So you have a business idea, worked on your business plan, registered your company but now what? Here is a list of things every business should implement before launching.

1- define your audience

Many businesses make the mistake of trying to sell and advertise to everyone. We have heard this countless times asking a client who their target audience is and they reply “everyone”. If you try to market to everyone you are marketing to no one. This may seem obvious but let’s look at an example. Let’s say you have a clothing store that sells clothes to men and women, boys and girls ages 5 and up. At first glance many people would say, yes we are targeting everyone. This is where one must take a deeper look into the business and find a narrower audience. Here are some questions to ask yourself.

What is the type of person that would want to buy from my store?

What are they looking for?

Do they live a certain lifestyle?

Are they concerned with finding a bargain or the newest trendy clothing?

What other brands do they buy?

Are they looking for just some clothes or looking to make a fashion statement?

All these questions will direct your marketing towards a certain type of customer looking for a specific benefit or value that your store can provide. 

2- create a brand identity

Defining the look and feel, messaging and voice of your brand must be the core of your business. With a strong brand identity, you customers will feel that they are a part of a community resulting in a more loyal customer base. They will recognize your brand more easily and that will help your brand awareness , conversion rates and word of mouth marketing. And a strong brand identity will make your marketing much more efficient and easy to implement. If you would like to find out more about how branding can help your business, read our article about the 5 steps of creating a strong brand identity here.

3- define your marketing strategy

Once you have defined your brand identity and target audience, all that is left is to figure out what the best tools are to reach your audience. Think of it this way, branding is who you are, marketing is how you are going to tell people about yourself / product/service. Here are some things to think about:

1- Where are your customers online? Facebook? Instagram? TikTok?

2- What are your competitors doing online?

3- What value can you bring to your customers?

4- What are your goals? Leads? Website views? Purchases?

5- What does Kpi’s indicate success?