Let’s talk food for just a minute. Never mind that currently it is my stomach talking more than my head—I haven’t had lunch. But don’t worry. I do have a point.

Have you ever had plain flavored yogurt, regular oatmeal, or salt-less crackers? What descriptive words came to mind when you took your first flavorless bite? Bland, tasteless, forgettable, dissatisfied, disappointing—just a few that come to mind for me. I like my food salted, sugared, colorful, and flavored up (which probably doesn’t bode well for my health at times, but my tongue certainly appreciates it).

Compare those unremarkable snacks to blueberry flavored Greek yogurt, Cap’n Crunch Cereal and Doritos Nacho Cheese chips. Food needs to stand out to get consumed—it needs zest, pizzazz, and even personality.

Your business is no different (see I told you there was a point). It needs to stand out among the bland and flaunt its unique flavor to snag the attention of your consumers. No one wants to walk away from your company feeling dissatisfied with an empty stomach and bad taste in their mouth—or even worse, no taste at all.

Here are just a few ways to spice things up to get noticed:

Add Salt. Salt has a remarkable ability to accentuate the taste that food already holds. Your company has amazing attributes that make it what it is—accentuate them. If you don’t highlight those attributes, your business will be just as bland as the rest of your competitors. So add some salt, and stand out above the crowd by developing a strategic marketing campaign.

Add Sugar. People like seeing the personality behind a company—they like to see the behind-the-scenes faces that pump out all that great work. The company culture that makes an organization what it is needs to be showcased.  People want to discover your quirky, grounded, or fun company personality. Whatever it may be, show it off. A terrific outlet for your sparkling personality is social media. Adding a social media plan to your business is the cherry on top of your company cake—it will sweeten people’s opinion of you and is a necessary tool to get noticed.

Add Color. Whoever said that appearances don’t matter certainly doesn’t deal with marketing.  Appearances do matter. A lot. The way your business presents itself is really important and the key to that is branding. Having an identity that is consistent, appealing, and targeted is imperative. So don’t get caught appearing a sorry shade of what you are—show your true colors.

With this recipe in mind, people will be much less likely to walk away from your dinner table feeling dissatisfied, and much more likely to remember who you are and what you have to offer.

And now, I’m taking my lunch break.