In recent times, many people have stepped away from working for someone else and have decided to begin a business of their own. Owning and operating your own start-up business is something many people strive for yet many face obstacles along the way. Although the concept may come easily to you, there are many hurdles to jump before success can be achieved. Here are some tips to follow so you can start up your own business and achieve your goals and ultimately your dream business.
Go Where Your Customers Are
While trade shows, social media coverage and other outlets are important; nothing beats face-to-face customer interaction. If you’re using social media and your customers are too, make sure you’re doing it right. Just blasting out information with no interaction is useless.
Be Who You Are
So many businesses don’t see themselves for what they really are or they want to be everything to everyone. But understand that how you see yourself is not necessarily how others see you. Keep it simple and stick to a marketing plan that works for you.
Use Contests and Competitions as Leverage
Use social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to hold a contest for your business. Ask trivia questions, have contests or offer a prize for whoever participates. The winner gets a discount off your services. This way, you have hundreds of people talking about your brand publicly, but you only need to reward one winner. Holding a contest weekly and/or monthly is a great way to build consistent buzz and conversation.
Build a User-Friendly Website
All websites don’t need to be fancy as along as it’s simple and easy to navigate. The goal is to put enough content on the site to get Google to find you easily as well as your customers. Your website should list who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. Also make sure to use a content management system so it is easy to maintain.
Have a Unique Logo
A brand is nothing without a face and a logo is the face of your company. Make sure you get the vector file (Illustrator or EPS file) as part of the final deliverable. If you’ve got design skills yourself, or know a graphic designer that can do it, than it’s worth the investment.