Building your business identity

Any small business manager knows the importance of working hard to establish their own business identity. Since small businesses are typically bombarded with a number of different challenges, establishing a business identity is one of the best ways to gain credibility in your customer's eyes.

Your business identity is part of your marketing strategy and this documentation is often required by lenders when you are trying to obtain additional financing for your business. What are some of the things you need to do to establish your business identity? Here are some basic tips to follow:

Tip # 1 - Legal paperwork
The first step you need to take is filling out all of the legal paperwork to establish your business. You need to obtain your business license, Federal Identification Number, and tax information for your business. If you fail to file all of the necessary paperwork for your business, you can easily lose it to the government when they come knocking.

Tip # 2 - Basic Business Information
As you begin your small business adventure, you need to set up some of the basic things like your business web site, phone number, and address. Depending upon the type of business you run, you may want to try out a P.O. Box or your home address for all of your mailing priorities.

If you are running your small business out of your home, you at least need to provide an alternative phone number from your home phone number as this looks unprofessional. Consider using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone line if you do not want to install a secondary phone line.

Tip # 3 - Marketing
A large part of establishing your business identity comes down to your ability to properly market your business. What are you doing to establish your business identity? Are you using online marketing, printed advertising, and media marketing? If you would like to establish your business identity, it is important to get out there and make your business name known to the public in addition to your competitors.

Many businesses feel that sending direct mail pieces is an easy way to gain the attention of their customers. While this is true, you need to be careful about how much money you are spending on marketing. If you are trying to cut corners and save money on your printed materials, your customers will quickly notice it. People can easily spot a cheap marketing campaign from a nicely done marketing campaign. Price out several different printers when you are searching for the best deal as this will inspire them to compete with one another.

Tip # 4 - Customer Service
The way you interact with your customers is a big part of establishing your brand identity. Think of all the companies you have dealt with over the years and which ones had impressive customer service skills and which ones did not impress you. Your customers are your number one priority and the way you treat them will have a huge impact on establishing your brand identity. Ask your customers for feedback as this is one of the best ways to find out how you are doing and to look for certain things you may need to improve upon.

Tip # 5 - Pace yourself
Establishing brand identity is not going to come overnight. It will take to build your small business and establish your brand identity as your customers get to know you and your competitors start to take you seriously. Try different marketing efforts and maintain a professional appearance at all times in order to establish your small business in the market.