Starting a business is no easy feat. Pair that with making a new business look legitimate, trustworthy, and professional, and you have a task on your hands.
Building up a brand that looks legit takes a lot of time, which is great if you have time on your side, but many start-up businesses want to get going as fast as possible and make things look as professional as possible from the get-go.
Whether you fall into the former or the latter category, read these tips to help your business get the head start it deserves.
Build a Website
Websites are one of the easiest ways to solidify the legitimacy of your business. But be careful – you cannot just open any old website and expect it to radiate professional vibes. What host you use, how it is designed, and the functions and other aspects of the website will be a real tell as to whether someone will trust your business or not.
You will need to put time and effort into this, possibly hire a professional, and probably pay a monthly subscription for a host that can keep your website up to date and running smoothly. That being said, all of these steps will be worth it for the return of investment you will get from a professional and well-functioning website.
Get an Address
If you are self-employed or working from home, there is a good chance you will not want to be putting out your personal home address for correspondence. Not only can safety be a concern here, but it also looks much better to the outside world when you have a professional address that customers and clients can contact. This is where investing in a virtual office can really benefit your business, as you might not need an actual office space but want to enjoy anonymity and separation from your personal life. You can get yourself a virtual office address to make your business look more professional and help keep your personal life separate.
Create Social Media Accounts
It is true that not every business wants social media accounts, but in these modern technological times, a social media presence could be said to be crucial. Seeing customers interact in real-time with brands offers assurance that not only the company is real, but they also care about customer experience, which is a very important consideration that potential buyers take into account. Your social media accounts will not only want to reflect your brand but should be kept up to date and checked at least once a day to keep on top of requests and questions. This will help buyers be more confident in making a purchase from you even if they have not heard from you before or you have limited reviews.
Order Business Cards
Business cards might seem like an obvious thing to get when starting a business, but just in case you are thinking about forgoing them – don’t.
Word of mouth is still one of the strongest means of gaining new clientele or customers, which is much easier when someone has a card they can just hand over to someone. Likewise, they are great for carrying on your person too. You never know who you are going to strike up a conversation with who might then be interested in what you have to offer. Business cards remove the fumbling for a pen and a bit of paper or any other barriers such as an uncharged phone, and you can simply hand it over and go about your day. This definitely gives a more professional vibe to your business as word of mouth and quick interactions work their magic.
Make Sure Your Content Is High Quality
You can fork out for a high-quality website, but if the content is not up to scratch, then this can essentially let the whole brand down. Your images, blog posts, captions, and pages all need to be immaculate and offer information that a customer would want and need to know.
Low-quality images can really put consumers off, and shoddy content can say, “We do not really care about our company”, which is why it is important that everything is aligned with your brand and for the customer experience.
Pay for a Business Email Address
While it is common for the smaller businesses who are just starting out to opt for a regular personal host for their email, it is far more professional to bite the bullet and pay for a personalized branded business email. This way, customers and clients know exactly who they are emailing, and it ties in nicely with everything else.
