One of the problems small businesses face is marketing themselves as a worthy and attractive substitute to the bigger competitors in their niche.
More often than not, the consumer’s perception is that bigger businesses will offer a more affordable and premium quality product and service. As a result, small startup businesses with few employees can often miss out on profitable opportunities when they reveal their start-up status…
But hey, there is a solution for this! We have some tips you can use to level the playing field and overcome this bias from consumers thinking that bigger is better.
Make Your Small Business Look Big
One of the most effective ways to gain credibility and get more customers to patronize your small business is to create the illusion of your business being bigger than it is and put your business among the “big guys” in your Niche.
Here are 8 actionable tips and strategies that you can implement to make your small business look big:
1. Have a Well Built and Functioning Website
For every business and company, a website is a virtual welcome mat that you can use to create an impression in the mind of customers and prospects.
Therefore it is important to build a well designed and functional website that looks attractive and aesthetically appealing. If done right, a robust website can make your small business look big.
This is even more so if you are running a software as service website, make sure you have all the features necessary and ensure to make your website fast and easy to navigate, this way your users can have the best user experience.
This will also make your small business look big, following the “bigger is better”.
Furthermore, close to two-thirds of businesses do not have business websites, therefore building a premium quality business website that stands out, can give you leverage and you can have a strong competitive edge.
Here are some other things to put into consideration:
- Refrain from naming the business after yourself: Coin a savvy business name that sounds like a bigger company, that is; instead of James Doe Marketing, go for something like James Doe & Associates.
- Make sure you have an “About Us” section: Outline the services or products your business offers and try to add some customer reviews and testimonials.
- Have an up-to-date contact page: Customers can access details needed to contact your business (and no, not just your business email address). Regardless of how professional your website is, if you don’t have a phone number and a physical address listed, it will scream “small-time”. For SAAS business make sure you have a knowledgebase with answers to the frequently asked question where users can go to get more information about your business. Also have a working chatbot, to engage with customers when your customer support team is away.
- Refresh: Make sure the website information and contents are up to date
- Give out free trials on your SAAS website: Share some valuable free content, eBooks, white papers Etcetera. This can make potential customers perceive your business as one of the heavy hitters
- Responsive Design: Make sure your business website is mobile-friendly, also, you can create a professional mobile app.
Taking advantage of the internet, you can level the playing field and make your small business look big. Implement the above tips to your website to cloak the startup status of your small business.
2. Have a Professional Business Logo
The Importance of a Logo for Companies and businesses cannot be overstated. All big-time businesses and companies have a logo, and you should also have one.
A professional business logo can strengthen your business, brand, company and make it unforgettable.
Just like you can instantly recognize big companies like Apple, Netflix and Nike by their logo, you should also have a logo that will give you the same type of recognition.
3. Use Professional Email Addresses and Phone Number
Another way to make your small business look big is by having an Upgraded Email addresses and Phone Number. Using an email address in this format contact@businessname.com will look more professional as opposed to businessname@gmail.com.
If you have been making use of a free email service for your business, try to upgrade as soon as you can. Free service email addresses can make your business scream ‘small time’, which can result in losing potential customers.
Also, a run-of-the-mill phone number can make your business small. Therefore you should try and get a vanity number, which will not only make your small business look big, but also help you build a recognizable brand or business identity that is memorable.
4. Build A Strong Social Media Presence
Customers today want to be able to interact with your businesses they patronize, and one of the best ways to do this is via social media.
Social media is fast, convenient and straightforward. To make your small business look big, try to build a strong social media presence, engage with your audience and build a large following organically.
If you can afford it, hire a professional social media manager who can interact with your potential customers and build targeted followers of people who are interested in your business.
Furthermore, determine the social platforms your potential customers spend their time on, that’s where you want to establish your presence, do not go all out creating a presence on platforms that won’t bring you customers.
Also, note that having inactive social media profiles all around the web won’t do your business any good, they only scream “My business isn’t big enough to manage the resources needed to keep my social media accounts active” to your potential customers.
5. Secure a Central Business Address
Nothing screams small-time like listing your home address as the business address. If you happen to be running your business from home (say your home garage), then listing that address online as your business address is not advisable.
Get yourself a central business address, you can either secure a virtual office space wherever you are or choose to secure a box from a local UPS store, giving your business a standard street address you can use to receive mail.
6. Invest in Automation Where Possible
Managing a business on a small budget can require a great deal of time and work. Therefore you should look for low budget and cost-effective means to create more time for yourself, that you can then channel into your business’ essential competencies and build your business.
Investing in automation is an efficient way to do this, make use of artificial intelligence and use automation where possible.
7. Invest in Quality Advertising Materials
As a small business, you can draw the attention of a discerning potential customer, when you make use of the best quality promotional materials.
To make your small business look big, invest in quality promotional materials, attend business expos, trade shows and networking events relevant to your business, and find a way to make the best use of your Promotional Materials.
8. Refrain From Using a Formal Title on Your Business Card
In a situation where you are the sole operator of your business, refrain from using a title like CEO on your card.
Yes, you are the CEO, however, you are still the one doing everything in the business, and you are the support team, the tech support and every other role that needs to be filled out in your business. Using a title on your business card like a CEO that plays all other roles will expose your ‘small time’ status, wait till you scale up and have a few employees.
Additionally, with time you should convert your sole proprietorship to LLC. Although it will cost you some money, changing your sole proprietorship business to LLC, aside from the fact that it can help make your small business big, will also gain you other added benefits such as being able to create your own business.
As opposed to, using the default state laws. Also, businesses under LLC are shielded from liability. This protects you from being personally liable for any debts or judgments against the Business.
Conclusion
Although it may come off as being deceitful, creating an illusion of being a bigger company is not a bad practice, as long as you provide value, quality, and always deliver what you promise your customers.
