Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. They say image and perception are everything. That said, the more professional your business looks, the more business you likely are to get. The following contributed post is entitled, Simple Ways to Make Your Business Look Far More Professional.
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Building an online business often means being on your own. You probably won’t have an IT department who can set you up with an email address and you won’t have a professional writer who can craft content for you either. If you want to make sure that your business looks as professional as it can, then there are a few things that you can do to try and really take things to that next level.
Get a Dedicated Phone Number
The first thing that you need to do is get a dedicated phone number. This gives you the chance to share your contact details with people without even having to think about giving out your personal phone number. The great thing about this is that it means that you don’t answer your customer phone calls unprofessionally. It’s entirely possible for you to get a dedicated cell phone for your business, but it is probably cheaper and easier for you to get a Google voice number instead. This is free and it also gives you the chance to have online storage for your voicemails too.
Get a Domain Name
You will need a fast and memorable way for all of your customers to find you. A lot of services will give you a free domain name whenever you sign up with their company, but if you go down this route then you may end up having a URL that is long and impersonal. This may work if you want to get your business up and running as quickly as possible but it is not going to do your business any favours for the long-run. When you make the decision to go ahead with your domain name, you need to keep it short. Remember to brand your business too, by investing in logo design. If you are renting a space, then you can easily put a sign up there. If you are concerned about your business building not looking professional because of vandalism then invest in a graffiti removal service.
Order some Business Cards
This may really sound like a no-brainer, but at the end of the day, business tools are a fantastic way for you to capitalise on word-of-mouth marketing. It won’t cost you a lot if you get them from an online service and you may even find that you end up building your professional image way faster.
Set up an About Us Page
Your About page is your chance to show your customers what you really stand for. You would be surprised at how easy it is for you to create an About Us page when you just think about the reason you created your business. Don’t be afraid to tell your story and also make sure that you do everything you can to get the word out. If you do then you will soon find that you end up with a solid brand and that your customers are also able to relate to you as well, which is priceless when you think about it.
