You have your product idea and a plan to produce it. Now we need to talk about how you're going to get that product to leap off the shelf or off your farmers market booth and into your customer's hands so that you can increase your sales. Today, we're going to talk about eight ideas on ways that you can do that. 

Your product is on the shelf with a lot of other brands and different varieties within those brands. As a consumer, there are so many different varieties you can choose from. We need to focus on what makes your defensibly unique from everyone else's and capitalize on that. 

The first way to stand out is your name. You have the opportunity to create a name that sticks out for people. A name that surprises them or is funny and makes them stop and think about it. 

The second way to stand out is with your ingredients. Maybe you source local ingredients for your product or it's a more specialty item that you're using like hatch green chilies or Anaheim chilies. They're ingredients that add a little more to your product. 

The third way to stand out is with your packaging. Is there some unique packaging you can use to make people curious and look at your product. 

Going along with that is your fourth way to stand out, which is with your labels. Labels and packaging go together, but there is something to be said about making your labels unique. Whether it's using certain colors or a design that's really eye catching, there's a lot you can do to ensure that your labels attract people to your product. 

The fifth way to stand out is with certifications. Certifications help give your product credit and market to a niche customer. So whether that certification is organic or non-GMO or gluten-free or paleo or Whole 30 approved. These different certifications help you reach your target customer. 

The sixth way to stand out is you. You are a unique individual and you're the one who will be marketing your brand to grocery stores or at farmers markets. So how you choose to market the product using yourself is very important. Another thing that you bring to your product's marketing is your network. Use the connections you have to get the word out about your product. 

The seventh way to stand out is using experiences. We know now that many people value experiences over things, so how do you turn your product into an experience? Maybe it's that you give a portion of the profits to charity. Or maybe it's in creative packaging - like those labels that you can tear off and you can use them to make something like a craft for kids or they tell the story of your product. You want your product to be interactive to provide an experience. 

The eighth and last way to stand out is your brand identity. If I were to meet your product on the street or at a cocktail party, who would I be meeting? Is your brand light and playful and funny? Or is it serious and sophisticated? You want to play off these things to make your product stand out. Your brand has four pieces to it - your values, your visuals, your voice and your personality. So consider these different things to help yourself stand apart from your competition.

If you have more questions, I have some great resources on my website and I'd suggest checking out my business checklist. It's a step by step guide of all the things that you need to do to start that food business.

Also, if you want to join a community of other food business entrepreneurs, I highly encourage you to check out my Facebook group, you can ask to join that group and be among other food business entrepreneurs.