There’s no simple answer. But from personal observation, one of the main reasons is that the owners aren’t always clear about the reasons for starting their business in the first place.

Many jump in head-first because they want to leave something behind (like a tough job or industry, or restrictive working hours). But all too often they’re not really thinking through the ‘where, why and how’ of their new enterprise.

It’s common to hear a newly self-employed person expressing surprise at the workload involved in running and promoting a business. It would be fair to say that in most start-ups, a great deal more work is done building the business than earning money – at least initially.

Even in an established business, you can spend as much time behind the scenes on admin and promotional work as you can doing the job.

Many business owners are simply unprepared for the time and effort involved in working ‘on the business’, as opposed to ‘in the business’.

Be honest with yourself

Firstly – be honest about why you’re starting the business. It may be to have more freedom or work your own hours. Whatever the reason, do your research to make sure the assumptions you’re making are correct.

For example, if you’re doing it to escape the ‘9 to 5’ routine, then don’t even think about a retail business. Consider your personal goals and whether they align with your business ideas.

The second most common error we see is a failure to tackle the core planning issues  – the ‘what’ – early enough.

People often get caught up in vision and mission statements that reach for the stars, but ignore the nitty gritty (like capital investment, budgets, a place to do business, etc.)

There are a million great ideas out there, but the ones that come to fruition are those founded on solid research, hard work and persistence. Once again, be realistic about what it takes to establish your business and decide if you have the skills, patience and stamina to do it.

Really look into the business before you start spending too much time and money. If you have a ‘great idea’, have you shared it with people you trust? Would they truly buy your service or product? And if so, at what price? Can you supply it at that price? What volumes will you need to move, and how quickly? Have you looked at the size of the business and profit margins of similar businesses? Will this level of income allow you to meet your financial obligations? Have you looked at whether it is a growing industry or a shrinking one?

Beyond questioning the ‘why’ and the ‘what’, the steps to establishing any business are remarkably similar across most industries.

We’ve been fortunate to work with a number of start-ups, and picked up some great tips along the way. So, in a fit of generosity, we’d like to share them with you. Please feel free to pass them on to friends, family and colleagues.

Some simple steps to starting a new business

1.     Define your business in a short sentence. If you can’t explain what you do in a few words, how can you communicate it effectively to the world?

2.     Hop online and find out if anyone else is already doing it. If they are, only go ahead if you have a point of difference, or can develop one.

3.     Develop a business name.

4.     Do all searches to make sure your business name is original. Google it, check business registers – it’s even worth checking to see if anyone has trademarked something similar.

5.     Register your business name with the relevant government department (eg. The NSW Office of Fair Trading.)

6.     Secure your domain name and any important variations of it. There are many companies that can sell you a domain name and their reputation will depend on their current practices. One of the most popular and cheapest at the moment is Go Daddy.

7.     Write a business plan. There are many online formats you can follow. Just remember to make any mission or vision statement realistic and relevant.

Reach for the stars, but keep your feet on the ground

The Australian Government Business site has many useful resources, templates and apps that can help you, including an excellent business-planning template.

And don’t forget….Gosh! can help with new business planning (particularly strategic positioning and marketing).

In fact, we’ve developed a new business planning and marketing tool to help guide your business to success. If you’d like some further guidance, or a copy of the NEW BUSINESS PLANNING TOOL, just call or email Nerida.

Gosh! can also help with business names, bespoke logos, photography, graphic design, websites and all forms of content copywriting.

Image: © Charlieaja | Dreamstime.com

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What we’ve been up to…..

• Gosh! has been working with Australia’s leading turf growers on the launch of a new industry group, Lawn Solutions Australia.

• We’ve developed a strategic advertising campaign for the Ray White Illawarra group.

• We’ve produced a marketing plan, co-ordinated a website and implemented a PR campaign for Khe Design Safaris.

• We’ve been working on a brand  identity strategy for a new equities company.

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]]> https://www.goshpr.com.au/reach-for-the-stars-with-your-feet-on-the-ground/feed/ 0 1213 https://www.goshpr.com.au/read-all-about-it/ https://www.goshpr.com.au/read-all-about-it/#comments Mon, 29 Jul 2013 10:15:52 +0000 https://www.goshpr.com.au/?p=1161

There are eight million stories in the naked city, or so the famous film line goes.

The same is true of the commercial world.  Every business has its stories to tell, and research shows these stories can be very powerful marketing tools.… Read full news item

There are eight million stories in the naked city, or so the famous film line goes.

The same is true of the commercial world.  Every business has its stories to tell, and research shows these stories can be very powerful marketing tools.

The good news is you don’t have to rely so much anymore on the traditional content channels, like newspapers or trade journals, to get your stories across.

© Bjørn Hovdal | Dreamstime.com

But this in itself creates challenges for many businesses.

According to the US-based Content Marketing Institute, the biggest challenge for small business marketers is producing enough content to feed ‘the hungry beast’.

I suspect this is more an issue of not having the time and/or confidence to identify and ‘work up’ relevant content, rather than not having the content in the first place.

What makes for good content?  

It may sound obvious, but the key is to make it interesting – not to you, but to your customers.

By definition, this calls into question the value of content ‘stand-bys’ like awards and sales milestones.  There’s no doubt these sorts of stories enhance your reputation, but do they really excite your customers – and more importantly, keep them coming back to your website or newsletter?

Truth is, if you scratch the surface of your business you might be surprised at what really good content turns up.

Make yourself an expert. 

Whether it’s real estate, retailing or rat catching, share your experience and knowledge of the market with your customers.

And don’t confine yourself to what’s in your head. 

If you come across a general news story that’s relevant to your customers, put your own spin on it and pass it on. (Don’t read this as an invitation to plagiarise or otherwise breach someone’s copyright. Take the facts of the story and rewrite it to suit your audience and marketing objectives.)

‘How to…’ tips can be a great source of content. 

Trawl your industry association website for news or information that might be of interest to your stakeholders.  

Not only are you bringing something of value to your customers’ tables, you’re reinforcing your reputation as someone who has his or her finger on the pulse.

Case studies are tried and tested.  Getting your customers to talk positively – and personally – about your product or service conveys authenticity.

And remember – whatever content you produce, pay attention to the detail.  Copy that is poorly written, dotted with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, is counter-productive.

Gosh! specialises in producing content that is lively, informative and engaging.  Talk to Mark about your content requirements.

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What we’ve been up to…..

 

• Gosh! has recently been assisting Ray White franchises in Kiama and Berry with some of their copy needs.

• The latest edition of CCAA’s Public Domain magazine, featuring case studies written by Mark, came out this month.

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To be successful in business, your message needs to cut through this clutter.  Your ‘voice’ has to be distinct, loud and clear.

But first things first.

The cornerstone of any successful marketing and communications strategy – of being heard above the clutter – is branding. It defines your image and sets the tone of your ‘voice’.  It should be front-and-centre in every aspect of your marketing and communications.

© Iqoncept | Dreamstime.com

Think of your product, service or company as a person. How would you define its personality? Is it the safe, reliable option (Volvo), the quirky, fun option (Virgin Mobile), or maybe even the cheap, cheerful, everyday option (K Mart)?

The brand personality you assign to your product or service has to be authentic and relevant.

To be authentic, every element of your product or service needs to gel with the image you’re planning to project. Does the packaging communicate the same thing as your newsletter copy and advertising material? Do you back that up with the training you give to your staff and salespeople? Is your pricing consistent with this positioning?

To be relevant you have to have a clear understanding of the market in which you operate and the people who buy in that market. What are the things people see as important when choosing who to buy from in your market segment?

The ongoing challenge is to ensure your branding or brand personality meets these consumer imperatives, and yet separates you from your competitors.

It’s no good being the ‘young, funky’ brand if your market is aged care. (On the other hand, it may be perfect if you’re providing travel tours for young singles.)  Equally, it’s fruitless building your brand personality around something like ‘reliability’ if all your competitors are saying the same thing.

To make sure you stand out from the crowd, do some research on your competitors’ brand personalities. How do they present themselves to the market? Do they back this up?

Once you’ve done your homework, try to find a place in the market you can legitimately occupy that provides a unique fit between what people want and what you offer.

If your competitors are all being serious, is there room for fun? If they’re all expensive, is there room for a lower priced option? If they all lack personality…. well great, you’re already in front.

Be consistent and keep it simple

Remember: everything you produce – either for internal use or to be seen and used by your customers – has to have the same look, tone and feel. Keep it consistent and keep it simple.

The success of brands like Target and Coke is built on these principles. The consistency of their approach to branding – including logo, colour and communication – means you instantly know who they are and what to expect. And each communication usually holds just one clear message.

Brands that lose their way over time typically do so in response to problems in the marketplace. Panicky brand managers will make major changes to the logo, packaging and pricing. In the process, they sacrifice their brand history and customer goodwill.

It’s a tricky business fiddling with your brand, particularly if it’s long established. There can be legitimate reasons for refreshing your brand, but you have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. You shouldn’t automatically make brand personality the scapegoat for other problems in your business model.

Spend some time getting your branding right and you’ll create a strong, solid foundation on which to build a successful marketing and communications strategy.

Nerida Robinson has worked on iconic brands such as Imax, Lend Lease, Hyatt, Rexona, Nestle and Marie Claire Magazine. If you want to maximise the value of your brand contact her at nerida@goshpr.com.au

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What we’ve been up to…..

Gosh! has been working on the PR and marketing campaign for the 2013 CCAA Public Domain Awards.

The latest edition of the Public Domain Magazine, featuring case studies written by Mark Bowmer, is out now.

Road pricing is a hot topic in the media. Mark has just written the Transport Reform Network and Roads Australia submissions to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry on Road Access Pricing.

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Most successful businesses are driven by goals and comprehensive business plans. Typically, a plan outlines what a business currently does, what it plans to do, and how it’s going to get there.

Unfortunately, many businesses – especially smaller or owner-operated businesses – miss the big picture.

They tend to be inwardly focussed, gathering information from within the boundaries of the organisation. And when planning is done within these parameters, a wealth of information and insights will be missed… and the results will be seriously limited.

What is essential to good business planning is an outward looking marketing analysis – essentially an information gathering exercise.

A richer (in every sense of the word), more valuable business plan will be developed by first looking outward.

The initial step in this process is to look at the industry or category in which you operate.

How do you define the industry/category? Is it narrowly or broadly defined?

If you adopted a broader definition, what new opportunities could you identify and capitalise on?

Here’s an example. Birdsnest, one of the most successful Australian online apparel stores, started as a small Australian retailer with just one rural ‘frock shop’ – a pretty limited category.

Today the Birdsnest website has more than a million hits per month and ranks in the top fifty apparel sites in Australia. The business owner achieved this by redefining the category she operated in from small rural apparel retailer to local and online apparel retailer – a category with no geographical, and therefore almost limitless, boundaries.

Think outside your business box.

Even changing the way you think about your market, category or industry can open the door to expansion and success.

Think about how broadly you can define your industry. Gather information about the broader industry. Look at what trends are emerging, what innovations are being adopted by your competitors, both locally and internationally.

Look at what businesses in similar industries are doing. How are they keeping up with market demands, or even creating demand?

Think nationally, think internationally, think virtual.

Has this inspired you to do some homework for your business?

AND, categorising your industry or market is just the first step. Imagine the possibilities if you undertook a complete outward looking marketing analysis.

If you want to know more about marketing planning, give us a call on +61 2 4464 3331 or drop us a line at info@goshpr.com.au.

Our production role involved sourcing images, negotiating with photo libraries, supplying image files to
publishers and initial proof reading.

Our promotion work involved liaising with international publishers and publicists to co-ordinate book launches
and signings, supplying press releases to potential international publishers, and liaising with media.

For six years, gosh! undertook the Project Management of The Taronga Foundation Poetry Prize. This involved the day-to-day administration for the Prize, staging the Award Ceremony, and co-ordinating material for the publication of the Prize anthology.

Day to day administration included:

• Writing press releases for. and advertising. the Prize
• Liaising with media, sponsors, the chairman, founder, judges, schools, entrants and the project team
• Overseeing the design and printing of promotional material and entry forms
• Maintaining a national data base of all schools, TAFES and universities
• Co-ordinating a national mailout
• Coding and processing entries, creating a database of, and corresponding with, all entrants
• Managing budgets
• Managing Federal Government grant reporting requirements

Staging the Award Ceremony involved:

• Managing the project team
• Liaising with the Taronga Foundation regarding the venue
• Co-ordinating AV and approving catering for the Award Ceremony
• Organizing travel and accommodation for VIP’s
• Overseeing design, printing and mailout of invitations for entrants, schools, media, government ministers, and dignitaries
• Producing a running order and managing the event and all parties on the day
• Liaising with and assisting media at the event
• Booking and managing photographers and filming of event
• Organizing prizes, trophies, and certificates for all entrants
• Organizing gifts for guest speakers and VIP’s

Co-ordinating material for the Prize anthology involved:

• Liaising with the publisher, editor, judges, chairman, designer, founder and entrants
• Transcribing all winning entries
• Collating, proofing and checking pagination of all material including illustrations, forwards, credits and poems
• Meeting publisher’s design and printing deadlines

Client: Roads Australia

Project: Roads Australia website

Gosh! manages and edits the website content for leading industry association, Roads Australia.

www.roads.org.au

Client: Roads Australia

Project: Insider e-newsletter

Gosh! produces a fortnightly e-newsletter that goes out to nearly 5,000 road industry stakeholders across Australia.

www.roads.org.au/news/arf-insider

Client: CCAA

Project: Public Domain Awards 2011

“Australia boasts a richly textured urban landscape.

Our public spaces, in particular, draw from a wide range of cultural and natural influences, interpreted through a diverse palette of materials.

Chief amongst those is concrete.

A material renowned for its strength and durability.”

Client: CCAA

Project: The Public Domain magazine

“Ballast Point, a new public space created at the end of Sydney’s Birchgrove peninsula, is more picturebook than parkland.

Each physical element, natural and man-made, reveals something of the rich history of this remarkable site.”

The Public Domain, April 2010