When I set up my Life Coaching business my husband and I were planning two expensive propositions - adding a sizable extension to our house and planning for a second baby
I was determined, however, to launch my small business and managed to successfully launch for well under $1,000.
I established my business slowly, spending money only on the things I could afford out of my discretionary money each month.
So what do you need to do to launch, brand and market a successful online or small business on a shoestring budget?
Register your business name to ensure that no-one else can operate under that name (in Australia this costs less than $200).Register your domain name and web hosting ($100 per year), this will enable you to set-up emails at your company domain and host a website at your business domain address. This looks far more professional than 3rd party email or website provider.
Decide on your brand image and obtain an effective Logo - You could pay thousands of dollars for logo design work, however, companies such as Logo Chief can provide you with a professional, customised logo design suited to your brand for as little as $49.
Set-up a website - The best low cost solution is WordPress, a free website content management system that allows you to update the website content. This will save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. It is advisable to purchase a premium website theme from companies such as Theme Forest with built in functionality that can then be customised to suit your branding ($20-40).
Purchase online Word Press training - A professional looking website is critical for an online business's success so I highly recommend investing in an online training program (including recommended plug-ins and widgets to obtain desired functionality and search engine optimisation or SEO). I used Laura Roeder's program which saved hours of frustration ($197).
For a professional look purchase high resolution images from a stock photography business such as photodune ($1 per image) these can be used on your website and any other print and graphic design projects.
Design and purchase business cards consistent with your branding from an online company such as vista print or zazzle ($30) so that you have a summary of contact details when networking and marketing your business in the real world!
Set-up social media accounts under your business name with Facebook and Twitter and consider extending this to LinkedIn and Google+. Ensure that your branding is consistent across all of these social media platforms and connect with other companies that have a similar audience. Invite your personal and professional networks to connect with your business via these platforms and ask them to recommend to their networks where relevant. Keep your personal social networking platforms just that for personal use!
Set up a blog and write concise and relevant information to your target audience and issue this on a consistent basis (weekly or monthly). Repurpose these documents and submit to other websites or blogs that serve a similar audience and to online article websites such as EzineArticles. By having other websites link back to yours you will get significantly better results in Google searches and drive traffic to your site.
Consider some cost per click advertising and set a low budget ($25 per month) with Facebook or Google AdWords.
As a final tip, sign up for as many reputable business newsletters providing free tips and resources in online marketing, branding, social media networking and search engine optimisation (SEO). In the online age there is so much to master and many businesses provide enough free content to allow you to be successful without blowing your start-up budget.
There are many more branding and marketing activities that should be undertaken but the one's listed will get you off to a professional and importantly low-cost start.
Kathryn Hocking the Director of Reverie Coaching and uses her passion, forward thinking and creativity to inspire, motivate and encourage working mums and mum-preneurs to pursue their dream careers and dream businesses.
To see Kathryn's range of Career and Life Coaching Programs please visit http://www.reveriecoaching.com/coaching-programs and connect with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reverie-Coaching/220095881411988?ref=tn_tnmn
(c) 2012 Reverie Coaching all rights reserved
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