How to Make a Business Look Established (even if it’s brand new!)
Starting a new business can be a daunting task, especially when you’re trying to build credibility and establish trust with potential customers. Some would say attracting initial customers is one of the hardest parts of being a new business owner. How can you convince people you’re legit and worth spending money on?
I know this was definitely something I struggled with, as it seemed everyone around me was having massive success super quickly! It took some trial and error (and a lot of patience!) but I eventually picked up some tips along the way.
While it may seem challenging to make a new business look settled and respectable, there are several strategies you can use to create the appearance of an established business from the start. That means you’re one step closer to making that first sale! Woohoo!
Let’s go through 6 ways to get your new (or older) business looking right!
1. Create a Professional Website
Ok, it might seem super obvious that I would pick this as my first tip (being a web designer and all!) but in today’s world having a website for your business is super important!
Think about it - how would you feel if you heard about this amazing product from a friend and wanted to try it, but you weren’t able to find a website for the company?
You’d probably be pretty suspicious, right?
I know I would.
Yes, having business social media accounts is good but often times it doesn’t replace the credibility that comes with an actual website. Ideally you would want both, but if you have to choose I would start with a website first.
Your website is often the first point of contact with potential customers. That means it’s CRUCIAL to create a website that looks professional but also represents your business accurately.
Now, I won’t comment on what kind of website design you should choose (that’s a personal decision that will vary from business to business and person to person). But I will say you want to make sure your website is easy to navigate and is optimized for search engines (get that Google working for ya!)
It’s absolutely possible to DIY your website and have it turn out looking great! There are a ton of platforms out there that help you build your site beautifully (Squarespace, Showit, Shopify, etc.). But if you’re running short on time or brain space to figure that all out, you might want to go with a professional.
Already got a website ready to launch? Check out these tips from a pro to make sure it’s good to go!
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Something else to consider is investing in quality branding for your business. This could include a professional logo, color theme, and/or consistent brand messaging. Together this will create an established image for your business.
If you decide to create your own logo/branding just make sure your colors, images, and fonts are consistent across all marketing platforms (your website, social media, business cards, printed promotions, etc.)
2. Use a Professional Email Address
I’m sure you’ve come across this before: you’re ready to reach out to this fabulous new brand you’ve been eyeing for a while. You click the Contact button on their website only to realize your email is being sent to a Gmail or Yahoo account. It might not be a deal breaker, but it’s likely you feel a little let down. They don’t even have a professional email??
Using an email with your business domain name (yourname@yourbusiness.com) will help potential customers to see you as well-established and credible. It might seem like a small thing, but trust me - a lot of little things will make a big thing!
By avoiding the use of general email addresses you are checking off yet another goal on your way to looking professional!
3. Establish a Strong Online Presence
As I mentioned earlier, having business social media accounts is super important when creating your business. This is because your potential customers might be in different places, and you want to reach as many of them as you can.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying you need to be incredibly active on all social media platforms for your business to be successful.
But if your ideal customer loves to hang out on Instagram then obviously that’s where you want to show up the most. Likewise if the majority of your target audience is surfing Facebook all day, then you’ll want to focus your efforts there.
I totally understand being strapped for time, which is why I’m suggesting to focus your efforts more narrowly and intensely, rather than trying to cast as wide a net as possible.
Keep in mind that post history inspires trust. If you’ve got 50 posts on your IG but only 3 on your Facebook then the Instagram crowd is going to trust you more than your Facebook visitors. Of course this will take time to build up, but posting updates regularly will give you that trustworthy glow.
Don’t forget to cross-promote your brand across your socials too! Make sure you’re regularly posting links to your actual website on your social media accounts so people can check you out in multiple places (promote your latest blog post, link to your products, etc). Likewise, you should link your social media accounts directly on your website.
Your website and social media should work together to create a professional vibe for your brand.
4. Leverage Social Proof
You might have heard some people throw around this term “social proof” but what does it actually mean?
Social proof can take a few different forms such as customer reviews, follows, likes, and testimonials. Basically it’s anything you can point to and say “See! Other people think I’m legit! You can trust me!” You might say it’s the blue check mark for your business (well, maybe not anymore but for sure in the old days before Elon Musk!)
Now you might be thinking “But Ranita, I don’t completely trust people who post all their amazing client success stories. It makes me think they might have been paid to say those nice things!”
Ok, I hear you. And honestly I feel a bit like that too. But what convinces me that someone on the internet is legit is when I can visit multiple places where there are tons of reviews about that person or their services/products. They can’t have paid for ALL those testimonials!
Once you get some happy customers make sure you’re displaying those awesome reviews somewhere highly visible on your website.
It’s not bragging if other people say it, right?
And feel free to post those nice words on social media too!
So go ahead and encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your website. Make sure you’re responding to comments on your social media posts. All of this working together will help people to trust you a bit easier.
5. Network with Other Professionals
I can already feel the resistance to this one.
“What if I’m an introvert and don’t like talking to people?”
“What if my type of business doesn’t have a ton of local people in the same industry?”
“How do I even find other professionals to network with?”
First things first - I, too, am an introvert and don’t especially enjoy mingling in large crowds of people I don’t know!
But I have a solution for my fellow hermits:
Join Facebook groups.
Yes! Our networking can now be done in the digital space! Pants optional!
I’ve found that joining Facebook groups for things I’m interested in that promote me learning about an aspect of my business has been super helpful.
For example I joined a Squarespace group and there have been tons of helpful questions answered in there that I wouldn’t have even thought to ask! I’ve also been able to get feedback from others on new promotions I want to run or a new service I want to launch.
Digital networking is the best!
If you’re one of those people blessed with an outgoing nature, then kudos to you my friend. In-person networking events might be just the thing to help establish your business as a credible player in the market.
You can attend industry events and join professional associations to start building relationships that will get your business name out there.
Something I would suggest for those in-person networking gurus is to have a business card available. You can certainly go the traditional route with this and get physical, paper business cards.
But if that seems a little clunky and old-fashioned to you may I suggest a digital business card like Linq or dot.card?
**DISCLAIMER**
This is not sponsored - I actually use Linq myself and have been loving it!
Linq allows you to “instantly share your contact card, social profiles and website with just a tap”!
Similarly, dot.card “seamlessly transfers all the information on your dot.Profile with a single tap onto someone else’s phone. Your dot.Profile is fully customizable - including a bio, social media links, payment info, and more.”
It’s an easy way to share your info quickly while building relationships.
6. Offer Exceptional Customer Service
It might seem like a no-brainer - of course you want to offer great customer service! But it can sometimes fall by the wayside when you’re trying to focus on what feels like 100 other aspects of your business.
No matter what type of business you have, providing outstanding customer service is going to be an essential way to build and gain trust from your customers.
Crafting a well-oiled user experience is crucial to turning one-time customers into repeat ones.
An exceptional customer service experience will also make it easier to get those glowing reviews we talked about earlier. Knocking it out of the park will incentivize your clients to leave you great reviews - sometimes even unprompted!
Make sure you are responsive to customer inquiries and address any issues raised in a timely manner. You want to strive to meet and even exceed your customers’ expectations in all aspects.
Taking a bit of time to figure out your process at the beginning of your business journey will help you to seem more established once you get those first few customers.
Bonus: Physical Address or PO Box
Surprise! I’ve got a bonus tip for you. If your business has a physical building or is location-specific you should definitely publish your address or get a PO box number that you’re ok with sharing.
If you’ve got a store you want people to visit, they need to know where you are! Adding your physical location to your Google My Business page and website will make you look uber professional right from the start.
If you want to receive mail but don’t have a storefront, consider getting a business PO box and putting that number on your website or other promotional materials.