Running a small business can prove challenging, especially when you are trying to compete with big companies that have been in the same industry for several years.
However, competing with other businesses is all part of being an entrepreneur.
With most governments encouraging people to start a company to help create jobs, it’s becoming easier to build a business.
Professionalism is of vital importance in the business world. If you need a loan for your startup, lenders will only lend money to companies they feel will succeed. Being professional will show that you are serious about taking on the challenge, and it might give banks the confidence that you will be able to repay the money you have borrowed.
Most consumers will only pay for products and services with companies that appear professional. Even if you have the best products on the market, you’ll find it hard to sell them unless they look like the real deal. This is why top companies spend a fortune on labeling and marketing their products.
So, how can you make your products, services, and overall business stand out?
1. Build a Professional Website
There is no point in building a website that doesn’t look good. It is estimated that eighty seven percent of the developed world has access to high speed internet, and if thousands of people stumble onto your website, you can’t expect them to stay engaged with your company’s landing page if it doesn’t look professional.
Although you can hire a reputable web designer to develop your business’s website for you, you should consider creating and maintaining the site yourself. There are lots of different affordable website building platforms out there. These easy to use website builders are designed to help people create websites without having to code. You will be able to make changes on a smart device rather than a computer, so even if you are away from your place of work, you should have no problems updating the site from a remote location.
A website can be used to attract potential customers, but if visitors struggle to navigate through each page on the site, you can expect them to go to your competitors’ site shortly after.
Where your site is ranked on major search engines will play an important role on how many organic visitors your site will get. The higher the site is ranked by well-known search engines like Google, the more visitors you will get. If visitors click out of your site’s landing page shortly after accessing it, it will damage your ranking.
2. Use Customized Labels to Advertise Your Products
Labels are often used by small and large businesses to display vital information about the products they have for sale. Most clothing manufacturers use hang tags to show the size of the item, where it was made, how much it costs, and the material used. By adding the company’s logo on the tag, it can help promote their products.
However, clothing manufacturers are not the only ones who can benefit from using customized labels. Beer, alcohol and wine makers often place a hang tag around the neck of the bottle to display important information.
If you want to bring your company to the next level, consider making your own customized labels. You can use swing tags, hang tags, woven labels, to help promote your products. Even if the product comes in a generic box or bottle, a tag can make a big difference. There are several companies like the Dutch Label Shop that help small businesses customize and create exciting labels.
3. Choose Your Domain Name and Email Address Wisely
Try to think of a website address for your business that is quick and memorable. If you have created an account with a website builder, they might have offered you a web address free of charge. The URL might be something like www.yourcomanyname.weebly.com. Although it won’t cost your business a penny, it won’t look great either.
The price of registering a unique website address won’t cost you a lot of money, and neither will a hosting package. In fact, you don’t even need to pay for a hosting package if you already have a website. Instead, you can register a domain and forward the website to your new URL.
Avoid using your personal email address in business. Email addresses like info@yourcompanyname.com look a lot better than personal email addresses like tom.fox1943@hotmail.com. If you want people to take your business seriously, then a unique email address is needed. Plus, you will want to separate work emails from personal ones.
4. Get a Reputable Advertising Company to Make Business Cards for Your Company
Networking with people and making contacts is how most businesses succeed. Hire a well-known advertising agency that can make professional business cards. You should be proud of your company’s business cards, so you should organize a meeting with the advertising company to look at the different styles, materials and templates available.
It might be tempting to print off a few business cards you have made yourself on a home printer, but if they appear flimsy, the cards will reflect badly on your business.
5. Create Social Media Accounts for Your Business
Of course you can advertise your company on your personal social media accounts, but you should make specific accounts for your company too. However, there is no point in creating a new business account if you are not going to update it regularly.
Don’t forget to engage with your followers, especially if they are asking for more information about your company. If you fail to reply to messages, or you don’t follow up on comments, potential customers will feel like you don’t appreciate them. Most modern businesses are using social media platforms to their advantage, so don’t miss out.
Consider hiring a professional photographer or an experienced videographer to take photographs and videos of your products and services. Upload this exciting content to your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account gradually. Consider uploading fresh content to your page once a week to keep your followers up to date on what is going on with your business.
6. Dress to Impress
If you meet with people in business face to face, you will want to look the part. Consider investing in uniforms for both you and your employees. If you are going from business to business, you might want to wear a nice suit.
If you want to go the extra mile, why not get things like umbrellas, hats and rain coats with your company’s label printed on them? If you have a traditional store, you and your employees might not feel comfortable wearing a suit everyday, so an embroidered polo shirt should do the trick.
Conclusion
It is important to remain consistent in business. Each time you meet with potential customers or other professional people in business, you will want to act in a professional manner and look your best.
Maintaining a positive attitude is easier said than done, but it will impact the people around you. Stay focused, and encourage others working for you to do the same. Explain clearer to your team the type of attire you expect them to wear, and don’t forget to lead by example.
Read more:
6 Simple Ways to Make Your Small Business look More Professional