You have a great idea for a small business, but where do you begin? Putting together a brand and a lucrative marketing and advertising campaign is not something that can be easily done overnight. The first steps in marketing your small business include knowing what your company’s angle and image will be before you make it heard online, researching your products and related products in the industry, utilizing social media and taking the time to compile a wonderful customer service staff to ensure that your consumers’ voices are being heard. There will be constant changes to your advertising routine and to the market, but knowing where to begin and how to get your standing in the industry will make you stronger for any new trends that come your way.
Know Your Brand
One of the first things you need to do before hitting the market and advertising your brand is making concrete decisions on your company’s overall design, including logo, font or font styles, tone of voice and general values. Branding is how your target market will see you, know you and most importantly, remember you. There are several classic brands that consumers recognize by simple shapes and colors; even down to a recognizable tagline, it’s easy to discern which logos go with which popular brands. If you want your brand to rise in the ranks of the advertising world, remain consistent! Consistency truly is key when it comes to branding and marketing. Setting one singular tone of voice, or a set of voices that all feel cohesive, will help aid your brand’s image online and out in the world.
Conduct Research on Your Target Market
Market Research is more than just deciding who you want to sell to. It is the process of seeking out current consumers, consumers of similar brands, marketing tactics of similar brands and basic industry research. When you conduct market research for your company, your goal should be to seek out pertinent information on the market and turn it into your strategy for reaching a group of people. As mentioned, you’ll not only want to look at people who want your product specifically and what they think of it, but you’ll want to look at close competitors and see who they are targeting, as well as what branding and advertising strategies they are implementing in campaigns across social media.
Build Your Social Media Presence
Speaking of social media, you will most definitely want to have a presence on it. There are several platforms you can utilize when it comes to spreading the word about your newly founded business, but knowing which one is right for you is the key to your online success. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are some of the top social media websites that gather mass amounts of attention from consumers. With in-app purchases, influencers and targeted advertisements available through most to all of these platforms, it is easy to see why they hold so much power when it comes to branding your company and reaching your desired audience.
Invest in Customer Service and Community Outreach
You know what they say: the customer is always right. While this may not necessarily be true, it must be in the eyes of the consumer. Build a killer team of customer service representatives that put your consumers first; when users of your product or service feel truly heard and appreciated by your fast-answering customer service team, they will be more likely to remain loyal to your brand. And when customers are loyal, they advocate for your brand online, thus bringing in a whole new market for your product or service.
If you have an interesting plan for a new small business but are having trouble getting started, take into account these important steps that could help ease the stress of putting your best foot forward in the world. Focusing your energy in the right places, like market research, branding and more, will guide you in achieving all of your small business goals and dreams.
