for more impactful, notable differentiators that make you and your business.

You Provide Great Customer Service

Customer service is non-negotiable in any business. Great customer service is so important, because it’s essentially the impression that your brand gives to clients, your clients’ referrals, and ultimately anyone else coming into contact with your brand. 

When you offer great customer service, it’s shown through your social media presence, the reviews collected on your website, and the frequency of referrals that you get from current clients – it truly is visible to anyone who chooses to interact with your brand. Rather than using this as something to differentiate you from others in your niche, great customer service should be the standard that you uphold in your business no matter what – it’s the bottom line, the given. Your clients and potential clients should automatically expect great customer service, without you directly using it as a differentiator, and a reason for them to hire you.

You Offer a Customized Approach

A customized approach is incredibly important for coaches, healers, and online experts to provide for their clients. Even if you’re selling self-guided courses or pre-made resources, involving customization into your process makes your product relevant to your client, and shows them that they’re more than just a number, and that you really are the right coach, healer, or expert for them because you understand something about them. 

Offering a customized approach could even be as simple as offering two different courses – one for beginners and one for more experienced clients. Even if you don’t offer 1:1 coaching, a customized approach should come standard with whatever it is that you’re selling – after all, we all already know that one size does not fit all. 

How to Differentiate Yourself and Your Brand 

So, now that we’ve covered 3 things that aren’t relevant differentiators for your brand… How do you make your brand stand out? If you’re currently using one or more of the items from the list above as differentiators for your brand – don’t panic. It’s a good starting point to recognize that these three things should be essential in your business, not what makes you special. 

When it comes to recognizing and portraying your real differentiators, that’s going to depend entirely on who you are, what you do, and where your life path has led you.

Some ideas for key differentiators could be:

• Your personal story
• A unique approach
• Your signature program
• You teach in an area that your competitors overlook
• A unique personality trait
• You take your work to a deeper level than your competitors 
• A unique understanding of your ideal clients needs
• A unique value or belief
• A very narrow niche

For an in-depth look at each of these differentiators, check out this blog post.

The point is, there are so many more impactful, important ways to differentiate your brand other than high-quality, customized approaches, and great customer service.

If you’re unclear about what makes you stand out, then I challenge you to take some action right now and look within to find something that only you have, that only you know, that only you are the true expert at. 

If you’re ready to take your brand and business to the next level and truly, easily stand out amongst the crowd, then join me in the Impact Tribe. Once you join, you’ll get immediate access to an entire library of biz-booming courses, resources, group coaching, and our community full of purpose-driven, daring fempreneurs, just like you. Click below to learn more and get started today.