Congratulations on your decision to create a new business! Once the initial excitement wears off, you’ll need to figure out your plan to promote what you can do! This article will give you some beneficial ideas and things to consider.
Sort Out Your Target Audience – Typically, new businesses need to dial in their ideal customer and create marketing that will resonate with that group. Over time, you will likely expand that group but start with your core buyers first.
Networking – Referrals from happy clients can be highly beneficial. Don’t underestimate this tool. If you are on the introverted side, set a goal for reaching one new contact a week. Have a virtual coffee and a chat.
Establish URL and Social Media Channels – Once you have your business name registered, be sure to purchase and reserve the name for the website and social media use. You don’t need to use all of the channels, but reserving them will help boost your SEO and prevent someone else from using them.
Determine the Sales Strategy – Spend some time determining your sales strategy. Are you working with another person or a team for sales? Will it be only yourself? Understand how this will function and what you can offer. How much time will you plan to allow each week? Knowing how to build a database of contacts will allow tracking of sales and promote items.
Service Strategy – Hopefully, this is crystal clear before you begin to market. Spend some time considering and drafting your entire work process to be as streamlined as possible. You’ll be wearing many hats at the beginning and will want to conserve your time. If you have a team, be prepared to do some training around product development, creation, order fulfillment, and customer service.
Contract Templates – If you are in a custom product area or a service provider, such as a consultant, you will need to spell out what you are providing, when it will be delivered, and the associated costs. Use a downloadable template, or work with your attorney to create one just for your business.
Positioning Statement – Who are you, what do you offer, and to whom? Be concise. Your statement may evolve as you add new products or services, but a positioning or value statement forces you to consider what you do and why.
Offering and Pricing Development – Do some research to sort out what you will sell and the market pricing around each element or product. Your customers will tell you quickly if your pricing is too high for the market.
Distribution – Products need to ship and deliver on time. Are you working directly with your customers, or will you be using a distributor model? Are you selling a digital product that is downloaded?
Small Business Insurance – It’s a weird world. Be prepared for surprises with insurance so that you don’t need to worry about it.
Website and Branding – Having a solid visual brand helps buyers quickly understand what you offer and if they are interested. Whether you build your site or have a designer create one for you, your brand should shine through clearly. Products should be found quickly and easily online, as well as company contact information. Test the website thoroughly to see where a customer might be confused or lost.
Marketing Budget – Knowing you have funds set aside for marketing will avoid headaches later on. Startups will work with more modest amounts than an investor-funded startup. Do some research to see where your competitors are most visible and plan accordingly.
SEO – Search Engine Optimization. Once you have your website built (your most crucial marketing tool), you’ll want to be sure that all pages are optimized to be found and ranked. See what this entails in more detail.
You will want all of the above items done in time for your new business launch. Don’t get overwhelmed; remember that you only eat an elephant one bite at a time. It will all get done!
