Our Work.Creative Marketing: Startup 101.

It’s often difficult to know where to begin when opening your own business. There’s so much to think about, from product development to financial implications, yet often the most difficult part is taking the product to market and tapping into the consumer mindset. Below are some tips for hitting the ground running with a simple yet effective marketing communication strategy.

Understand the Customer

Arguably the most important part of starting a business from scratch is understanding the target consumer. Though the target consumer should be considered throughout the product development process, it is also important to maintain consumer awareness when taking the product to market. Consider how consumers are most likely to engage with the product and share their thoughts about the product/brand via word of mouth. After all, personal recommendation is often more credible, and therefore valuable, to a startup business model.

Think about the age of your target consumer. Which channels are they most likely to view and interact with everyday? Do they read the newspaper in bed every morning before they start the day? Have they switched from paper to digital publications? Do they look to social media for the latest news at their own convenience? You must understand exactly how your product will fit within and around the consumer lifestyle in order to employ communication strategies which work. Don’t neglect the small, trivial things – utilise them.

Smart Branding

Branding is the first thing the consumer is going to see when being introduced to your brand.

Make an impact.

Shape arrangement is hugely beneficial when capturing attention, yet it can be both a simple and effective way to generate interest in your product and brand. It’s also important to remember that branding becomes a reference point and should remain consistent across all product/service extensions in order to appear credible.

Slogans are a simple yet effective awareness generation tactic. Think Tesco, “Every Little Helps’ or McDonald’s, “I’m lovin’ it”. Both are relatively simple, short phrases that are relevant and relatable to the brand, product and values, in turn making it more memorable. Consider how you would sum up your brand in 3 to 5 words, then play with the sentence structure and alternative wording until you find something which directly resonates with your brand and says exactly what you want it to.

Set Achievable Goals

Realistically, which milestones would you want your business to have reached in 5, 10 or even 20 years? Significant product development? Increased consumer reach? National recognition? International recognition? Consider which milestones are most reachable and aim for those first – don’t try to run before you can walk! Make goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound in order to keep you on track to meet them.

Employ a Design Agency 

If none of the above are achievable, why not get in touch with us! We can help with every stage of the process, from product and brand design to taking your product to market. Give us a call today.