Branding is key for any new business

When you’re starting a business from scratch, the amount of admin you have to sort out can be a little overwhelming, and it’s easy to put all of that aside and just try to focus on making your first sale. Of course, sales are vital for any business, particularly in the early days, but it is important to at least get your brand established right from the very beginning.

Starting a new business

Starting a business is something I’ve written about a lot in the past. Many people first start their business as a side hustle alongside their existing job. This is a great way to get started without throwing all your eggs into one basket. New businesses take a while to get going, so it’s always a good idea to have another income to fall back on, particularly in the early days.

With every new business, sales and making money are inevitably at the front of the mind, but the early days are a key time to get some of the administrative things established too.

Key things to establish early on

Image

Believe it or not, your business image is one of the very first things that you should get established. You need to make sure that your branding looks professional and suits the industry you’re entering into. Think about it, branding for a childcare business will need to be very different from branding for a welding company. Spend some time thinking about your target market and what will appeal to them. Will they be attracted by bright colours or are they more likely to be looking for a clean-cut professional image?

Company Logo

One of the key parts of your whole branding will be your company logo. It’s important to get this right so that customers begin to recognise your logo when they see it. Take a look at how Retro Vixen have absolutely nailed their branding with a logo that immediately tells you’re they are all about the retro vibe. You need to spend some time thinking about your logo font. If you opt for a calligraphy font, make sure that people can actually read what it says. Swirly fonts can look lovely, but they’re pointless if they’re not legible. Creating your logo doesn’t need to cost a penny either, you can use a free font and still get a highly professional logo.

Spend some time thinking about your brand colour scheme. It’s a good idea to choose three or four colours that you can use across your logo, website, and any media you create, so that you create consistency right from the very beginning. There are lots of free websites you can use to help to create brand colours really quickly and easily, so this doesn’t need to be a long drawn out task.

Advertising

Once you have your company branding sorted out, then it’s time to think about advertising. It’s always a good idea to have a website, no matter what your business will be doing. An online presence is really important these days. You should also think about where your ideal client is likely to find you. Will they spend time on Facebook? If so, then create a Facebook page for your business and post regularly. Share your page and any offers you have in local Facebook groups. This doesn’t need to cost a penny but it is a really great way of getting your business out there in front of people who are likely to use you.

*This is a collaborative post.