Build credibility for your start-up & gain the clients trust

People trust established brands far more than they do new ones. They are willing to pay more for a product made by a company that has been around for decades as compared to less from a newly established one.

This is why, as a small business, bolstering your brand image and coming across as being more than just a new and inexperienced brand can prove invaluable, helping to attract and retain new customers.

Furthermore, there are legitimate means of achieving these results, without having to blatantly misrepresent your brand.

Below are tips on how to magnify the status of your small business and afford it with a more polished and established feel to your target market:

Create a professional website: First impressions count, and most people are likely to use a search engine such as Google, to find out more about you. If they arrive to a shoddy looking website, they are unlikely to want to do business with you. A professionally created website can make you look like a force to be reckoned with.

Keep your company’s name simple: Something that is difficult to pronounce or spell is also likely to be easily forgotten. People are bombarded with so much advertising and media information that you want to make sure that little things about your brand identity stick and come to mind first.

Create a memorable logo: Most of the world’s most successful brands can be identified by very young children and this is because images – or visual communications – make a bigger impact than text.

Create a logo that has vivid colours, but is still professional looking and suitable for your industry. Ideally, consult with a designer to help convey the main meaning behind your brand into a suitable logo that you approve of.

Get a landline number: Despite mobile phones being the most used form of communication around the world, a landline gives an indication of roots and stability. If you do not have a receptionist to always answer the phone, have an answering machine in place and always make sure you return the calls.

Have a company specific email address: This is very important for looking trustworthy. A Gmail or Hotmail address tends to be very unprofessional for a forward-thinking company. This can send a message that you are not established and possibly not worth the customer’s business.

Your start-up can actually compete with established businesses on many fronts such as being better at adapting to changes and providing personalized services.

However, you need to gain the attention of target customers first and establish a trustworthy appeal in order to secure business both now and in the long term. With a few important considerations you can distinguish your start-up enterprise and convey a brand message of professionalism combined with product and service excellence – putting you on par with your strongest rivals.

Provided you can deliver, you are sure to experience robust growth if you are dedicated to the start-up vision!

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