Creating a Big Image For Your Small Business

We have all heard of successful businesses that started out in the garage or at the kitchen table. Many internet businesses can be up and running with no stock and only 1 employee. But anyone running a start-up businesses does not want their customers to know that they are only in the early stages of the business. A well-established business instils more confidence in the buyer, whether they are paying for a service or a physical product and enables better deals to be secured with suppliers.

So just how can you make your small business look more professional and better-established than it really is to attract that all-important first customer?

Well, here are just some ideas to get you started:

Invest in a Professional Domain Name

The name of your business will be with you a long time (hopefully) and should be indicative of the type of image and brand you are trying to build so take your time to think about it carefully. Gone are the days when everyone was trying to get a domain name that had keywords in it (Google wised up to that) so think more about the business's future image. For instance, if you are a setting up a professional accountancy firm the domain best-accountant-london.co.uk does not exactly sound professional; and don't forget alternative spellings such as replacing an i with a y if you can't find exactly the domain you want. Check out any expired domains that may have some page rank and, at the very least, some age to them.

The Importance of your Website

Once you have your business name and domain name secured you will need the actual website. A website is no longer an option – even if you do not sell anything online you will need an online presence. There is no substitute for a professional website to give a fledgling business credibility so it is definitely worth investing time and/or money in this. However, if you are starting out with a very limited budget and do not need an e-commerce site then take a look at some of the themes available for Wordpress and see if you or a friend can put something simple together just to get you started.

Include the essential information such as email contact details, phone number and location (if that is relevant to your business) as well as a bit about the business so that potential clients can find out about you before calling or emailing. And it goes without saying that you should use your domain name for email addresses and never use a free email address. If you intend to be a nationwide business then also consider investing in a non-geographical phone number.

Why You Need Branding

Having the website designed will necessitate thinking about the branding of your small business and definitely require a logo but don't forget about business cards and letterheads – even if no one send letters these days you will at the very least need a letterhead for invoicing people, even if you are sending them by email, so make sure it looks professional. If you have set up the business as a limited company then this will help you include the company details on all correspondence, which is a requirement. Use the thickest card you can afford for the business cards and the thickest paper for anything that will physically be printed out as opposed to being attached to an email.

Whatever stage you are at in setting up your company you could benefit from professional advice from a chartered accountant who help businesses of all sizes right from the start-up stage and also specialise in helping you if you think you might be paying too much tax.

The author has written and published articles on a wide range of topics including Small Business Advice, Tax and Accounting, Interior Design, House Renovation and Project Management.