5 Essential Steps to Marketing Your Startup

Building an engaging brand and marketing it to the public is hard work — but it’s worth the effort. A recognizable brand will help you build trust with your audience and increase your business’s revenue. Here are five tools that will help you brand and market your business.

Launch a website

If you want to grow your brand online, then you’re going to need to have a website. For most customers, your website will be their first introduction to your brand. It will give them an immediate sense of your company’s brand and personality.

When it comes to building a website, most people focus almost exclusively on the design. While this is important, the functionality of your website matters just as much, if not more.

Here are a few questions you can consider about the functionality of your website:

• How long does it take your website to load?
• Is your website mobile-optimized?
• Is your website easy to navigate?
• Can customers find what they need quickly?

If you have the money, you can hire a designer to do your website for you. But if you’re not ready for that kind of investment, you can build a website on your own. Platforms like WordPress make it easy to create and customize websites by using pre-made templates.

[Read more: A Complete Guide to Building a Business Website]

Develop a logo

Think of some of the biggest brands in the world. You would probably instantly recognize their logo anywhere. 94% of people worldwide recognize the Coca-Cola logo immediately.

When you’re coming up with a logo, it’s a good idea to keep it as simple as possible. Many people want to get creative with their logo or try to be clever, but this will likely just confuse your audience.

Keep your logo simple and to the point. When customers look at it, they should immediately understand what your brand is and what you have to offer.

Design consistent graphics

Did you know that color can improve brand recognition by up to 80%? This demonstrates the power of using graphics on your website and in your content marketing.

You likely already have some kind of design on your website and logo. Now you can create customized graphics for your blog posts, social media channels and any other places where you interact with customers.

You don’t have to pay a lot of money to a graphic designer to create graphics for you. It’s easy to use a low-cost option like Canva to start creating graphics right away. You can use a free template to get started.

Just make sure that you stick to a cohesive theme on all of your graphics, like using the same basic color palette and fonts. That way, your audience will begin to associate those design elements with your business.

Create content

A big part of building a brand is creating relevant content for your audience. After all, 82% of customers say they feel more positively about a brand after reading that company’s content. And 61% of customers are more likely to purchase from a business that regularly creates content.

There are many different ways you can begin creating content for your audience. One of the simplest ways to get started is by sharing blog posts on your company’s website.

If you’re writing and sharing blog posts about topics that are relevant to your audience and customers, this is going to help build your brand identity. Plus, blogging is a great way to improve your SEO and increase organic traffic to your website.

There are also many other ways to create content for your audience. Podcasts, videos, and infographics are also great options for ways to engage your audience and build your brand.

[Read more: A Beginner’s Guide to SEO]

Connect on social media

Social media is one of the best ways to build your company’s brand online, allowing your customers to connect with your company on a more personal level.

Make sure you only share content that is relevant to your audience and that they’ll find useful. And make sure you’re constantly interacting with your audience. If someone comments a blog post you shared, then you should respond right away and engage with that person.

And use your social media channels as an opportunity to build a relationship with your current customers. You can do this by promoting giveaways, discounts and the occasional “behind-the-scenes” glimpse at your business.

[Read more: Branding at Every Stage of Business Growth]

CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.

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