How to Make Your Company Stand Out From the Competition
Showcase your brand’s expertise and personality with these online techniques
By Houzz AU
To stand out from the crowd, it’s vital to demonstrate what makes your brand unique. But how do you persuade a client to choose you over someone else? Start by telling your story on your website and your Houzz profile. As well as your expertise, customers want to know whether your style of working will help them to accomplish their dream project. Here’s how to effectively use online storytelling to define your business.
Showcase your skills
Your website or Houzz profile is often the first port of call for a potential client. Use these platforms to highlight areas you specialise in and to show your experience and craft.
Architecture firm Architest opens its profile with, “Understanding a space can be hard, and visualising yourself in that space can be even harder, get it wrong, and you’ll be living in it.” It’s a contemplative afterthought often experienced by unsatisfied homeowners, cleverly spinning the words to showcase their methods for ensuring success.
“Want a wall moved? Done. Want a sink shifted? Done.” It’s a great move that helps to develop trust and builds confidence within the homeowner that they’ve made the right choice.
The focus on delivering customer satisfaction continues, with each project including a detailed description. For example, one project is accompanied by, “A modern extension and period renovation have given this Melbourne home a new lease on life. While keeping as much of the period charm as possible, modern twists and pockets of contemporary design, added to the clean, modern and well-planned extension, add to the overall appeal of this beautiful house.”
Highlight your passion
By telling your story you can show how passionate you are about your work. Homeowners want to know that you are just as enthusiastic about getting their dream space right as they are.
Landscaping firm Inovasis Design highlights passion and attention to detail on its profile, detailing each picture with a clear description, for example; “Originally a split-level garden and courtyard, we designed an elevated spotted-gum timber deck to extend the usable space, integrating outdoor dining and lounge zones.” They then describe the space as, “Private and with a beautiful ambience,” showcasing pride in the work.
Reveal your personality
Embarking on a home project can be daunting, so clients want someone who will make the whole process easier. Use your website or Houzz profile to connect emotionally, letting people know how your business will work to realise their aspirations and make the process enjoyable.
This quote from Inovasis Design’s profile sums up the way the business keeps its clients’ emotional needs in mind: “Our goal is to have you, your family and friends say ‘Let’s go outside,’ at every opportunity.”
Taking on a different approach, Studio 1 Interiors’ profile highlights both its work style and client relationships, saying, “As someone who’s always had a keen eye for innovative design and a passion for working with people, I love working with clients on the creation of a space that reflects their true personality or brand ethos. I created Studio 1 Interiors to offer a range of interior and styling services to do just that!”
Put yourself in your clients’ shoes
Show clients who discover you online that customer service is important. Make a point of highlighting how you consider your customers’ needs, and it will become part of your brand.
Ellen Wundersitz from Space Craft Joinery conveys the company’s customer service message succinctly; “That’s why everything we do is built around you, your family, your needs, your lifestyle, your taste, your timing and of course, your budget.”
Ellen explains, “being adaptable is paramount because it forms the foundation for the design process of each and every project, as well as our business model as a whole. Each client comes to us with a unique set of challenges, likes and dislikes. So I guess we are trying to meet each client’s brief in the most functional and aesthetically pleasing way possible while taking into consideration their specific requirements.”
