When I decided to start my brand spanking new business I had a bucketful of ideas, a mountain of confidence and a boatload of motivation.
Sound familiar?
I also had no clients and no money coming in. But (hello Catch 22) I knew I needed to spend a certain amount of money to start marketing my new business (and attract those first clients).
Also sound familiar?
When it comes to marketing I truly believe you have to adopt a mindset of ‘invest for success.’
Yet I know that as a new business owner we don’t always have oodles of money on standby to invest in marketing, especially in the early days.
The good news is I don’t think you need oodles of money to get your marketing off to a flying start. You just need to be resourceful and savvy with what you do have.
In this post, Iām going to share with you the three things I spent money on first when I started my business and why I think they’re worth the investment.
I also give you tips and tools on how to get resourceful and creative if youāre launching a business on a tight budget.
1.Ā My Brand Identity
The first thing I invested in was hiring a designer to create my brand identity.
The āidentityā is the visual part of your brand (the logo, fonts, color palette, style guide and imagery) but my branding effort didnāt start here.
Before hiring a designer I developed my businessās brand strategy to get crystal clear on the essence of my business.
My brand strategy included my mission, my vision, my ideal customer, my services, my brand personality, my style and my messaging.
Once I had that piece figured out IĀ hired a designer to help me bring my brand to life through the visual elements.
Why I invested?
āA brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumerās decision to choose one product or service over another.āĀ Seth Godin (Marketing Guru)
Because repeat after me āBRANDING IS EVERYTHINGā.
Good old branding is the reason Starbucks can charge $5 for a cup of coffee that, in reality, is probably worth 20 cents.
Your brand impacts how people perceive your business and helps you to stand out in a busy marketplace. It creates a first impression and, hopefully, leaves a memorable lasting impression.
If your business has a clear, consistent and professional brand then you’ll benefit in many different ways:
- It builds trust in your business
- It helps you stand out from the competition
- It attracts your ideal clients
- It establishes you as an expert in your field
- It allows you to compete on factors other than price
How much do you need to invest?
Prepare to spend anything between $1,500 and $5,000+ if you hire a designer to create your brand visuals.
On a shoestring budget?
If you don’t have any budget to spend on a designer (but still want to have a cohesive brand identity) then you can try and DIY using some free, online tools:
- Make an inspiration board on Pinterest to explore the look and feel you want to create for your brand
- Try a free online logo generator
- Generate a color palette using CoolorsĀ
- Use Canva to design content for your marketing
- Free images are available on Unsplash
2.Ā Personal Branding Photography
When setting up my business the only remotely professional image I had in my possession was one headshot taken SEVEN YEARS ago.
As I stared wistfully at my younger self in that photo I sadly realized I would need more than this faithful headshot to bring my new business to life.
So the second thing I invested in was hiring a professional photographer for a personal branding photoshoot.
Why I invested?
- A library of high-quality, authentic images can elevate your brand and help connect you with your ideal customers.
- Having access to your own images also saves time and money.Ā Imagine having a library of photos all ready to go for your blogs and social media posts (rather than wasting hours searching the internet for something vaguely suitable).
- Professional images convey your brand personality and build that magic āKnow, Like, Trust’ factor with your audience.
Remember that in todayās virtual world, people want to connect with other people. They want to know who they are doing business with – especially online.
How much do you need to invest?
I received quotes ranging from $1,000 up to $6,000 from photographers in my area (which is the San Francisco Bay Area).
On a shoestring budget?
If you donāt have money to spend on a photoshoot yet (and you don’t happen to be best friends with a photographer) then you’ll need to get creative.
There are many budding photographers out there who want to build up a portfolio so try connecting with a photography student at a local college.Ā Another option, depending on what your services are, is to do a mutual trade with a photographer.
3.Ā A website
Yes. You absolutely DO need a website. And no, you canāt get away with just having a social media presence for your business.
Why I invested?
Your website is your digital business card. It’s your business’s online home. It generates interest and sales, gives you credibility and builds trust in your services.
Just trust me on this one.
How much do you need to invest?
It depends on the complexity of the website. If you hire a website designer to build you a fairly simple but customized website then a ballpark figure is around $5,000+.
On a shoestring budget?
If you have the time, and the skills, to build your site then you can save yourself money. Be honest with yourself about whether you can build a professional-looking and optimized website. A badly designed website is likely to do more harm than good for your business.
Research into the different options. I recommend you check out the following three platforms:
For my website, I bought a Showit template from Elizabeth Mccravy after falling in love with the beautiful designs, the drag and drop functionality and the ability to completely customize the mobile and desktop views (#gamechanger).
I recommend this route to anyone who wants a unique-looking website but doesnāt want to touch a line of code and wants the freedom of being able to edit and update their own content.
Suggested Blog: 5 Reasons Why I Built My Website on Showit
Next steps
Don’t give up on your business dream because of a lack of money.Ā Just set your priorities and use it as an opportunity to stretch your ‘resourcefulness muscle’.
If you’re starting your own business and have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Ā
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