By Elvire Gosnold, Director, Blabbermouth Marketing: New business start-ups usually have a limited budget and an eagerness to grow the company with a strong focus on sales rather than setting the foundations for an identity and clear vision. It is understandable that there is so much emphasis on sales but unfortunately this often leads to yet another faceless addition to the industry with little differentiation.
Start-ups usually want a logo and a website to get started. While these are undoubtedly essential tools for any business, steaming ahead without answering some basic questions about what your business wants to deliver and represent may result in having to continually readdress this question with unnecessary marketing expense further down the line.
Addressing key strategy questions does not even have to dip into your budget. There are a few basic questions that you should spend some time thinking about as these will form the axis on which your new business will spin. How do you want to be known? What do you want to achieve? What do you bring that is different? What problems are you addressing for clients? What type of business do you want to grow? Where do you want to be in one, three and five years time?
Once you have identified the answers to these questions only then is it time to get started with your logo and website. Having this clear vision will make your brief to the marketing agency a lot clearer and therefore a quicker, more cost-effective exercise.