It’s a lot of hard work starting your own business but in today’s dIgital marketplace, it can be easier than ever to connect with clients and partners across the globe. Beyond establishing your niche in the market and drafting the business plan there are a lot of other elements to the business development process. Here are the top three things you need to start designing your business.
1. DESIGNING A LOGO FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Designing a logo for your business is one of the main starting points to building your brand. Whether you want a logo icon or simple wordmark, don’t rush the process. You’ll want to avoid a rebrand in the future so do it right the first time. Don’t underestimate the value of this.
Designing your own logo is more than just choosing a design you think is cool. It should have meaning and significance to your company and your target demographic. Hiring a brand designer is the best way to ensure your logo is strong and serves its purpose.
2. DESIGNING YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE
There are so many easy ways for even the most tech inept entrepreneurs to design their own website. Many of these website platforms have beautiful templates set up that are designed for your specific field.
Whether you’re an actor who needs to showcase their demo reel or an event planner who needs to promote their services — there are templates designed to work for you and your unique business goals. Here are the top three platforms for designing your business website:
SQUARE SPACE
Square Space is a very popular website platform and I’m sure you’ve heard them time and time again on podcast ads. (Next time you do, jot down that promo code.) You can see some of the business templates they offer here.
They offer a variety of different pricing packages all of which look like they include the cost of your domain for free in the first year.
WIX
I have used Wix for my website for the past ten years. What I like about this platform is in addition to having pre-designed templates to start from you can also just click and drag elements onto your page. It’s so easy to use and gives you more freedom when designing your business website without needing to code.
They also have many different pricing options so just be sure you choose the plan that’s right for how you’ll be using your website.
WORDPRESS
While Wordpress is used by many businesses around the word it is not the most intuitive platform to use. If you are hiring someone to manage your website, it can be a great way to create a website that is customized to what you desire. They also have many plug-ins that can benefit your business, should you need them. You can see some of their themes here.
3. CREATE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
Once you have your website set up, you need to set up the appropriate social media channels. Not only is this the easiest way to get your brand in front of people, but it is a great way to redirect people to your website.
Make sure you actually plan to use your social media accounts. The biggest mistake some eager new businesses do is create their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts but neglect them or have very out-dated content.
Ahead of launching your new website, create a back log of content that you can easily post content without needing to scramble for ideas. That way, you’re always at the forefront of people’s newsfeeds. The best way to do this is to buy templates or hire a to graphic designer to create social media templates for you to easily edit or to get you started with a starter social media content package.
Be sure the branding on your social media accounts are consistent with your website and overall messaging. For instance, choose imagery that matches the tone of your brand or stick to content that uses primarily your brand colours. You may be surprised how following these content guidelines can make a visual impact on your social media channels.
Bookmark these great free stock photography resources to help collect photography for your website or social media accounts:
For an extensive list of free and paid for creative resources — from stock images and videos to icons and mockups — check out my creative resources blog.
Also, pay attention to the brands you admire. What are they doing that you like? Do some research and be cognizant of the techniques others are using and try to implement them in ways that may benefit your company.
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