You’ve just launched your new start up and you can’t wait to hit the ground running. But before you can start putting the cogs in motion, it’s essential that you consider a strategy to develop brand management and in turn, your overall online efforts. Here are a few simple tips to help you get started and inspired.
Decide on a budget 
Budget is one of the first aspects to think about for start-ups. Things to consider are revenue forecasts, operational costs, your goals and how realistic they are with the money you have available. Remember, you can always add to your budget as your business grows or allocate money to other marketing efforts.
Choose the right social media channels for your business
As a new kid on the block, it can be tempting to just go full speed ahead and set up social media pages on every channel going. Trust us when we say this is not a good use of your time. Instead, think about which social channels your audience will be using and tailor your efforts accordingly.
Make an assessment of how each platform allows you to share your name and reputation – if you’re providing a service like painting and decorating, you might want to think about platforms that easily allow customers to leave reviews. Meanwhile, if you’re a product-based company, a platform like Instagram has the tools to help you present your product photos in a smart way and seek out influencers who can help you spread the love.
To elaborate a little more on this subject, in 2020, 44% of 18-24-year-olds were regular Twitter users, whilst 76% of this age group used Facebook. With this in mind, if you’re a graduate recruitment agency, you’ll want to focus more efforts on your Facebook campaign than towards Twitter, as that’s where your demographic lies. Make sure you’re checking these types of statistics regularly, allowing you to review and grow your social media strategy.
Test your keyword strategy before committing to a long-term SEO strategy
SEO requires patience from businesses, as it can take several months before efforts begin to offer a ROI. Though organic keywords are mostly hidden for privacy reasons, there is no restriction when it comes to paid search terms. This means you’re able to check out which keywords convert and at what cost and percentage. You can then use your PPC keyword data to inform your SEO and content marketing strategy.
If you’re new to the world of PPC advertising, there are courses that can help you gain an understanding. Even if you’re outsourcing your PPC to a marketing agency, it’s wise to have a basic understanding of how Google Ads works and how to interpret the data your chosen agency presents you with, as it will save you on budget and time.
Remember that SEO & content marketing go hand in hand
It’s easy to overlook the fact that SEO and content marketing are two entities that should be working together. Plan out how you are going to harness the use of SEO to make your content visible; tips to remember here are to write your content with SEO in mind.
However, this doesn’t mean stuffing your content with keywords at every possible opportunity – it’s all about understanding how search engines catalog content. Make sure you’re breaking your content down into individual topic areas to help Google filter it effectively. A second tip is to use the power of video, as you’re 53% more likely to land on the first page of Google by doing so. Make sure you’re using HTML5 when embedding videos to ensure they’re supported by all browsers.
Make sure you’ve got branding uniformity
The idea of having ubiquitous branding is an age-old one, but you’d be surprised how many brands don’t think this applies to them. No matter what industry you’re in, fonts, colours, and layouts matter, helping potential customers make a subconscious calculation of what you represent as a brand.
Hiring some brand management support during the early days of your business is essential, as it allows you to get a professional, objective eye. An effective brand management team can help you develop language and visuals indicative of who you are to your audience and continue to work with you to help evolve in the mercurial world of marketing.
Before hiring support, it’s a good move to begin collating a series of keywords and phrases that will lead the way for the rest of your site copy and that best represent you as a company. 86% of consumers say that authenticity is a deciding factor when considering which brands they wish to support – think about how this type of revelation might inform your copy and strap lines. Finally, make sure you’re maintaining good brand management by scheduling regular reviews to check what your competitors are up to and to realign your strategy where necessary.
We wish you the best of luck with your new start-up!
