I recently had the privilege of being part of a panel at the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship’s Speaker Series to discuss marketing for emerging companies. We had some great questions and input from participants, which always makes it more interesting for everyone. Most concurred that as technology changes and it becomes more important to be connected and keyed in to what’s going on, basic branding building blocks still apply. As a startup, it’s very important to invest in your initial branding.
Recently, a startup company followed me on Twitter. I was intrigued by their name but noticed that their icon looked as though it was made in ms paint (and poorly). Sure enough, on their Twitter page the background was also horrible and confusing, and although their Twitter bio was filled out, it was not clear what they did, and there was no website url to find out more about what they actually do (or propose to do). Understandably, as a startup they don’t yet have money for branding however, the company is essentially marketing themselves by following people on Twitter and asking for funding without having a clear concept of who they are and what they do. For startup companies, initial branding is an absolute necessity. This company would have done far better to have a simple type treatment and clear explanation of their service. If, as a startup, you start marketing yourself prior to branding (or badly branding yourself) you could be sending the wrong message and may leave your target audience with a negative connotation before you’re even on your feet.
Define Who You Are. For startups with minimal brand awareness, it’s essential to define yourself clearly. This sounds easy, but it’s not always. I continue to be amazed at how many potential client sites I visit that don’t clearly define what they do right on their home page. Don’t make your potential customers have to search for this information. Make what you do and how you help (basically your positioning and reassurance statement) brief and clear. And then be sure to use it consistently and reinforce it throughout your site and other messaging. We’ve written complete blog posts on crafting your positioning statement–this is key. Be able to define what you do and how you help (what problem you solve) in 12 seconds or less and then of course, be able to elaborate. Avoid jargon, use simpler words whenever possible. Trying to sound fancy, smarter or important can actually work against you.
Know Your Audience. As a startup business, understanding who your audience is isn’t just useful for crafting the right message, but it’s useful in spending your time and resources wisely. If you have nailed down your top three “personas,” then you already know where they hang out, what they read, how they spend their time on the internet, and you can be in those specific places, not wasting time or resources on casting a wide net.
Differentiate. Okay, this one seems obvious, but you’re probably not really doing it. Look at your home page or your points of differentiation. . . now replace your company name with your competitor’s as you read through the copy. If the claims don’t make sense with your competitor’s name in there, good for you. You may have a fighting chance. But differentiators like 24/7 service, highest quality attention to detail, just don’t cut it. We need to see proprietary, unique processes, a complete niche market, or completely unique service offering. Make us want to pay attention. As a new business, startups need to work especially hard to differentiate themselves to stay ahead of the competition.
Tell the Truth. Your truth — sound like yourself. If you are passionate about what you are doing and have done the job of differentiating, there are stories to tell around that. Get your audience excited about your story and how it relates to them. Stop trying to sell, and tell how you solved some of your customer’s problems, or tell how you’ve sourced a completely different ingredient for your product and how it’s benefiting a large cause, or tell how one side idea blossomed into the most popular and effective service offering you have. And then have some of your clients tell the story (and spread the word). But first, the story has to come from the top down and then be claimed by others. Don’t try to sound or look “sleek, corporate business-suit like” if you are “quirky, fun, casual and creative.” Let those who are like you or who can appreciate that uniqueness see it in your site, brand messaging and social media savvy types.
Craft a Strong Graphic Identity. You may have the best service in the world, but if your visual identity (logo, colors, fonts, white space, navigation, overall website) is sloppy, hard to read, busy, nonprofessional or “missing,” you may not get a chance to tell your story. Invest in a great logo and business card. Have, at least, an incredible home page that’s clean and features your positioning and reassurance statement (maybe that’s all it features), and some great design. Type-only can be beautiful. Images can be beautiful, too, but it’s far more important to be clean and easy to use, allowing visitors to immediately have a sense of who you are, how you help and what you stand for.
–– Wendy Baird, principal and president
