Competition is inevitable and it is both healthy and natural. Among many things, competition improves the quality of products and/or services offered. It also promotes innovation and choice. With competition, both businesses and consumers are bound to win. To remain on top however requires some strategies. Here are some strategies that can be applied to gain Competitive edge over your Competitors.
Understand your businesses strengths
Know your business. Get to know what makes it stand out Among the rest. It doesn’t have to be a big factor, even that you think is small can make a valuable difference.
Your business strengths will help you understand what to put weight on. For example, your business strength may be in efficiency and production. Maximise on this, leverage the production to make sure the profit margins are increased, leverage on the efficiency of your team to produce goods and services that are of high quality.
Sometimes what we are looking for is right in-front of us. Only that we have not taken time to look around and maximise on what we have.
Leverage New Technology
Technology is here to stay. It has revolutionised the way businesses do their activities. You do not want to be left behind, you want your business to be on the forefront matters Technology.
While it may cost you money wise, it will lead to higher efficiency and will allow you to gain competitive edge. For example step into Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, leverage on having chatbots on your website that can interact with your customers 24/7.
Work with Data and Analytics to analyse your business and make proper decisions from facts and trends. This is the power of technology, it allows you to predict and get a glimpse of the future.
Fill in the Niches
Another tip that can give you a competitive edge is addressing and filling in the niches within your scope. To know the niches that exist, you could look at customer feedback, listen to people, conduct surveys and put yourself in the shoes of the consumer.
Reasoning on this lines will allow you to see some spaces that could be possible filled. Filling niches is a plus to any business. For your business, it may be the means for breaking even. An example of a niche could be designing clothes for plus size men and women. Filling in such a niche will give you an upper hand among your competitors.
Customer orientation
A successful business is Customer centred. Customers are the life line of any business. Without them, your business seizes to exist. Make sure your business is geared towards meeting the needs of the customers.
You can conduct polls and questionnaires to get feedback from the consumers on areas that could be improved regards the product or service delivery. This will enable you to align your business to the actual needs of the consumers and is thus one of the strategies to gain a Competitive edge over your Competitors.
Put your brand out there.
Allow your brand to speak for you. Your brand is a collection of how people interact and perceive your business. Building a brand entails various aspects, the actual product or service and its quality, your Logo and here are some tips for creating a great logo, website and the quality of its UI/UX, your socials and the content you push to them.
Your brand needs to be one of Quality. It also needs to be attractive enough to the consumers. An example of a business with a remarkable brand is Apple, their products are top notch and their brand speaks for them.
Target to have a brand that speaks for you to gain a competitive edge over your competitors.
Quality content, Marketing and Distribution
Having already established the importance of having a brand speaking volumes about your business, you need effective marketing and Quality content.
Your brand needs to remain interactive with the consumers across social media platforms and they need to perceive you as a reliable brand that produces content that it entertaining, educative and informative. Consider marketing your business to increase the traffic brought on your business.
Experiment and Innovate
Change is the only constant thing across every platform and even in life. For your business to remain relevant and have the competitive edge, throw away rigidity and embrace change.
Innovate and experiment, try out new things as the budget allows as well. Introduce a new aspect of the service you provide, try a new look for your product. The beauty about innovating and experiment is that you learn either way whether it bears the fruits or not.
