It’s no secret that in 2025, businesses (especially small businesses) have to stay competitive in order to survive. Small businesses can often feel overshadowed by bigger brands that have bigger budgets, more followers, more resources – but size isn’t everything!
Small businesses have a unique edge that many big brands don’t have when it comes to standing out. Building a community of loyal customers is something small brands do best, but if you’re feeling discouraged, or you just want to make sure you’re on the right track, these are the different ways you can compete with (and beat) the big brands!
1. Embrace your size
Small businesses are unique in the sense that there are often fewer layers of approval for decisions to go through. Whether it’s social media posts, marketing emails, or even something as simple as changing the wording on your landing page. These changes can take weeks to be approved in larger businesses, but small brands (with smaller teams) have much more freedom to make changes on the fly.
This means it’s easier for you to respond to trends, change your strategy if something just isn’t working, or A/B test different types of copy to find out what’s going to really work best.
Whilst many large businesses may not be able to respond as quickly to a trending audio on TikTok, small businesses can! This gives you a unique advantage when it comes to making quick decisions and being in front of your audience first before all the bigger companies jump in.
2. Know your niche
As a small business, you really have to know exactly what it is you’re selling, what your goals are and how you want to measure your success. Whilst big businesses may have the budgets to try to have something for everyone, that’s only going to leave your resources thin and your team struggling to keep up.
Focus instead on knowing your niche and knowing your customers. You really have to understand your audience's needs, their pain points and exactly how your product is going to solve their issues. Make sure your products and services feel like they’re made specifically for your audience so that you can build a loyal community of customers that choose your business over larger competitors.
3. Make it personal
Consumers in 2025 are delivered a barrage of ads for businesses every single day, so focusing on personal connections is really going to give you an edge. Bigger businesses often make their customers feel like a cog in a machine, but adding a personal touch can make all the difference in getting return customers.
Try to offer personalised recommendations and focus on genuine, human connections rather than just your bottom line. Friendlier, more authentic connections and services can be the difference between a one-time customer and a customer that returns to you for years and years.
4. Think about collaborations
If you want to expand your audience but you’re not sure how to get started, focusing on collaboration opportunities can make a real difference to your reach. Whether that’s working alongside complementary businesses in your local area to collaborate and offer unique discounts for referred customers or implementing UGC and influencer marketing, collaboration is the way forward for small businesses.
Rather than competing with similar-sized businesses, working together to challenge the big guys is going to yield you more success in the long run.
5. Make people care about your brand
Focus on building a brand story that people actually care about. Try to bring a sense of authenticity to your business by focusing on your mission statement, your values and why you started. Where big companies can often feel completely faceless, small businesses have an advantage when it comes to making genuine connections with the community.
6. Work with experts
If you feel like you’re flying completely blind, working with experts like a digital marketing agency can help you implement the strategies your bigger competitors are using in a way that works for your business.
Whether you want to start on socials, improve your SEO or look into paid ads, working with experts who have seen what works (and what doesn’t) can give you a head start on your marketing efforts.
7. Customer service is king
Good customer service is essentially free marketing. When you prioritise great customer service, you don’t just get return customers, you also get customers telling their friends, their family and others about your business.
When you prioritise customer service, you can leverage great reviews, referrals and loyalty that larger businesses just don’t have access to.
Whilst it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle for smaller businesses, you have to remember your size gives you an edge that the competition often doesn’t have! By implementing these tips and tricks, you can grow your business, build your community and ultimately make a better profit!
Copyright 2025. Featured post by Tom Welbourne of The Good Marketer, a marketing agency in London which drives more traffic, generates conversions and increases sales for small- to medium-sized businesses.