10 Start Up Marketing Tips

This list has been compiled as a result of years of working with business owners who didn't quite lay the right groundwork when they started up, and ended up paying for it later. Sometimes, what seems like a means of saving money actually ends up costing more in the long run. Some of these tips work for all different kinds of businesses, while others are more relevant to consultancies.

1. Always get your logo in multiple file formats.

It will probably cost you extra, but it will save you a whole lot of trauma and expense later. Make sure you receive:

- a high-resolution TIFF file

- a web-ready JPEG

- vector version - preferably Illustrator

- a layered version (PSD)

2. Have a copy-less brochure designed - one that can be run through your laser printer.

You can have a letter or legal-sized brochure created in colour with only your company name and logo, address, and USP (or tag line) plus a nice watermark done in full colour (uncoated, no folds) that allows you to print the copy as you need it. This way you can create custom brochures as you need them, instead of having a thousand copies (or more) of a single brochure that might get changed.

3. Get business cards for all staff - even part-timers.

People love to hand out business cards. Can you find a cheaper advertising method?

4. Invest in blank business card stock.

The same way you can have your brochures printed without any copy on them, you can have your printer set 8.5 x 11 sheets set up for business cards, which you can use for people who are representing your company on a contract basis.

If you are placing anyone at a client site, they should have a business card with your company information.

5. Have an MSWord document template designed, at the same time as your letterhead and other marketing collateral.

Make sure it has a cover page as well. It will be good for proposals, quotes, white papers, specifications, faxes, notices, and so on. You can also use this to generate polished and professional PDFs for your website.

6. If you give presentations, have your own PowerPoint template designed as well.

7. Have your own domain name.

Even when you start with only a one-page placeholder describing your company, make sure it is on your own domain name, unless you are part of an industry association website that clearly states what you do. When I receive email addressed from businessname@LargeInternetServiceProvider.com it really appears as though this person does not understand the Internet, or is too cheap to get his own domain name. A domain name can cost you as little as $7 US for a year, and you may be surprised how inexpensive hosting will cost. Look into it - it will make your business seem more solid.

8. Make sure every employee has an email address at your business domain.

This is one of those peculiar areas, as with business cards, where companies tend to skimp out as though saving a few pennies in server traffic, is worth the cost in professionalism and name placement. There have been many times when I have received an email from someone I don't know, or a message that has been forwarded to me by someone I know, and I have typed in the domain name (the part after the @ sign) out of pure curiosity. It's a perfect opportunity to showcase your company for surprisingly little - and you never know who it is going to reach.

9. Create a standard company email signature.

Everyone working for your company should have a standard email signature attached to every email message that goes out the door - that is those four or five lines that follow all email correspondence. Most email clients have a function that will automatically insert the specified text. Everyone who receives mail from you or your employees and representatives should be given an easy way to find out more information and to contact your company. A standard email signature file might consist of:

[or some way to signify this is the end of the message body]
[Full name of the person sending the mail][, Title optional]
[Company name]
[Phone number]
[Web address]
[Company USP (Unique Selling Proposition or "tag line"]

10. Get training.

Learn how to use your office tools efficiently. If it's not you managing the administrative side of operations, pay to have that person trained. For the investment of a day or two, knowing how to use the software will save many many hours of frustration and lost document.

How is this marketing-related? How do you think it looks or sounds to your client to have to say, "I can't do that," or, "just a minute - I just lost the record."

© 2005 Gisela McKay. Gisela McKay is Chief Technology Officer of pixcode Inc., an Internet Property Management company, with such properties as NaturalHealthcare.ca, CanadaEventsCalendar.ca, and BusinessPartnerships.ca. Gisela works with businesses of all sizes - helping them devise the right online marketing strategy and then matching the technology to the strategy.

---

Marketing With Business Cards

Many businesses today overlook the importance of business cards as... Read More

Effective Marketing

For any business to be successful whether on or offline... Read More

Viral Marketing with a Powerful Twist

What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 5

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth?: Powerful Lessons In Marketing... Read More

Make Your Prospects Say Yes!

6 Secrets to Stellar Sales PresentationsEvery sale is won or... Read More

Connecting With Your Clients

Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with... Read More

Eight Advantages of Fundraising Letters Over Other Methods

1. Personal Fundraising letters are about as personal as you... Read More

10 steps to promote your business

1) Word of mouth is the most cost-effective, powerful form... Read More

Devious and Deceptive Packaging

Have you read anything in the news lately about childhood... Read More

How to Earn the Right

"How to Earn the Right..."Marketing your professional services is a... Read More

Always On Stage - 3 Quick Tips for Trade Show Exhibitors

Do you feel uncomfortable when you're in the trade show... Read More

The Value of a Customer

The Driver of All Marketing EffortsYou need to determine what... Read More

For Ongoing Success, Make Marketing a Habit

Make Marketing a Must, Not a MaybeWhen business is booming,... Read More

Terrific Titles, Happenin Headlines

You've probably heard the slogan, "You never get a second... Read More

What You Must Know When Marketing Your Business

Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who... Read More

Sum of Its Parts

I just spent a week at the beach with my... Read More

Maximize Your Lead Generation Efforts by Recycling Your Leads

The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same... Read More

The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy Available To Small Businesses

Most small business owners want to generate huge profits, with... Read More

How Architecture Rendering is Part of the Impact

Cartoons have gone from celluloid to digital. Movies have gone... Read More

Building Credibility for Your Business

Small companies that rely on business-to-business sales often find it... Read More

The Dare-To-Be-Different In Marketing Checklist

There is a big payoff in being different. When you... Read More

6 Simple Ways to Determine Which Marketing Ideas Are Best for Your Business

Did something catch your eye in a direct mailing this... Read More

Two Steps to Improving Your Marketing Success

Since the human brain seems to be able to focus... Read More

There Are Benefits... And Then There Are Benefits

Not all benefits are created equal. Knowing which ones to... Read More

Finding Your Niche: What Do You Want To Be Known For?

In my experience, there are two kinds of small business... Read More

A Simplified Marketing Plan that Works!

When I started my first business in 1981, I researched... Read More

The Name Game

Pop quiz! If you have to say goodbye to your... Read More

The Silver Bullet For Success: Revealed

Looking for the magic formula or the whiz-bang approach that... Read More

Painless Marketing for People Who Hate to Market

Face it?you know you've got to do something to keep... Read More

Lessons From a Six Year Old

My 6 year old daughter Emily knows exactly what she... Read More

Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From?

The following tips have come from a wide variety of... Read More

Seven Common Marketing Problems Solved by Marketing Operations

Corporate marketing groups - especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments - can... Read More

Database Marketing: Secrets To Skyrocket Your Online Profits Using Database Marketing

What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing... Read More