Creating a business as a recent college graduate offers many opportunities to create something with real value from your knowledge or a good concept. It doesn’t matter if you are on a tight budget; the same applies to your first venture. What limits the potential of your first venture is not money, but rather how effectively you market it. Marketing your first venture will help get the right people to see it and understand why they would care. All you really need to do is start by creating a purpose.
Know Who You Want to Reach
Once you know who you are targeting (your audience), marketing will become much easier. Think about who is most likely going to need your product or service, and what problem that person wants solved.
This insight should shape every message. A graduate offering tutoring may speak differently to parents than to university students. Specific communication feels relevant and gives people a stronger reason to respond.
Create A Clear Brand Identity
Your first venture needs to establish a recognisable identity. Determine a name and visual look that appeals to your intended audience, yet reflects the value of your offer. Establish this brand identity consistently throughout all of your communications.
The description of your business should be concise and easy to read. Avoid making general statements about your offer. Clearly state who your service is for, and how it can benefit them.
Build A Useful Online Presence
This will give potential customers somewhere they can find out more about you. Don’t have to build anything fancy. Make sure your site includes necessary information about what you are offering, and include an easy way for people to get in touch with you. Add prices if this is relevant.
Identify one or two social media sites that your target audience currently utilises. Share good ideas (useful advice) and images of your finished work. The value of posting is not in the number of places you post but in having a clear reason behind your posts.
Use Strong Visual Content
Quality visuals will give your young business the appearance of being well-established. Images will clearly represent the quality of the products you are selling. Short videos can be used to creatively demonstrate your services.
When your business has grown enough, there will be the opportunity for you to work with a creative visual production specialist to produce polished visuals for your company. Each image or video created by the specialist needs to have a defined purpose. This purpose may include introducing yourself or showing how something works. More focused visuals are easier for your target audience to understand and retain information from.
Let Early Customers Build Trust
Satisfied customers will help create trust in your first business. Ask them for an honest review that you are permitted to post. In addition to asking for reviews, a brief case study illustrating how your company helped solve one customer’s actual issue will be a powerful marketing tool. Respond to all inquiries in a timely manner and meet all commitments. Once you build a reputation as reliable, then you will begin receiving referrals that may grow into a consistent source of revenue.
Build Marketing Around Real Value
Understanding who you are attempting to communicate with is the most important step in developing successful marketing strategies. However, it doesn’t take a massive marketing campaign to achieve significant success. By establishing a clear message and by consistently being present, you establish a solid base on which to continue building your first business. Begin with small steps, test what works and let your marketing strategy evolve simultaneously with your company.
Featured image: Tima Miroshnichenko
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