Marketing Essentials: A Checklist for Start-ups | Sign Foundry
July 1st, 2019Marketing is a hugely important element to factor into any entrepreneurial venture. A good marketing strategy can give you the push necessary to hit the ground running in todays market. In this blog, we check of some marketing essentials that all start-ups should implement from the get go. Whether you need a brand identity, exterior signage, or anything in between, read on to make sure you’ve checked everything off!
Build Your Brand Identity
If you don’t start here, there’s no way your business is going to be able to have a cohesive plan of attack going forward. A brand identity compresses the who, what, when, where and why of your business, into something that is memorable for customers.
Start with a mission statement: What do you want to achieve with this venture? Then think of all the core values you want to associate with this. An identity should include research undertaken about your target audience and prove a need for what you are offering them.
The brand identity is an excellent reference to look back to every time you want to create a piece of marketing collateral, or an advertising campaign. It should influence everything you put out into the world, from your brand name and logo, to each and every piece of signage you create. It holds everything that is at the core of your brand, and so is vital for implementing consistency right from the get-go.
Get Amongst the Digital Sphere
Now that you have a brand identity, the next important thing for you to do is to use it to translate your brand into the digital sphere. Most importantly, get a website before your domain gets taken, and sign up for all the relevant social media platforms. Digital is incredibly important for marketing on any platform because it allows your customers to have a source after seeing your marketing to learn more about your brand.
The internet is a key tool to allow your customers to connect with you, so remember to check for any messages and stay active on social media.
Be Discoverable
Now that you have all the setups in place, it’s time to put yourself out there. There are many ways start-ups can use marketing to get themselves discovered, so get creative! It’s all about gaining brand awareness from as many people as possible. If you have a shopfront, factory, or any property at all, learn the value in exterior signage for gaining brand awareness from the hundreds of people who walk past your business on a daily basis.
If you have a company vehicle, use this to your advantage and get discovered with vehicle signage. A bold, creatively branded vehicle is always bound to turn heads, and if you drive it during rush hour, imagine how many commuters you can engage.
Engage Your Audience
In order to stay in people’s minds for longer, you’ve next got to find a way to get them interacting with your brand. Engaging content is powerful, sometimes the best campaigns are the ones that get the audience involved. This can be through a giveaway or competition, or simply by adding an element to your campaign that will stick in their brain – like asking a powerful question.
Get Involved with the Community
Getting involved with events and community activities that align with your brand values is an excellent way to get your brand out there to the right people. Depending on what type of brand you have, look for local markets, trade shows, conferences, festivals or other events that you could partner with and be able to showcase your brand to all its attendees.
Once you find the right event, having the perfect event signage is key. Make sure the style of your signage reflects your brand: if your start up is tech related, you’re probably going to want to have some awesome digital displays. If you are an eco-friendly initiative, consider a green approach and try to find ways around using paper or plastic. Whatever you choose, make sure you go big and bold to make sure you stand out!
Use events as a great opportunity to get up close and personal with your audience. You can talk to potential customers face to face, give them physical fliers or business cards that they can remember you by, and even share samples of your product to get them seriously converted.
Talk to the Signage Experts
Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a big corporate business, Sign Foundry have the signage solutions for you. We can help your business to design signage that suits your brand, and implement high quality solutions for both interior and exterior signage.
If you’re looking to use signage as a marketing strategy for your business, talk to us today.