You’ve identified a gap in the market, or maybe you are turning a hobby into something more serious. However it happened, you are reading this with a business in your figurative hands. Congratulations! But now, as we’re sure you know, the real work begins. Although where, precisely, to begin may still feel like a mystery. If that sounds like you, this blog post is going to be your favorite read of the week (unless you are also in the middle of a great novel, in which case, please share your recommendations). Today, we’re covering the seven pieces of marketing collateral your business needs at launch. “Needs” should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s a good idea to check as many of these off of your list as possible.
#1 Brand Book
Before you even finalize the name of your company, you should be thinking about your brand book. This is the resource you and your team—plus any creative and marketing firms you hire—will use to keep your branding consistent. The “big brand book,” as it is often called, is typically a few dozen pages long. It contains everything from proper and improper ways to format the logo, to messaging dos and don’ts, to preferred color palettes and hashtags.
A big brand book is never meant to be an external marketing resource, but it will be a deciding factor in whether or not you feel your marketing is hitting the mark. If your brand feels chaotic and disjointed to your viewers/readers, they are much less likely to become customers/clients. Take a scroll through Fit Small Business’ 40+ Branding Statistics Every Small Business Should Know in 2023, and you’ll have the big picture on branding’s importance. And don’t let their article’s title mislead you; strong, cohesive branding is key for those giant corporations, too.
#2 Website
This might seem like a no-brainer to some of you, but we have seen our fair share of excited new business owners who haven’t even bought a domain name. In 2023, no business can afford to go without a sophisticated, user-friendly website. It is worth every penny you invest in a copywriter, graphic designer, web developer and UX/UI analyst. Why? Because your website is critical to your brand’s identity.
Every print ad, commercial, or social media post your business produces should align with your brand identity, but the website is where it all begins. It is your digital headquarters.
Learn more about what your website should entail, in one of our previous blog posts:
What to Include on Your Business Website: 5 Copy Points
#3 Lead Generator
The basic idea of a digital lead generator is to gain access to customers by offering them a free download of value. This could take many different forms, from a brochure to an instructional video course. Having this prepped and ready to go when you launch is ideal, because you can use the momentum of your grand opening to drive traffic to your site. With all of those visitors clicking around, you’ll want to have an email submission box ready to claim their info and provide that free download.
#4 Social Launch Campaign
That word—momentum—matters when you’re starting a business. If you take your website live and open your doors (physical or figurative), but no one knows about you, it might not be much of a success. One of the best, low-investment ways to start building your brand identity and reputation is social media. But in the beginning, this can sometimes trip people up. Before you’ve established your brand voice and image, it can be hard to know what to post and how it should look and feel Specialists like our team here at Pearl & Wordsmith can help with that, but so can planning ahead in a thoughtful way.
Before you bring your business to life, outline a social media launch campaign. Whether it’s five posts or 30, drafting all of the imagery, messaging, timing, and hashtags in advance will help to ensure that you don’t let your social media fall by the wayside from the start.
#5 Blog Post Backlog
In the same way you should plan out a series of social media posts, putting the work in to prep blog content in advance can really pay off. While blogging is a highly effective way to drive search engine traffic to your website over the lifetime of your business, it can also play a role in helping at launch. Much like social media, it enables you to showcase the voice and imagery of your brand—you can invite your ideal prospects to get to know your company on the blog!
Blogs also provide a space for you to share news and updates. And, they give you word count freedom. When you need to get a lengthier message across, blog about it and then blast the link on socials and in your email newsletters. Which brings us to our next point …
#6 Newsletter Platform and Automated Welcome Email
This can be a daunting one to establish, but we fervently recommend setting up an email campaign system before you launch your business. It can actually be one of the most impactful forms of marketing you utilize. In a Salecycle survey, 59% of respondents said that marketing emails have influenced their purchases. And that is one of many positive statistics surrounding email marketing.
Given its importance, creating your database, templates, and automations before you launch will prove a game-changing move. It also means that when a visitor to your website submits their email address to get their free download, they’ll receive an on-brand welcome email right away. Guess what? You’ve looped them into your brand ecosystem—just like that.
#7 Anything Else That Puts Your Brand in Its Best Light
While the aforementioned bits of collateral are go-tos to start your business on the best foot, don’t be afraid to tap into your intimate understanding of your offering and its value. You know your product or service best. So think, how can you convey the appeal? What will your ideal prospect respond to? Maybe an infographic would help, or perhaps a detailed e-book is called for? Mull it over, and invest in producing that collateral before the big day.
Alongside all of the other considerations that go into establishing a business, marketing collateral is a must. If you have been inspired but this list but don’t know where to start, give us a shout!