Branding your start-up may appear overwhelming at first, especially if you don’t have a strong marketing background. Learning what to prioritize is helpful in reducing stress and in developing a plan. Building brand recognition doesn’t happen overnight, yet no strong brand has ever stopped improving their brand messaging. Here are four important branding requirements for your start-up:
A Solid Domain Name
A domain name serves as your business identity and as such, requires careful thought. While a catchy name may appear fun to you, it isn’t going to help people identify with what services you provide. Research has found that URLs that tell what they do receive more clicks than URLs with random names.
Most start-ups are starting out with limited budgets. When relying on word-of-mouth as your premier marketing tool, it’s important to create a domain name that is easy to pronounce and meaningful. Not only is a domain name essential to your marketing plan, it is a top-of-list item in developing your start-up. People create and secure domain names at rapid speeds in today’s fast-paced business world. To get started, search for your domain name today.
A Branded Email Address
Using a branded email address promotes your start-up by reinforcing your brand name and not Gmail’s brand name. An impressive 86 percent of professionals name email as their favorite mode of communication. As a start-up, having a branded email address as credibility and trust—recipients are less likely to think of the email as a scam if it arrives from a branded address. Creating a branded email is relatively inexpensive, easy, and sometimes even free, depending upon your domain name provider or web hosting company. At BrandCo we recommend using G-Suite: a powerful tool of Google products that includes a custom and branded email address.
A Professional Website
According to a survey conducted by the research firm Clutch, 46 percent of U.S. small businesses still don’t have a website for their company. Research results determined that not having a website is more costly than creating a site. Think of your website as your branding foundation. What does your business card, social media, brochures, and advertising all point to as your call-to-action? That’s right—your website. Creating a website can be as simple as a one-page site. A good site doesn’t have to have bells and whistles but it does need updates, brand consistency with the accompanying marketing tools, and most importantly, it must be mobile friendly.
A Solid Business Card
Business cards still provide relevance in today’s networking world. Online networking hasn’t completely replaced the face-to-face networking power that remains a strong force for business development. While handing out a small, paper card may seem old-fashioned, it is still the fastest and easiest way to share your business information. In designing a business card for your start-up, keep the following two tips in mind:
- Avoid covering the entire card—only include the most important information. This leaves some white space in case the potential client wants to add a note about you to your card.
- Get it professionally printed—saving money by printing them yourself with your home printer may seem like a great idea but it’s a cheap way to make a first impression. Spend the money to have them professionally printed shows you care about your brand and the quality it represents.
Continue Building Your Brand
Once you’ve completed the four tasks above, you can start thinking about your logo. Secure your domain name, set up an associated email address, create a website, and print business cards. Do these steps first and build upon them as your start-up grows. For more information about how BrandCo helps small businesses, contact us today.