Business tips: Building your brand to create a competitive advantage

Improving your brand awareness is one way to give your company a competitive advantage. We’ve summarised some important tips for making your brand stand out.

In a crowded marketplace, it can be difficult to make your products and services stand out clearly from the competition. A key way to do this is to focus on building brand awareness and turning your existing customers and targets into advocates for your brand.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Creating that competitive advantage won’t always be easy, but it is key to carving out a niche and scaling up to meet your customers’ needs.

Clearly define your brand values

Once your brand values have been established, use them to guide every business decision, from marketing to operations; e.g. if sustainability is a core value, this must be reflected in the choices you make on suppliers, packaging, distribution and the causes you associate with.

When your company values jump out from your marketing and customer interactions, it makes it easier to resonate with the right customers – and that’s a key part of building good relationships.

Create a memorable personality for your brand

Think about the personality you associate with your favourite brands. Apple is cutting edge, aspirational and techy, while Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is kooky, laid-back and reflects the hippy roots of its founders. How do you want your customers to feel about your brand?

Should the personality of your brand sound professional, expert and high class? Or would your audience engage better with a personality that’s warm, approachable and more friendly? Whatever you decide, your tone of voice and the personality of your brand has to be consistent across all channels. Make sure your website, marketing collateral and social media posts all have a uniform feel and represent the brand in a way which can be quickly identified.

Have a recognisable brand identity

Part of creating brand recognition is having a clear visual appearance for the brand. The logo you use, the style of your web content and the way your packaging is designed all help to make your brand more recognisable to a broader audience.

Be creative with your design and decide on a ‘visual identity’ with colours, fonts and imagery that reflect your chosen personality as a brand. If you can commission the images (design or photography) yourself, the result will feel more authentic but stock image libraries offer lots of choice too. Avoid cliched images that don’t reflect your brand and, wherever possible, aim to create a unique identity that will quickly stand out in your marketplace.

Differentiate your brand from the competition

Does your product stand out from other similar products offered by your competitors? The more unique you can make your offering, the better. You can differentiate by features, price, customer service etc. to make sure you’re the stand-out option for customers in this market.

There’s also the option of creating your own niche, where competitors are few and far between. To protect this dominance, it’s important to maintain your high-quality service, to work closely with your customers and to remain at the cutting edge of the specialism.

Know your price and how it fits customers’ needs

Price can be a real differentiator, so you need to be aware how your prices compare to those of your competitors. Is your product cheaper than others? Or are you pitching your price at the top end of the market?

It’s important to be clear about whether you’re offering a premium, standard or economy product, and how this fits with your customers’ expectations of the brand. Offering good value for money will be an important draw, so keep an eye on the competitiveness of your prices.

Build a valued community of brand advocates

Do you have a strong network amongst your customer base, or is a competitor gradually winning market share and undermining your supremacy as the market leader? This needs to be regularly reviewed and assessed.

A focus on customer relationships is vital. Offer discounts and unique offers to your long-standing customers to keep them on side. Ask for comments and feedback, so you know what customers want from the brand. And turn your existing customers into advocates for the brand – so they get out in the real world and refer you to the rest of their network.

And just in case you wonder how we can assist, check out our list of services here.

The Ultimate Bookkeeping Impact Checklist: The Top 22 Ways To Know If It’s Time To Level-Up Your Bookkeeping Support Team So You Can Achieve More Of Your Purpose

Is your current bookkeeping and finance
team helping you achieve more of your
organisation’s purpose… or are they holding
you back?

With the help of this quick checklist, you can stop
guessing and see for yourself what business could
look like with the right purpose-driven bookkeepers
on your side. Download it now for FREE to get started!

Download Now for FREE:

The Ultimate Bookkeeping Impact Checklist

Share this post

We’ve Helped These Clients Focus Less On Their Finances, And More On Their Purpose

Here’s what they had to say:

We have had an enduring
relationship because Clare goes
beyond being just a “service
provider”.

The team at Purposely are always
invested in my clients and my own
organisations success. They partner
with their customers, accountants
and auditors to deliver tailored
solutions and they are always
proactive in their approach. If you are
looking for dedication and a long-
term partnership, these are the guys
for you.

Varis K.

VLK Accounting

We engaged with Clare and the
team to bring our organisation
into the cloud and we haven’t
looked back since.

It’s now 4 years down the track and
the Purposely team continue to
provide such an invaluable service to
our business. They understand the
complexities of working with remote
organisations and they handle
everything we need with the greatest
sensitivity. From bookkeeping, to
payroll to assisting us with all our
audit queries. They have changed the
way we operate for the better.

Anna and Steve H.

Noonkanbah Aboriginal Corporation

Purposely has looked after my
business for a long time now and
I am very happy with the service.

They are very professional and I know
things are always up to date. Clare
and her staff are great to deal with
and I trust them, that’s important. I
would not be in business today if I did
not find them.

Les R.

Quic Dig (WA) Pty Ltd

Nothing is too much trouble!

I have never felt so supported in
business… Since joining forces with
Purposely, I have become more
financially aware, have a much better
understanding of my own business
and my cash flow has improved
tenfold. [They] really have my
business’s best interests at heart.

Kellie G.

A* Star Cleanings

Purposely have been 
(and remain) invaluable to us in
making sure that this part of our
business is handled efficiently 
and with careful attention
to detail.

Paying our casual workers on time is
critical to the success of our business.
Mistakes and delays are not easy to
absorb in a small business and it’s a
great comfort to us that Purposely 
feel the same way. Timely, accurate
advice to help our business run
smoothly!

Dirima C.

Dortch & Cuthbert Trading Trust

The integrity of the Purposely
team is beyond question and we
know we can always rely on them
to prioritise the best interests of
our organisation.

Marrugeku engaged with Purposely in
2017 to handle all our bookkeeping
and payroll requirements. They
consistently show up, week in week
out with efficiency and good humour.
Even during the challenging times
faced by the entertainment industry
due to COVID-19, Purposely supported
us all the way. The Purposely team
work hard to manage the complexities 
of payroll for staff in Live
Performance. And each year they
strive to achieve a smooth audit, 
showing their dedication.

Guy B.

Marrugeku Inc.

The team at Purposely has been
a crucial resource to our
business. When we first started
working with them our books
needed dedicated attention.

Purposely did an amazing job at
bringing them up to date, making
things tidy and accurate. The team is
always reliable and consistently get
the work done. While their persistent
reminders may sometimes feel like
hounding, we recognise that it is
precisely what our business needs.
We highly recommend them for their
professionalism and commitment to
delivering results.

Holly G.

Cameron Herbert Constructions Pty Ltd

I have been working with
Purposely for a couple of years
now and in this time the team
has shown significant support to
me and my business.

Their technical expertise has helped me get my business in order leaving me to focus on what I do best. They communicate on a weekly basis so I know where things are at and what is yet to be done. Everything is completed and lodged on time and in full. I trust that they handle my data confidentially and would recommend them to anyone who is seeking the “next level” in terms of a bookkeeper.

Luke D.V.

Swat Suspension Wheel & Tyre Pty Ltd

I’m an exercise physiologist,
extremely busy and very
successful and wouldn’t be
where I am today without the
help of Purposely.

They have saved me a lot of time and
money helping my business to become
more streamlined and efficient, which
has saved me a lot of stress. I would
highly recommend Purposely as they
are very professional and very easy to
deal with.

Chris A.

Chris Anastasios Exercise Physiology

We have been working with Clare
and her team for the last 6 years.

Our initial contact with them came
from the difficulties we faced in
integrating our point of sale system
with our accounting software. We
required someone with technical
expertise to fix this issue, and Clare
immediately got on with the job. Since
then, Clare and her team have shown
commitment to adapt to our evolving
needs and implement effective
systems and processes, all of which
have contributed to enhancing our
overall operations.

Vanessa A.

Think Water Broome

We had no second thoughts on choosing Purposely.

My biggest pain point was not having clarity on the business financials from the previous bookkeepers. It was frustrating to try to communicate with them regarding anything. That’s when we found Purposely (Clare), our first impression was she was very professional and knowledgeable on what she does. We now have clarity, trust and good communication whether it comes to processing the payroll or bookkeeping or even sorting out the invoices. Clare and her team are always there to support and help and simplify things for us.

Bikram P.

Dragonfly Cafe

We have been dealing with Clare and Purposely for over 4 years because they handle the bookkeeping for one of our clients.

We can thoroughly recommend them to anyone that needs an efficient, accurate and easy to work with bookkeeper. We have always found their work to be of the highest quality.

Peter W.

Accounting on Tap Pty Ltd

I have nothing but praise for Clare & the team, they have always bent over backwards to help.

Myself & my business have been involved with Purposely for many years now after our internal Book-keeper decided to retire & suggested I look into what was/is Purposely. Purposely are Kimberley locals & understand how difficult it can be working remotely to run a business in this part of Australia. The team adapted to my requests & business style very quickly and I have to admit I haven’t always been the easiest person to work with due to the remote nature of our work & my lack of computer skills. GND will continue to use Purposely for the foreseeable future of our business.

Sam C.

Great Northern Demolition Pty Ltd

Since we started working with Purposely in 2018, we’ve witnessed their unique approach to bookkeeping which sets them apart.

Their commitment to due diligence and technical expertise exceeds the standards of traditional bookkeeping models. Their thoroughness extends beyond skilful application and experience, encompassing excellent communication with both clients and their accountants/auditors. With an experienced staff member always at hand, they provide a reliable asset to any organization fortunate enough to collaborate with them. Purposely offers an outstanding solution for organizations seeking outsourced financial management, whether it be for partial or comprehensive support.

Desiree M.

Male & Co

You Might Be Also Interested In