Alastair Turner explains how start-ups can make themselves heard in a crowded marketplace, the advantages they have over more established businesses and why creating a strong brand as soon as possible is the foundation for communications success
Many aspire to be an entrepreneur and see their dream become a reality while taking a healthy slice of profit home with them. But the primary reason most people don’t realise this dream is because it’s a huge challenge to actually start a business from scratch.
Investing large sums of money on fresh ideas, innovative products and services can be a daunting task and, even if your company is already successful, maintaining success and sustaining growth is another thing entirely.
It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest product in the world, unless the public is aware of it and understands its benefits, growing your customer base will prove difficult.
Start-ups in particular find communicating the workings of their unique selling point a struggle when there is little budget for communications and the business does not have an established relationship with the press or know how to start one.
However, there are steps that any start-up can take to ensure it’s on the right track from the off.
Your brand should be more than an eye-catching logo and witty tagline. Every line you write about your company should be inspired by your brand, your messaging and your company values.
Start-ups usually have a great origin story, having spotted a gap in the market or solved a familiar problem with a new idea.
During the formative years, it is crucial to identify the elements of this origin story to resonate with your target audience. This is the opportunity for you to crystalise exactly what your company is about and develop an engaging story that communicates a clear message.
Once the company message is determined, the next step is finding a representative in the company who can speak on its behalf.
Choose someone with a sound knowledge of the product or service you are offering, but who can also speak with passion and clarity.
Whether you’re a bright-eyed grad with a killer app or the CEO of international conglomerate, you will struggle to make your voice heard if your business doesn’t have a great website.
Anyone who writes about you online or any news on the web should backlink to your website. It should showcase your skills and experience, while keeping fresh with a regular stream of new content.
Crucially, it must accurately reflect your voice and your messaging. Whether generating content for a journalist, your website, or a blog, you should ensure your messaging is written in an inspiring and engaging manner.
To do this, it is essential to know where your company fits with industry trends and you should be happy to comment on developments in the market you are in.
Even if you haven’t created a full by-lined article, the ability to respond to breaking news quickly is a great way of catching a journalists attention and is a low-cost means of demonstrating thought leadership.
Finally, it is important to recognise that PR and social media are no longer two separate approaches. Any content generated should simultaneously be fed through social media channels to increase exposure.
This can also help strengthen relationships with journalists, who will appreciate the promotion or publication of their work
Building a recognisable brand is a slow process, however, by ensuring that your companys messaging is strong, your story is interesting and that you stay competitive, your relationships with both your customers and journalists will blossom.
And as your media profile grows, so will your sales figures.