There’s no reason why for your startup to not get its online branding in place before the startup funds are even gone. When you present your business plan, it is essential to ensure that your website presence is created. This is a sign of the seriousness of your plan and will also frame your plan not only in words, but in a space which people can imagine. The initial step to conduct a thorough research about a product or company is online and Google. You must prepare yourself for this and be prepared.
This is a plan of how you can complete your online branding before being financially backed, and ways to create it appear very professional , with very little graphic design or web design expertise and, more importantly… using only a small cost. If I say very little, I’m talking about under $100 dollars. It takes some time and effort, however it is doable.. Here’s how to begin.
LOGO
Your business needs an identity. If it’s its name, business or an entirely different style, you require something easy to read and draws the attention of people. We created our logo on paper, then took the logo with us to Fedex/Kinkos and for a few dollars, they designed the look and feel of the logo and provided me with an CD that contained a few variants.
WEBSITE
After reviewing the various free websites designs, we discovered that we enjoyed Wix.com the most. It’s extremely simple to use and you don’t have to be a graphic design professor or have any experience with HTML code to build an extremely professional website. One tip we’ll offer is that we believe it is to stay clear of their flash-based websites. The site we created was built using HTML5 and there are a many templates that are created using this method. Apple products aren’t compatible with flash, so much of people using iPads and iPhones won’t be able view your website in all its beauty. This design requires the greatest amount of time because you have to do it right. We spent between 20 and 30 hours to design our website. It is important to ensure that your vision, brand, and theme are defined here. Whatever you do after the layout of your website and other online channels should be in line with or complement the mainstay website, which is your website. Our website is the model for our branding. The process of creating the website is cost-free. to get a URL, and then to make it live costs around 30 dollars. After that , the cost is between 20 and 30 dollars per monthly for hosting.
FACEBOOOK
The next step was to create the Facebook profile. We made use of our logo and photos taken from our site to link it all together. It’s free, of course. Be sure to complete the verification process to obtain a most professional URL. The first thing you are able to write about is your site. This is a good opportunity to begin linking to both. Don’t be concerned about your LIKES at this point. It’s important to ensure that you’ve taken the time to get it set up properly. You can invite your family and friends to”Like” your new site however don’t be concerned about that number now.
COMPANY BLOG
This section of your online portfolio is a lot of time and consideration. Your blog must tell the world about your business and what you do, how you differentfrom other companies, and what interesting events are happening within your field. While it’s fine to publish something you have found on the internet at times but your blog must be primarily original. People are eager to talk to you, particularly when they’re curious about the things you have to say. Don’t let that be a downer by being lazy and posting only things that you come across on the internet. There is sites such as Reddit.com for more information. I try to update every week at least once on our blog for the company. The most enjoyable part is getting other people in the company to participate so that it doesn’t become an unwelcome “chore”. Create a team effort. It is possible to start an blog online for free on numerous websites.
PREZI/YOUTUBE
Something we’ve done that I think has greatly enhanced our online reputation was to utilize Prezi. If you’re not familiar with Prezi then you need to be changed, particularly when you’re a small-sized business owner. Prezi is the kind of presentation PowerPoint would like to become when it was a teenager. It’s a fantastic cloud-based (no downloading) PowerPoint format which lets us not just make slideshows for marketing, products presentations or training guides, but also it also allows us to upload the presentations on YouTube. This has enabled us to create videos for our website as well as for people who wish to learn more about us and our business. Prezi isn’t the ability to create the YouTube video, but all you have to do is download a free screen recording software. Start Prezi Prezi during the time that your screen is recorded and you’ll have a fantastic marketing video for almost zero! Prezi lets you make three videos for no cost, but you must to sign up. It’s about three dollars a month to have the capability to create more Prezis than you’ll ever create.
Small-scale business owners must demonstrate a bit of imagination and creativity. This is a way to stand out and to make use of your imagination and display your creativity at virtually free!
LinkedIn can be described as the Facebook for business. If you are a small business owner trying to establish a business, LinkedIn is a must. The majority of business professionals already have an understanding of LinkedIn therefore we won’t overstate its importance. What you must do is place your soon-to-be business on LinkedIn and also. It’s also important that it’s an expansion of the brand or website. The same logo and themes should be replicated. LinkedIn is an awesome platform because it lets you breakdown your offerings and services and provide the company’s overview.
The Twitter account is your voice for the soon-to-be start-up. Twitter is a free service that is well-known to the masses. You can also dress it up with your company’s logo and photos. Do not worry about gaining followers this is something you can do after the the official launch of your company. The most important thing to do now is ensure that you’re up to speed, understand how to use twitter and begin having fun posting to groups that share your interests or to a potential client base.
EZINEARTICLES
EzineArticles is a site for free which allows you to “publish” original work online. We sort of ham and egg this on our blog. It’s an additional way to spread your message at no cost. All you need is the time and effort to create.
TIE IT ALL UP
We now have a Facebook account, LinkedIn site, beautiful videos we’ve added to the website’s YouTube and also a twitter account. All this is on top of all your writing work completed with the blog you wrote and your article. The various channels have the same look, and complement one another and appear professional.
It is important to link the two to each other. If you share something to Facebook the Twitter page, and LinkedIn page should follow suit. If you’ve published a brand new blog post, your Facebook and Twitter pages should be shouting it out. You’ll get the idea.
SAVE One
It’s a great idea save one of the most photography-focused online marketing channels (like Pintrest or Instagram) in case you are funded. Make a full campaign of the journey of your startup through images. Make use of all the other channels to help with this campaign. This is a great method to begin building your network and get your name noticed at a affordable costs.
COST
Logo Design $20-30
Website Design Price: $0
Website URL: $10
Hosting for websites is $20-30 per month.
Facebook $0
Blog $0
EzineArticles $0
Twitter $0
Prezi $0 for the initial 3 days, then $4 per month
Startup campaign on Instagram Zero
It’s not any funds to start this. It is essential to get the entire online brand completed prior to making pitches to anyone who wants startup cash. Once you’ve gotten involved, it’s difficult to stop! It’s an act of love. It’s something that is never finished with , but constantly changing as you evolve and try to improve.
Following your business plan, this is the next crucial element of your plan that must be completed before you can begin looking for financing. After you have been funded, you are able to move on to more complicated web technology. We’re fortunate enough that we are in the stage in the present, but I’ll never forget the joy and joy I had in creating our first platform for all the world to see!