Where do you start as a new business? There is such a lot to think about that the original concept was the easy bit! But no matter whether you have a new product or another angle on a service to provide, you need to think about many other things to get your business off the ground.
Here’s our advice to get you started.
1. Your brand identity and your logo
Engage a professional designer to advise and design this for you.
You are sure to have some ideas anyway but remember that your business name and logo are your chance to get your business noticed by the world both online and in the marketplace.
It’s important that you take a business name that not only reflects what you are offering but that the name isn’t registered to any other company. Similarly your logo is a graphic representation of your company and both this and your business name should create a good first impression of your business.
Just like words your business name and logo can set the tone of your business; working with a professional designer who understands how this works will obviously be advantageous.
2. Your website
This is your digital shop window or business card. It’s where you can lay out all your information – your digital brochure. The Internet is the place most of us look before making a decision about a company. Did you know that 1 in 2 Internet Searches end on a retail site, so if you are selling something you definitely need a website?
The new digital ‘High Street’ is open 24/7 which means searches can find you at any time of the day or night.
Your website should again reflect your business and should be easy to navigate. Visitors aren’t often very patient so if they can’t find what they’re looking for easily, they are likely to wander off.
3. Good copywriting for your website and beyond
You need good clear, concise and captivating writing to make sure that your services or products are presented well to visitors.
ngaging copy that is information-rich but not boring is what visitors crave and it’s also what will bring them back. If the news about Google Penguin is anything to go by, it’s also what the search engines appreciate too.
4. SEO for your website
Good ‘transparent SEO’ or search engine optimisation is what gets you higher in the search engine rankings. With somewhere in the region of 2.3 billion visitors using search engines every month to find the business or service they are looking for we want to be at the top. Especially as we are all more likely to click on the first information we see on a search page.
SEO is what is needed for this. Work with a professional copywriter who knows how to optimise your copy so that you rank as highly as possible.
Again, because Google Penguin is clamping down on SEO spamming, this needs to be sensitive to encourage organic SEO. No keyword stuffing or paid for linking for a start but your professional should know how to get the best and keep Google happy too.
5. Marketing your business
All of the previous 4 points are essentially the start of your digital marketing tools. Once they are in place you can use them to your advantage in any campaigns or pushes to promote your business.
You might also need some hard copy information – leaflets, flyers and business cards – for your face to face meetings. Head back to your copywriter to produce the copy and your creative logo designer to design and produce your promotional materials.
Then you’re all set to go get ‘em – customers and clients that is.
