When you were in high school, being different was a bad thing. You strived to “fit in” by dressing like your friends, speaking like your friends, liking the same things as your friends, and even hanging in the same places as your friends.

But in the world of branding, being different makes you popular.

You’re appearance= Logo/ Visual Design

People see the Nike swoosh and they know what it is. Your brand appearance is just a piece of your brand identity, but as in youth, appearance is important. 

The Way You Speak= Your slogans/ mottos/ marketing copy

Popchips is one of our recent PR clients and they are constantly using the word “pop” in interesting places. I have dealt with several popchips staff members and they all do this. It is obviously a way to build their brand and when done consistently, it really sets them apart.

What You Like= Your Methods of Building & Promoting Your Brand

Having new & interesting ways of promoting and marketing your brand can help you stand out. If you are the first to try Beta apps, or you come up with your own marketing tactic that isn’t being used, people will take notice. How you market, your preferred methods, can also make you stand out.

Where You Hang Out= Where You Network, Where You Go Online, Where You Exhibit 

While it is still important to go where your target market is, and that is where your competition might be as well, it is also important to hang out where your competition hasn’t gone yet. You want to stand out and still reach your market. Look for unique, first time events and promote there. A lot of larger brands are reluctant to sponsor or exhibit at first time events. Plus, first time events usually cost less to exhibit or sponsor because they are looking to establish a brand too! You can find ways to help yourself stand out among your target audience for less cost and less competition. Finding niche communities can also help weed out competition. For instance, if you specialize in making handmade keychains, you might want to find communities of people who collect keychains rather than just focusing on communities for those who make handmade items.

Being different in a clear & consistent way can help your brand stand out. The key is customization and making the brand say what you want it to. If you would like help developing your brand image, check out our support network Become Better Brands , ask about our graphic & web design services, or sign-up for our Branding Bootcamp.

As always, comments are appreciated so tell me what you think about branding.