10 Start Up Marketing Tips

This list has been compiled as a result of years of working with business owners who didn't quite lay the right groundwork when they started up, and ended up paying for it later. Sometimes, what seems like a means of saving money actually ends up costing more in the long run. Some of these tips work for all different kinds of businesses, while others are more relevant to consultancies.

1. Always get your logo in multiple file formats.

It will probably cost you extra, but it will save you a whole lot of trauma and expense later. Make sure you receive:

- a high-resolution TIFF file

- a web-ready JPEG

- vector version - preferably Illustrator

- a layered version (PSD)

2. Have a copy-less brochure designed - one that can be run through your laser printer.

You can have a letter or legal-sized brochure created in colour with only your company name and logo, address, and USP (or tag line) plus a nice watermark done in full colour (uncoated, no folds) that allows you to print the copy as you need it. This way you can create custom brochures as you need them, instead of having a thousand copies (or more) of a single brochure that might get changed.

3. Get business cards for all staff - even part-timers.

People love to hand out business cards. Can you find a cheaper advertising method?

4. Invest in blank business card stock.

The same way you can have your brochures printed without any copy on them, you can have your printer set 8.5 x 11 sheets set up for business cards, which you can use for people who are representing your company on a contract basis.

If you are placing anyone at a client site, they should have a business card with your company information.

5. Have an MSWord document template designed, at the same time as your letterhead and other marketing collateral.

Make sure it has a cover page as well. It will be good for proposals, quotes, white papers, specifications, faxes, notices, and so on. You can also use this to generate polished and professional PDFs for your website.

6. If you give presentations, have your own PowerPoint template designed as well.

7. Have your own domain name.

Even when you start with only a one-page placeholder describing your company, make sure it is on your own domain name, unless you are part of an industry association website that clearly states what you do. When I receive email addressed from businessname@LargeInternetServiceProvider.com it really appears as though this person does not understand the Internet, or is too cheap to get his own domain name. A domain name can cost you as little as $7 US for a year, and you may be surprised how inexpensive hosting will cost. Look into it - it will make your business seem more solid.

8. Make sure every employee has an email address at your business domain.

This is one of those peculiar areas, as with business cards, where companies tend to skimp out as though saving a few pennies in server traffic, is worth the cost in professionalism and name placement. There have been many times when I have received an email from someone I don't know, or a message that has been forwarded to me by someone I know, and I have typed in the domain name (the part after the @ sign) out of pure curiosity. It's a perfect opportunity to showcase your company for surprisingly little - and you never know who it is going to reach.

9. Create a standard company email signature.

Everyone working for your company should have a standard email signature attached to every email message that goes out the door - that is those four or five lines that follow all email correspondence. Most email clients have a function that will automatically insert the specified text. Everyone who receives mail from you or your employees and representatives should be given an easy way to find out more information and to contact your company. A standard email signature file might consist of:

[or some way to signify this is the end of the message body]
[Full name of the person sending the mail][, Title optional]
[Company name]
[Phone number]
[Web address]
[Company USP (Unique Selling Proposition or "tag line"]

10. Get training.

Learn how to use your office tools efficiently. If it's not you managing the administrative side of operations, pay to have that person trained. For the investment of a day or two, knowing how to use the software will save many many hours of frustration and lost document.

How is this marketing-related? How do you think it looks or sounds to your client to have to say, "I can't do that," or, "just a minute - I just lost the record."

© 2005 Gisela McKay. Gisela McKay is Chief Technology Officer of pixcode Inc., an Internet Property Management company, with such properties as NaturalHealthcare.ca, CanadaEventsCalendar.ca, and BusinessPartnerships.ca. Gisela works with businesses of all sizes - helping them devise the right online marketing strategy and then matching the technology to the strategy.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Blowing Your Own Horn

Opportunity Assistance Business Resource Center At first you must think... Read More

The Top 10 Marketing Tools to Grow Your Business in 2004

Looking to grow your business? Make sure you have these... Read More

How To Turn $100,000 Into $1,191,817 In Just One Year Part II

Turning a modest $100,000 annual turnover into $1,191,817 may sound... Read More

Knowing Your Customer Is The Key

Without doubt, understanding what a customer's wants and needs are... Read More

Make More Sells With Colors

How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things... Read More

Self-Promotion on a Zero Budget

Recently, I've received a few e-mails from people asking me... Read More

The Great Direct Marketing Conundrum

Many a home business owner has spent sleepless nights thinking... Read More

5 Ways To Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links

Lots of people get confounded when attempting to exchange links,... Read More

Features and Benefits Brainstorming

This is it what I use BEFORE I begin to... Read More

How to Convey Trustworthiness in Direct Mail Marketing Sales Letter

A person or business that might buy from you is... Read More

The Battle of Positioning -- Altruism or Paranoia?

Competition in the past has embodied such beliefs of "kill... Read More

SWOT Analysis -- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

When conducting strategic planning for any company -- online and/or... Read More

The Five Most Common Joint Venture Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Joint Venture marketing has become a highly popular way for... Read More

Peek a Boo - We See You -- 7 Trade Show Tips for Marketing Managers

Peek a Boo - We See YouDoes your company have... Read More

The Apprentice: 5 Lessons in Marketing

Donald Trump's hit reality show, The Apprentice is a godsend... Read More

21 Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List

Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine,... Read More

My Marketing Budget Is Small - How Can I Make The Most Of It?

Regardless how small or large your budget is, there are... Read More

Sales and Marketing: Can One Exist Without the Other?

Simply put the marketing people and the sales people depend... Read More

6 Article Marketing Smarts: How To Get More Reprints And Exposure

Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers... Read More

Eight Advantages of Fundraising Letters Over Other Methods

1. Personal Fundraising letters are about as personal as you... Read More

8 BIG Benefits To Selling Big Ticket Items

Ok, before we get down to the benefits of... Read More

To Swag or Not to Swag: Tip to Brand Your Tchotchkes on a Shoestring

It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting... Read More

Fair Measures Corporation

A case study in online "thinking outside the box" The... Read More

How Well Do You Know Your Prospects? Find Out With This 10-Point Quiz

It's crucial to know your prospects if you want to... Read More

Take the Logo Litmus Test

Here is your C.I.T.T. (pronounced "kit")[Color ? Illustrate? Type ?... Read More

Marketing Gurus : Do You Need One?

Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.There are some... Read More

Marketing Tips: Free First

When people think about promoting their business, the first thought... Read More

Creative Online Marketing For Salespeople and Business Professionals

New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but... Read More

Ten Effective Ways to Capture Market

1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment... Read More

Direct Mail Personalization

A colleague who does work for a nonprofit organization contacted... Read More

If You Do No Other Preparation

Far too often we see small businesses rush into doing... Read More

Spike TV - Know Your Audience

What do Klingons, giant rubber bands, and monster trucks all... Read More

4 Alternative Ways To Gain Lifetime Customers

You will always have more people that turn down your... Read More