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Starting a business is no easy task. From day one there are a million things to do and a million people to see. That means a lot can be left on the ‘to do’ list that never actually gets done. Even what could be considered essentials to making a professional business are often left by the wayside.
With that in mind, today we are going to go through a couple of items on that start-up ‘to do’ list you shouldn’t ignore if you want your business to thrive.
These are 5 easy ways to make your start-up look more professional.
Get A Professional WebsiteWebsite
So, you may want to stop designing your own website if you haven’t already. Having a professional, search engine optimized website is vital to get consistent traffic to your pages.
There are a lot of website designing applications and services out there these days, but the reality is big, professional companies aren’t using Wix, Weebly or Squarespace. These companies have dedicated servers to host their content and professionals who design their websites to be properly optimized for search traffic.
For example, if you don’t know if your website starts with HTTP or HTTPS then there is a big problem. HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and in its most basic form, it is used to transfer data from a server to a web browser. HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and your website should have that ‘S’. Not only are HTTPS domains more secure, but they are also properly optimized for Search Engine Optimization(SEO) which is crucial to receiving organic website traffic.
If you are trying to build a business, you may want to hire a website expert and host your own website instead of using a service.
Get A Business Phone and Email
One of the first steps to making your start-up appear more professional is to establish a business phone and email that clients can use. Answering your private phone for business calls just doesn’t look professional.
Emails that contain @gmail, or @hotmail if you’re really old, are much the same. You need to have a professional email that has your company name in it. If you don’t these days a lot of people will view your business with skepticism, to say the least.
This one may seem obvious, but the reality is there are thousands of businesses in the U.S that are still using their personal phones and emails for business matters. Don’t make this mistake, it’s simply too easy to avoid.
Professional Printing
Are you still printing your business cards at Fed-ex or Staples? Was your last presentation handout printed at the office off a normal printer? You might think this goes unnoticed by your clients, but it definitely doesn’t.
If you want to make your business look more professional you’ll need to hire a print fulfillment company to make business cards, presentation materials, or any other printed item you may need.
The reality is business isn’t going 100% paperless for a long time to come, so don’t let your printing hurt your business, hire a pro.
Office Safety Equipment
You landed the office, your business now officially has a physical location. Great, but now the work really begins.
If you want to have a professional appearance at your new office when clients role in, you need a lot of equipment. From computers and desks to keyboards and ergonomic desk chairs. Still, I’m sure every business owner knows the basics.
What you might have forgotten however is office safety equipment. This includes everything from an automated external defibrillator to a fire extinguisher, and it’s not optional. Not having the proper safety equipment can lead to some pretty hefty fines, or even worse lawsuits if something goes wrong in the office.
Establish A Quality Social Media Presence
Finally, establishing a quality social media presence is one of the easiest ways to make your business appear more professional. Big companies hire entire social media departments to get their brand name out there, but even with just a single employee, you can make a quality social media presence thanks to new social media software tools like Buffer and Hootsuite.
These tools allow you to handle all your social media presence in a single location. There you can schedule posts in advance, check your social media analytics, or get help from a social media professional on the spot if you’re unsure of a post.
Creating a start-up is not just difficult, it’s an all-consuming venture that can take everything you have, or give you more than you ever imagined. That means doing things the right way, with a professional presence online and off, is vital. Hopefully, these five tips will help you get started