1. Beautiful and Bold Branding
You have your business name and are now thinking about a logo. That’s great, but good branding is much more than a logo. Branding is the way you position your company for the world to see. Without a strong brand, you’ll fall flat. From the branding process, you should walk away with your:
- Brand Identity – Logo, Colors, Typography, and Design Style
- Brand Messaging – Voice, Values, Promise, and Targeting
An added bonus would be having a Brand Guide encompassing everything you created to help drive major marketing decisions moving forward.
2. A Website with Form and Function
Gone are the days of DIY websites. While it may seem like a good idea at the time, your business deserves a website that looks beautiful and functions for the end user. If you have a website that is lacking in one or the other – or, perhaps, no website at all – you instantly lose credibility with potential customers. A well-rounded website with design, functionality, and quality content should be at the top of your list as a new business.
Pro Top: Having a website that is easily editable has become a priority for clients over the years. If that’s a need, working with a team who can make that happen is important. Take time to vet your potential partners and ask questions like this early on.
3. Brand-Boosting Business Collateral
Your brand and business are in place, but how will you get the word out there? We love a good word-of-mouth moment, but let’s face it, you will have to do some leg work. Let your business collateral do that for you. These assets make all the difference in establishing a legitimate business:
- Business Cards
- Email Signatures
- Brochures
- Stationary
- Social Cover Photos
- And more!
4. Strong Searchability
No, we’re not talking about search engine optimization, well, not yet. While you should expect your website to be built with strong SEO, especially if you work with a developer, it can take up to six months for search engines to crawl your site and put you in the rankings. So, do you wait six months to run your business? No. You find other ways to be searchable. Complete Business Listings, like Google My Business, and a robust social media presence can help you become searchable.
5. Reliable and Trustworthy Reviews
One of the most essential things any credible business has is reviews. This is called social proof, i.e., content that develops trust. Google Reviews, Yelp, Facebook, etc., are all great avenues for review capturing. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a roster of clients ready to leave a review if asked, but maybe you don’t, and that’s okay too. As you build your clientele, consider creative ways to ask for reviews. If your service is top-notch, your clients should have no problem leaving positive reviews.
Bonus: Use your reviews as testimonials on your website!
