So You’re Starting a Small Business
First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS! Starting a small business is no easy feat; or decision for that matter. I’m sure at this point, you’ve already gone through a wave of emotions ranging from get rich fantasies to full blown anxiety. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal! But now that you’ve officially decided to move forward, the hard part is over. Now you are on to better and easier decisions like a catchy name, an awesome logo, a corporate identity / brand, and all the fun marketing stuff to go along with it!
Catchy Business Name
This part should be the easiest, but never is. You want the name to reflect your new small business and all that it represents. You also want it to be catchy and easy to remember. Oh, and don’t forget original! A great example of a local business that came up with a memorable name: Nothing Bundt Cakes! It’s catchy, it’s short so easy to remember and it represents exactly what they do. This task could take some time, but it’s well worth the time spent!
Corporate Identity / Brand & Company Logo
This is the best part! This is where you get to figure out the entire look and feel of your new small business. Whether you go with clean and crisp or extravagant and embellished, this will determine the entire identity of your new venture. This will obviously lean heavily on what type of business you are starting. If you are starting a cleaning company obviously a clean minimalistic logo is what you need. If you are opening an indoor paintballing complex, maybe you should lean more toward a sportier look with heavier fonts and bright colors. You should be able to rely heavily on your marketing team (hopefully us) to help you with this part!
Other Marketing Items to Keep in Mind
After your corporate identity has been determined and your logo is done, you have to get started on your digital marketing and your collateral materials. Digital Marketing of course encompasses your website and your social media platforms. Facebook is the biggest social media platform out there and has the largest audience. Facebook is good for almost every business. Opening an Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter account should really be determined by the type of business you own. Do your research. Find out where your competitors are. Don’t open a million social media accounts if you don’t have the time or knowledge to be active on them. Your website will be an important piece of this puzzle, so don’t overlook it. At this same time, don’t overspend. Some companies will try and charge thousands. Please don’t. Do your research here too. Our websites only start at $1499. Collateral Material covers things like business cards, handouts and promotional items. There are a ton of options when it comes to shape, size and paper stock for your business cards. Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box for this one. Think of your business card as a first impression. Your new business will determine what type of handouts you should get. Keep in mind there are a ton of options for this category also, so make sure your marketing company explains all of them. Have some fun with your promotional items. Go ahead and get the pens with your catchy business name and website on them but also try to get a fun item such as koozies or fidget spinners.
There will be obstacles, but you will overcome them. If you really want this, you will need to work really hard but the outcome will be so worth it!
We hope the easiest decision you make through this entire process will be choosing the marketing company that helps bring your dreams for your new small business to life. Contact us anytime! We hope to help you.