Fighting for attention and mindshare in a crowded market? It can sometimes feel impossible, right? You’ve been fighting against your local competitors for years, trying to convince customers that your business can meet their needs better than that other guy. With the Web and social media, it feels harder than ever to be more competitive.

Applying state-of-the-art tools and processes is widely seen as a mark of excellence. So, perhaps not surprisingly, “best practice” is one of those terms that you constantly hear in corporate circles. Managers often see implementing them as key to their performance.

Yet many experts point out that adopting so-called best practices can stifle your ability to innovate. After all, once you designate a particular way of doing things as “best,” who is going to question it? And if nobody questions it, it won’t be improved.

Still, even keeping those objections in mind, best practices can be immensely valuable, if approached with open eyes and good sense. The truth is that much like any business process, they’re only as good as the managers who implement them. While many do use best practices as a crutch, they can also be used as a platform from which to innovate.

Even if you’re not competing on product, you’re competing on attention. To stand out, you need to be more present than all the like competitors out there.

And it can be done, believe me.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’d like to increase your presence in your market, below are tips to help your small business stand out on the Web.

Be Specific About Who You Are

Standing out in a sea of competition means giving people something to remember. To do that, be specific about who you are.

Maybe you’re a local print shop that only uses recycled inks or papers. Or you use a process that others don’t.
You’re a caterer who only uses locally-grown meat and vegetables. Or you’re the most expensive guy in town because of how elaborate your events are.

Who you are in business, create your marketing story, and work that into your marketing strategy. Where businesses get lost is when they’re unable to define themselves and what’s different about the way they do business. Know what’s different about you and then talk about it. Talk about it a lot.

Search and Listen

My first effort would be to find local prospects. I’d start with Google Blog search, putting in local town names, to see who’s blogging in the area. I’d use Twitter Search to find some more folks. I’d look around for other sources, like local online newspapers.

You can even do some clever google work. Once I had a decent list, I’d start determining who, if any of them, are actually prospects. Just because they’re local doesn’t mean they fit the other criteria. Break the list down a bit more from there.

Promotion

You need a home base. I’d recommend a blog, but even a static website is better than nothing. Then, I’d see whether or not you can get listings with any other local businesses, any local groups related to the field, possibly even the Chamber of Commerce.

Make your site a combination of explanations of your business and the value you provide, as well as a chance to get to know a bit more about you. Personalized businesses like this, especially a body that works business like massage means that people want to know more about you, want to get a sense of who you are, and want to understand what matters to you.

If you’ve got a blog, consider doing video so that people can see even more about you. It’s a great way to add some promotional oomph.

From here, you might start reaching out to outposts. Facebook might be a tricky place to pick up business when starting. It’s not like a bunch of people will rush in and join the massage company fan page.

That said, you can always try. Twitter might work better, insofar as people speak more openly there, there’s serendipity, there are more chances to find new people without “friending” first.

Successful leaders work backward

Don’t start from where you are and go forward, because there is an infinite number of directions you can take. Instead, work backward from where you want to get – your vision for your business. That will help you choose which road you take.

Small business owners are often guilty of not thinking strategically

More often than not, the path you originally envisioned for your business is not the one you end up taking – life happens while you’re making other plans; even when you’re doing a great job of working backward, things change. Every one of the little nudges of the course you think you’ve embarked on has an impact.

It’s absolutely essential to lift yourself out of the fray of the day-to-day and ask yourself where you’re at and what the implications for the business might be. Because you can guarantee that if you don’t do that, nobody else will.

Be an educational hub

In case you haven’t noticed, we are in the middle of a content marketing revolution. And that’s something you need to be a part of. Regardless of what industry you serve, setting yourself up to be THE educational hub on the topic is going to help you win favor and reputation in your space.

For example, in my corner of the world, Search Engine Land is the hub for everything Internet marketing-related. That means when I’m looking for information, I go there. When I need a source for a story, I go there. When I need an expert opinion, I go there.

See power? Setting yourself up as that hub by focusing on creating resource guides, putting out consistent authoritative content, and being seen participating in subject matter webinars/conferences/interviews will help you to establish trust and visibility. Two things vital to your success online.

Sure, you’re going to establish yourself as a resource by the educational content you provide on your Web site, but don’t stop there. Make time to be on Twitter participating in chats, fields questions on LinkedIn, respond to comments on other blogs, guest post on niche sites, etc.

By providing content and being seen on sites outside of just your own, you establish yourself as a subject-matter expert. While we can all understand the desire to hoard all your knowledge on your own site, let it go. You’ll be rewarded in the form of referrals, new traffic, and business karma.

Have a vision you can articulate

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you take.”

So, rule one: once you know where you want to go, make sure everyone in the business understands that vision.

With employees, hire slowly, fire quickly

In a small entity, you have to have people who are a good fit, otherwise, the culture suffers.

Be social

Yeah, yeah, you already know you’re supposed to be on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn, but don’t just be there, really use them. Use these channels to do market research on your industry, use them to interact and ask questions, and use them to make yourself part of your customers’ everyday lives and their routine.

This is very often the difference between the local café I frequent and the one I just know about – it’s that the owner has taken the time to chat with me on Twitter or they let me know what’s fresh out of the oven on Facebook. These things matter. They especially matter in a business where everything is based on relationships.

There’s a great cafe in my hometown called Francesca’s Cafe. I go there in part because the food is delicious and cost-effective, but I also go because the owner,

Francesca tweets me when she has a fresh stock of pumpkin syrup for my lattes or when blueberry muffins have come out of the oven. These little bits of humanization are powerful and things customers latch onto and remember.

Simplify

Remember that too many marketing messages confuse customers, especially as you spread them across various social media channels. Try to pare down to three choices in all aspects of your marketing, from how many fonts you use to how many times you follow up.

In any small business, everybody’s busy all the time

Regardless of your goals, in small business, you’re all wearing multiple hats because you don’t have specialists. As a consequence, everyone has to understand the broader picture or they won’t have the tools they need to do the job they weren’t hired to do but are doing anyway.

It’s essential for the owner to sit down with every new employee and contractor and make sure that they understand the business the way that he or she does.

Leadership means asking for help

Most small business failures – including the failure to achieve your full potential – stem from making entirely preventable mistakes. It’s not surprising because for most owners this is the first time they’ve run a business.

Thriving businesspeople build networks that enable them to draw on others’ experience and knowledge. The really successful ones do it before they get into trouble – and are never afraid or embarrassed to turn to their networks for help.

Be what’s missing

…okay, so we’re not all sure what’s different about us or who we are in the niche. If you’re looking for a place to start, identify what’s missing. Map out your competition and look at their price points, their offerings, how they (appear) to do what they do, and find the holes.

Is there a segment of the population they’re ignoring? Is there a process they’re not doing? Is there room for you to identify yourself as being an alternative to the norm?

Keep your eyes open for opportunities that your competitors are missing.

Those are just a handful of ways I’d encourage small businesses to make themselves stand out online. What other techniques do you use? What’s worked in helping you find your audience?

The bottom line

The moral of this story is that most of these small businesses can be more competitive. Their mistakes are easily understood and correctable. When the corrections are implemented well, they will have a great influence on your team competitiveness.

If these different thoughts are possessed by your current management or leadership team, or your emerging leaders, you will be in a good position for the road ahead.

Which of these success lessons stand out to you like the most critical? Do you have any other thoughts of effective leaders worthy of mention? Leave a comment and share your insights with us and other readers. We would be most interested in your thoughts.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?

Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find him on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

Applying state-of-the-art tools and processes is widely seen as a mark of excellence. So, perhaps not surprisingly, “best practice” is one of those terms that you constantly hear in corporate circles. Managers often see implementing them as key to their performance.

Yet many experts point out that adopting so-called best practices can stifle your ability to innovate. After all, once you designate a particular way of doing things as “best,” who is going to question it? And if nobody questions it, it won’t be improved.

Even if you’re not competing on product, you’re competing on attention. To stand out, you need to be more present than all the like competitors out there.

And it can be done, believe me.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’d like to increase your presence in your market, below are tips to help your small business stand out on the Web.

Be Specific About Who You Are

Standing out in a sea of competition means giving people something to remember. To do that, be specific about who you are.

Search and Listen

My first effort would be to find local prospects. I’d start with Google Blog search, putting in local town names, to see who’s blogging in the area. I’d use Twitter Search to find some more folks. I’d look around for other sources, like local online newspapers.

You can even do some clever google work. Once I had a decent list, I’d start determining who, if any of them, are actually prospects. Just because they’re local doesn’t mean they fit the other criteria. Break the list down a bit more from there.

Promotion

You need a home base. I’d recommend a blog, but even a static website is better than nothing. Then, I’d see whether or not you can get listings with any other local businesses, any local groups related to the field, possibly even the Chamber of Commerce.

If you’ve got a blog, consider doing video so that people can see even more about you. It’s a great way to add some promotional oomph.

From here, you might start reaching out to outposts. Facebook might be a tricky place to pick up business when starting. It’s not like a bunch of people will rush in and join the massage company fan page.

That said, you can always try. Twitter might work better, insofar as people speak more openly there, there’s serendipity, there are more chances to find new people without “friending” first.

Successful leaders work backward

Don’t start from where you are and go forward, because there is an infinite number of directions you can take. Instead, work backward from where you want to get – your vision for your business. That will help you choose which road you take.

Small business owners are often guilty of not thinking strategically

It’s absolutely essential to lift yourself out of the fray of the day-to-day and ask yourself where you’re at and what the implications for the business might be. Because you can guarantee that if you don’t do that, nobody else will.

Be an educational hub

In case you haven’t noticed, we are in the middle of a content marketing revolution. And that’s something you need to be a part of. Regardless of what industry you serve, setting yourself up to be THE educational hub on the topic is going to help you win favor and reputation in your space.

For example, in my corner of the world, Search Engine Land is the hub for everything Internet marketing-related. That means when I’m looking for information, I go there. When I need a source for a story, I go there. When I need an expert opinion, I go there.

See power? Setting yourself up as that hub by focusing on creating resource guides, putting out consistent authoritative content, and being seen participating in subject matter webinars/conferences/interviews will help you to establish trust and visibility. Two things vital to your success online.

Sure, you’re going to establish yourself as a resource by the educational content you provide on your Web site, but don’t stop there. Make time to be on Twitter participating in chats, fields questions on LinkedIn, respond to comments on other blogs, guest post on niche sites, etc.

By providing content and being seen on sites outside of just your own, you establish yourself as a subject-matter expert. While we can all understand the desire to hoard all your knowledge on your own site, let it go. You’ll be rewarded in the form of referrals, new traffic, and business karma.

Have a vision you can articulate

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you take.”

So, rule one: once you know where you want to go, make sure everyone in the business understands that vision.

With employees, hire slowly, fire quickly

In a small entity, you have to have people who are a good fit, otherwise, the culture suffers.

Be social

There’s a great cafe in my hometown called Francesca’s Cafe. I go there in part because the food is delicious and cost-effective, but I also go because the owner,

Francesca tweets me when she has a fresh stock of pumpkin syrup for my lattes or when blueberry muffins have come out of the oven. These little bits of humanization are powerful and things customers latch onto and remember.

Simplify

Remember that too many marketing messages confuse customers, especially as you spread them across various social media channels. Try to pare down to three choices in all aspects of your marketing, from how many fonts you use to how many times you follow up.

In any small business, everybody’s busy all the time

Regardless of your goals, in small business, you’re all wearing multiple hats because you don’t have specialists. As a consequence, everyone has to understand the broader picture or they won’t have the tools they need to do the job they weren’t hired to do but are doing anyway.

It’s essential for the owner to sit down with every new employee and contractor and make sure that they understand the business the way that he or she does.

Leadership means asking for help

Most small business failures – including the failure to achieve your full potential – stem from making entirely preventable mistakes. It’s not surprising because for most owners this is the first time they’ve run a business.

Thriving businesspeople build networks that enable them to draw on others’ experience and knowledge. The really successful ones do it before they get into trouble – and are never afraid or embarrassed to turn to their networks for help.

Be what’s missing

…okay, so we’re not all sure what’s different about us or who we are in the niche. If you’re looking for a place to start, identify what’s missing. Map out your competition and look at their price points, their offerings, how they (appear) to do what they do, and find the holes.

Is there a segment of the population they’re ignoring? Is there a process they’re not doing? Is there room for you to identify yourself as being an alternative to the norm?

Keep your eyes open for opportunities that your competitors are missing.

Those are just a handful of ways I’d encourage small businesses to make themselves stand out online. What other techniques do you use? What’s worked in helping you find your audience?

The bottom line

The moral of this story is that most of these small businesses can be more competitive. Their mistakes are easily understood and correctable. When the corrections are implemented well, they will have a great influence on your team competitiveness.

If these different thoughts are possessed by your current management or leadership team, or your emerging leaders, you will be in a good position for the road ahead.

Which of these success lessons stand out to you like the most critical? Do you have any other thoughts of effective leaders worthy of mention? Leave a comment and share your insights with us and other readers. We would be most interested in your thoughts.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?

Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find him on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

More reading on small business from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Is Your Small Business Coping With Technological Change?

10 Entrepreneur Lessons You Need to Know

Collaboration and Partnerships Are Key to Business Growth