A business identity is as important as the product it sells, sometimes more so. Explore some strategies to get it right, right from the get-go.
Some businesses feel like they’ve been around forever, and that they’re going no-where. That’s because they have a strong business identity, carefully built up over many years.
Although some businesses seem immovable the reality is they are just ineffable ideas thought up by people like us. The difference is they have been turned into concrete, tangible ideas, that we believe are real – like mountains.
How is this achieved?
It’s a combination of clever marketing, advertising, and simple brand identity. Some of the most iconic brands in the world are also the simplest, think of Nike, McDonalds, and Mercedes.
As small businesses and start-ups we may not be looking to emulate the success of these multinational corporations, but if we’re smart about our business we should at least be looking to learn a thing or two about the successful strategies pioneered by these companies.
Of course there are other demands on your time, especially if you’re just starting up. You’ve got the nuts and bolts of running the day-to-day business and getting the product or service to market, for instance.
But one thing you shouldn’t overlook is your brand identity, right from the start. This identity is what makes your business or service ‘real’ in the mind of your customers.
Don’t settle for a free logo from the internet, implement some intentional strategies from the beginning and make the foundations of your business as solid as rock.
Brand Standards
The coca-cola brand has one of the strongest brand standards in the world. That’s because it’s not only globally recognized but no one could imagine it any other way. If it were green for instance you might think you had somehow switched dimensions. Everything associated with the brand uses the same colours and fonts and reassures us of the product and its quality. Get savvy with your brand standard, keep it simple and keep it consistent.
Identity
These days consumers don’t respond to faceless corporations. So if you’re just starting a business it’s a good idea to show the people who are behind it, pulling the strings. This could be through a personalized About page on your website, or a portrait painting of the CEO or founding member. Portrait painting might seem like an archaic form of expression, at first, but they have modernized significantly drawing on the power of personal image that worked so well in the past. To learn more about how portrait paintings became famous, click the link.
Storytelling
On the subject of harnessing the power of the past, storytelling, also known today as digital storytelling, is an excellent engagement tool to access new audiences. Companies make short videos that unfold like movies. They have a narrator, moral lesson, and twist. They are short and shareable, and don’t have to cost the earth to make. Don’t miss out on the opportunities offered by video to build up your business.
First impressions are important in business. If your business premises doesn’t look attractive, it could steer potential customers away rather than enticing them in. This matters most with shops and restaurants, but it can also impact offices and other commercial buildings too. To ensure that your business premises is creating the right impressions, here are just some of the factors that you should consider.
Consider the location
Good premises needs to be in a good location. If the local neighbourhood is dirty or derelict, it could have an impact on the way in which clients perceive your business.
If you’re opening a shop or restaurant, this could be something important to consider. When it comes to offices and factories, it may not matter much if you don’t regularly invite clients to your premises – if you need to hold meetings, it may be possible to outsource meeting space elsewhere or find a coffee bar to host a meeting from.
Fix up visible damage
A run-down building could suggest a run-down business. Make sure that any visible damage is repaired before it gets too noticeable.
Cracked windows and peeling paint could be things to consider on the exterior. As for the interior, replace any damaged carpets and get rid of any broken furniture or equipment. Don’t forget about your premises car park – if the concrete is cracked, there are companies like https://www.keflatwork.com/concrete-repair-replacement/ that can fix it. You could find that such repairs have a dramatic impact on your company’s reputation, as well as your own productivity.
Keep it clean
On top of keeping your premises well maintained, it’s also important that it’s clean. Cobwebs, thick layers of dust and dirty windows will suggest that you don’t care about your business.
Hiring contract cleaners is an easy way to keep on top of cleaning. An annual deep clean may also be necessary.
Use clear signage
Clear signage can help shops and restaurants to stand out on the street.For other businesses, clear signage may still be important for helping clients to find your premises.
Plants are a great way of sprucing up any business premises. They can add a sense of life to a building that might otherwise look drab.
This could include hanging baskets outside your entrance or potted plants inside your premises. Just make sure that you water these plants regularly – dead plants will not create a good first impression.
When making your premises more welcoming, make sure not to compromise security. Features such as security lighting and security cameras can help to ward off would-be intruders. You should also be careful of putting valuables on display during non-opening hours.
We’re sure you are already well aware of the environmental issues that are plaguing the world we live in. From the pollutants that are passed into the air and waters to the depletion of the natural resources that entire lifecycles depend on, our lives and the planet we live on are under risk.
Thankfully, work is being done to combat the problems that are happening in the environment.
Governments are putting strategies in place to reduce global warming.
Marine research services akin to Gravity can provide environmental sampling equipment to support the water testing carried out by researchers. Follow the link to visit their site.
And the wider population are making changes to their lifestyles, fully aware of their eco-responsibilities.
Still, we are a long way off from tackling environmental issues in their entirety. And as a business owner, you might be affected by some of them. Still, it’s not all bad news for you, as the world’s global concerns can affect you positively as well as negatively.
Let’s take a closer look.
Negative: Pollution could have an impact on your business
We’re not talking about the pollution you produce (see our next point), but rather the pollution that could be around you. If your business is based in a highly polluted area, you might have trouble sourcing new customers and employees. After all, most people are unwilling to risk their lives. From toxic smoke in the air to foul smells due to improper waste disposal, there are all kinds of reasons why people might avoid you. To avoid this issue, you could change business premises. A move out of the city could be good for you if you aren’t reliant on customer footfall, or a change to any cleaner neighborhood could be profitable for you in the long run.
Negative: You could be blamed for the environmental issues around you
If you haven’t taken steps to go green, you might alienate customers and potential new hires. It might be because you are responsible for air pollution in your area, and you could be improperly disposing of your waste too. When people point the finger at you, you have two choices. Make no improvements at all, and watch as your profits slide, or make the effort to go green to restore your reputation.
Positive: You could market your green improvements
If you make an effort to green, then people will sit up and take notice. You could tell the world about your recycling policies, your paperless offices, and the products that you make from sustainable materials. Customers would take more of an interest in you, and they might choose you over those other business owners who haven’t gone green. And you might attract those hires who are actively seeking those employers who can showcase their green credentials.
Positive: You could capitalize on the climate concerns of others
When you’re looking for a profitable business idea, you should always consider the needs of the consumer. And in this current climate, what consumers need more than ever are those companies that will help them live sustainably. So, check out these green business ideas, and benefit from the increased profit that will be gained from your eco-friendly customers.
For good and bad, environmental issues can affect your business. However, it pays to know what you can do to support your business, so use our suggestions and commit to further research to learn more.
There’s no doubt that growth is an essential part of any business. After all, a business that always stays in one place is always going to be limited in what it can achieve. The last thing you want is for your business to stagnate and the only way to avoid this is to keep pushing forward. This raises one incredibly important question. The question is: how? How can you actually go about growing and expanding your business? Well, it turns out that there are a whole lot of different ways to do this, it’s just a matter of finding the right ways to go about it. With that in mind, here are just a few that you might want to consider.
New products
The most obvious way that you can go about expanding your business is by moving into new products and demographics. After all, while narrowing your perspective can be incredibly valuable when your business is first starting out, it can also be somewhat limiting in terms of the kind of scope that your business can achieve. The key is to look carefully at what kinds of new products fit with your business as it exists. It’s far easier to fit products into your business that already relate to it than it is to try and morph the entire business around completely new markets.
Logistics
Logistics are at the heart of pretty much any successful business whether you realize it or not. The difference between a small startup and a larger business is whether or not the logistics are in your hands. Sure, logistics come with a whole lot of added challenges from fleet management to the required maintenance of a lot of heavy-duty equipment but bringing that stuff in-house can massively increase the efficiency of your business as a whole. Just remember to consider the ways that things like your staffing needs are going to grow alongside the adoption of this element to your business.
A marketing department
When you’re running a tiny startup from home it’s often pretty easy to take care of a lot of the marketing stuff in your business on your own. Even if you don’t decide to handle it yourself, you can always outsource it to external agencies. However, as your business grows, your marketing tends to become a much more resource-heavy affair. Because of that, it’s often worth having an in-house marketing department. That way you don’t have to worry about explaining your business to external professionals or spending huge amounts of your time trying to take care of it yourself.
When you’re trying to grow your business, one of the most important words that you should keep in the forefront of your mind at all times is “sustainable.” Growing your business is great but if you’re trying to do it too quickly without a focus on sustainability then the added pressure it creates can cause serious issues and can even result in your business completely collapsing under its own weight. Ambition is great, just don’t let it get the better of you.
As the world finally wakes up to the dangers of climate change and our carbon footprint, companies are paying attention to their personal impact on the planet. One of the industries sitting up and paying attention to the way that they treat the world is the restaurant industry. As a whole, the industry is collectively taking part in better practices that are more eco-friendly and better for the environment.
Customers are looking for restaurants that care more about the world around them, and for a good reason. People support ethical businesses, which is why the paper straws that have been rolled out among restaurants worldwide are now standard practice. It’s not just here that restaurants are paying attention, though. It’s in ensuring that they book their yellow grease collections with companies like https://gfcommodities.com/our-services/yellow-grease-uco-pickup/, and it’s improving their resource management, too. They know that people are more concerned than ever about where they eat and where they spend their money, and if you have the same concerns, then the five tips below for going green are everything that you will need this year to make positive changes.
Sustainable Equipment. As a business, you need to ensure that you are running as efficiently as possible. For this, you need to upgrade your appliances in the commercial kitchens. You need to make sure that your equipment is using less energy and is efficient as possible to lower your footprint on the environment. Make sure your staff are well-versed in how to use them and also turn them off at the end of the day, too.
Fewer Chemicals. It will pay you in the long term to bring on a cleaning company that does not use harsh chemicals when they clean your space. Yes, you want to ensure all bacteria is removed, but you don’t have to use toxic chemicals that harm the environment to do it.
Less Water. You should implement practices where you are monitoring your water usage properly. You should always ensure that you are being efficient about your water and eliminating excessive water usage. It’s costly, and it is not worth the extra waste.
Less Paper. You may well have switched to paper straws, but that’s not the paper we are talking about. If you stop using notepads to scribble orders on or paper rolls for receipts, you’re going to have a better time of it with your customers and how much you waste. Customers often prefer a digital receipt, so roll with the times and stop wasting paper!
Give A Little Back. You could offer your restaurant as a base for those in need twice a year. Get involved in the community and give back. Not only will this help you to raise awareness for your new, greener practices, but you are going to be able to look good in your industry for your philanthropy.
Restaurants often find it hard to have less waste, but with the five tips above, you can be greener than ever.
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