There are various startups emerging on a daily basis, all with the same goal of becoming established and having a respectable reputation.
What sets startups apart from each other is the level of professionalism they convey, which can be through a variety of ways.
This post will take you through some quick fixes you can implement to appear more professional to the corporate world, and set you apart from your competition.
Get your site professionally designed
There is no space in 2023 for a poorly made website, especially when the resources to prevent that are within reach everywhere you turn.
A professional can be found easily on freelancing sites like Fiverr, and you can also invest in one and hire them in-house.
If you feel like you’ve got an eye for design, you can always choose a WordPress theme and start designing your website based on that.
This is an in-expensive solution which can also easily be integrated if you source your domain from a domain broker site like GoDaddy, for instance.
Get a dedicated company number
Picture this, you’re a manager from a company looking for a marketing company to collaborate with. You’ve checked out their site and everything looks great, their portfolio is impressive and you’ve filled out a form for them to contact you.
Everything’s going great until… they call you from an 079 number. This little detail may seem small initially, but in the long-run, without an official company phone number, it can be really difficult to appear legitimate.
Getting a company phone number is not that hard to come by nowadays, you can set up the whole system, from the call menu, voicemail greeting and interactive response, all virtually.
You don’t even need a landline for this to be possible, this can all be done from your mobile phone.
Professional voicemail greetings
Regardless of how small or large your business may be, a professional voicemail greeting simply adds a touch of class and organisation to the whole customer acquisition process.
Not only is it inconvenient for you as a business owner to have calls coming in directly, but it provides the potential customers with options to choose from. A sense of comfort that they’re with a somewhat established company, who knows what their audience wants.
You can record your professional voicemail greeting yourself, or alternatively, hire a voice over to do so for you.
Order business cards
When it comes to networking events, speaking to a potential connection, or ensuring your sales team is fully kitted out, business cards are imperative to creating a great first impression.
Ensure you have all the useful information on the card, such as your company logo, your email address, contact name, website and number. This will ensure that the person who receives the card knows what the necessary next steps are to take.
Nowadays a business card doesn’t need much to look flashy, with many design options and textures to choose from. Don’t rely on a potential connection’s memory to look up your site when they go home, give them a physical business card with all the information they’d need on it.
Set up a business email address
Similarly to the importance of having a professional company number, having a branded email address is just as, if not more important.
Just as no corporate client would want an everyday phone number calling them, they certainly wouldn’t want to receive a quote from merely a gmail address, for instance.
To create a company email address, it’s a simple process of going into your domain registration account and creating an email address mapped to your custom domain name.
Usually sites like GoDaddy offer this as a bundle option when you register your domain through them. The great thing is that this has an easy fix, and is a simple, inexpensive solution.
Make a professional logo
A professional logo is the visual representation of your company. Although many people aren’t that art-savvy, it doesn’t take a Picasso to notice if a logo was done professionally or made by a college student.
Not to say that you need to break the bank to create a decent logo, but it is important to put some care and consideration into the design of your logo, especially when it’s something you plan to use to represent you for the next 5-10 years.
Granted, a professional logo may need updating as trends evolve and things become more modernised, so bear this in mind when designing your logo – That it isn’t a permanent solution.
Consider a company slogan
What typically goes hand in hand with a professional logo, is an intelligent slogan. A well planned out company slogan is great for establishing your identity in a way that is quirky, and much more memorable than merely sharing your company name.
Think: Tesco, their old slogan “every little helps”, and how that’s stuck in our minds from childhood.
A great company has a representative slogan, and is typically the most memorable part of an advertising strategy. Consider this when thinking about the future of your branding, a cheap solution that can easily be brainstormed and decided upon by the higher-uppers.
Set up branded invoice templates
If you regularly send out invoices, one quick thing you can implement to appear more professional is adding branding to those invoices.
If you have a company slogan, then you can always incorporate this into your invoices, along with personalised information related to your company.
This will provide clients with an impression that you’re consistent with your brand, as an extra touch, and doesn’t require too much extra action to make possible.
Invest in your media production value
Good production value is priceless. Not literally, but the value that is provided from great production, be it a promotional video, an advert or even professional photos for your about page.
Investing in your production value is never a bad idea, especially when it has a lasting impression in the long run.
There’s nothing worse than seeing a poorly executed advert or corporate video that could have been executed so much better with a little more attention to detail.
Take that into account the next time you try to cut corners with your production.
Little things that make a big impact
We hope this set of tips can help improve the corporate appearance of your business. Little things can go a long way, when implemented correctly.
If you’re a startup with relatively little budget, be sure to weigh out your options and prioritise what you feel is best for you. Perhaps you’re a solely online business and have no interest in meeting people and handing out business cards.
Take these tips and apply them how you’d deem most appropriate.
