Every year, hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs embark on a quest to launch their own startup business.
Yet every year, hundred of thousands of these startups fail. In fact, it is estimated that 90 percent of startups fail.
Making sure you’re not in this 90 percent often has little to do with your product or service itself. Instead, it often has a lot to do with how you market your business as a whole.
A big piece of successful marketing involves making your business look professional, as this helps you establish trust with consumers.
But how do you do this when you’re just starting out? Read on to learn five ways to make your startup look more professional.
1. Set up an Awesome Website
No matter what industry you’re in, a responsive, well-designed website is key to making your startup appear professional.
Your website doesn’t need to be extra fancy, but you need to do more than just slap your contact info onto a page.
Your website should load quickly, include important information about your business, such as hours of operation and location, be content rich, and be user-friendly. This means people should have no trouble navigating your site to find what they need.
If you aren’t web-savvy, don’t fret. You can always hire a web designer to help you out.
2. Get a Business Phone Number and Email Address
Speaking of displaying important info on your site, you need to make sure you have this important info set up in the first place.
If you’re using your personal phone number and email for your startup, you’re making a huge mistake. Business emails are not only more professional, they’re more secure.
Get an email address that matches your domain name.
And, get a business phone as well. This will help make sure you always respond appropriately to business-related inquiries. You may want to consider a Virtual Office Phone System if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to run your business using your cell phone.
3. Professional Communication
Once you’ve made contact with your target consumer through your professional email or phone number, you need to make sure you live up to their expectations.
This means avoiding using emojis and abbreviations and sticking to professional communication vocabulary only. Before you hit “send” on anything, make sure you double-check for any typos or any unprofessional sounding language.
4. Establish a Social Media Presence
There are a lot of social media platforms out there, but don’t worry, your startup doesn’t need to be on every single one.
Take time to figure out where your target market congregates and start developing a presence on these platforms. Make sure the photos you post to these pages are professionally done, and that you take time to respond to any questions or inquires your audience poses on these sites.
Engaging with customers on social media is a big way to up your overall professional appearance.
5. Invoice Promptly and Set Up a Contract
Appearing professional isn’t just about how you present yourself to consumers, it’s how you present yourself to your employees and freelance workers as well.
Word gets out quickly as to how a startup treats their employees. So, make sure you’re treating yours with respect and professionalism. A big part of this means paying them on time and in the correct amount. Set up a professional invoice system, so you never miss a pay day.
And, before you hire anyone, make sure to set up a contract, so there’s no confusion about expectations later on.
With these five tips in mind, you should be well on your way to giving your startup a professional look!
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