Small businesses often struggle with their image. After all, you’re trying to captivate customers and earn business while maintaining a very small budget and competing against big businesses with a plethora of resources.
In some cases, small businesses struggle with creating a professional image. They often need to opt for DIY, and if they’re not skilled in that aspect of the business, it can make them appear unprofessional.
Thankfully, your small business no longer has to suffer. Instead, you can create a professional image for your small business by implementing the following tips and tactics.
Get a website
In today’s digital world, if you’re not found online, you may look unprofessional. Make sure that one of the very first things you do is to get a website. There are plenty of website-making sites out there that you can use to create a website on your own for a small amount of money, and this can be a great start. However, most of these sites are template, and they may not help to boost your professional image. Instead, if you can afford it, spend the money on having a professional website created for your company. Hire a marketing firm or a professional graphic designer and web programmer to do it for you.
If you can’t afford that, you still have options. First, you can pay the extra fee to receive the customizable options for the website-making site you’re using. This way, you can at least add your company’s logo and change the background to company colors to make it look less template. You also have the option of hiring an intern to create your website. Repay the intern with college credits or a glowing recommendation. This can be a great way to get a professional-looking site without the hefty price tag.
Use executive suites
Most small businesses don’t have (or don’t need) to rent office space, but running an at-home business can make it difficult to impress clients and customers. Instead of meeting people at your home or at a local coffeehouse, use an executive suite. These are basically temporary office solutions that you can rent by the hour in order to have a more professional appearance. You can rent a small room for small meetings, or you can even rent larger conference rooms for bigger meetings. Executive suites are elegantly decorated and provide the same amenities as any other conference room would, and it can be a great way to impress clients and customers without needing a brick-and-mortar office.
Get your name out there
One of the biggest reasons that companies often look unprofessional is because they don’t take the time to get the company’s name out there and look professional. Make sure that you are using innovative marketing tactics to make people aware of who you are and what you do. Get on social media sites to spread the word. Attend industry-related tradeshows and events to show people who you are and what you can do. When you get your name out there and show people that you really do exist, you’ll go from unprofessional to professional in no time.
Photo credit: Behance
