Once you’ve done the leg work acquiring your materials, your space to work, and a concept for your business, you’ll need to promote your new company. As you get your name out there and draw in potential clientele, you will want your company to become known and recognizable. Using ways to make your small business look more professional will help you build your following.
Phone
First, dedicate a phone number to your business. Consider having a landline with voicemail installed or getting a separate phone. You may think it will be fine to just use your own mobile phone, but there are a couple of issues with that:
- You may struggle to differentiate between business and personal incoming calls.
- You can’t ever be away from the business.
- You can’t have other people answer the phone as you grow because it’s your phone, so you’d have to forward calls.
- If you decide to change later, it will confuse customers who use the original number.
- Anything you print the number on will become invalid if you change it later.
Though you may have the business address listed as your home or a small office, as you grow, that will change too. Instead, open a post office box to receive your business mail. Having a dedicated place for work-related mail allows you to keep the business separate from everything else and lessens your chance of losing or missing important postage.
You will want to set up a business email as soon as you begin. For the same reasoning as getting the P.O. box, you want the incoming information to stay separate from everything else. Later, you can also have your first email forward into a more official one as you grow. Make the address as basic and straightforward as possible.
Website
Setting up a website is easier than you think. Whether you use a template site or employ someone to build it out for you, the site should be live before you begin doing business. Many people use the internet to make their transactions—so, not offering that option will keep you from a whole stream of revenue that you’ll need. The more accessible your goods or services, the better.
Promoting
You can promote your venture in many ways. It can start with the website and creating strong social media presences across various platforms. However, having business cards printed with the company name and logo can help you make connections and establish networking opportunities. You’ll also want to personalize apparel to give a more unified and professional appearance for those who work for you. There are many advantages to custom embroidery; for instance, you can have your logo and name put on any hats, shirts, jackets, and more.
Make sure you utilize these ways to make your small business look more professional. If people don’t trust your company, they likely won’t become invested or give you a try. Try to establish rules and protocols for those who work with you. Additionally, post a meaningful “about us” and mission statement on your site as soon as you can. Customers like to feel connected to the businesses they buy from.
