Every startup originates with a dream and a vision to make their ideas come to life and be instrumental in providing real life solutions; addressing critical problems, bringing innovation and delivering better user experience. A startup boost of entrepreneurial spirit with great zeal and enthusiasm coupled with determination, commitment and challenges.
Growing a business in today’s fast evolving environment is an overwhelming experience.
Rise- fall -Rise of startups:
Entrepreneurs know that a good idea can perish if it is lacking or not aligned with the current requirement of the market. While they have the passion and commitment, they are not able to reach to the right market and the target audience whereas, their competitors are prospering and gorging the limelight, and this is one of the main reasons, some Entrepreneurs are unsuccessful or doomed to failure.
Having said that, no matter how innovative and new your product line is, if you are not able to position your product in the market right and stay ahead of your competitors, The chances are quite bleak that your business will sustain over a period of uncertainty.
“If you don’t tell your story, someone else will.” – Unknown
Thankfully, that scenario is slowly changing as new entrepreneurs now understand the importance of building the Image and brand of their organization by adopting uniformed methods of communication. This creates a niche for themselves. However, even though more and more startups are aware about the need for ‘to be seen and heard’, they are not very clear about right channels, timings and people to address for attaining the ultimate outcome.
So, before a startup plans to hire an Image consultant, they need to seriously consider the following aspects, after all, engaging any form of communication, be it marketing, social or digital media or Public Relations services; will be an expense that requires an investment not only monetarily, but in terms of time and readiness to be present in the market
Answering the unanswered: The sole objective of Image creation of a startup
Most of the successful brands have recognition and therefore are continuously in the news. This plays a vital role as they thrive on attention, which a startup might not have, therefore it is imperative to outline a strategy that will not only keep the emerging brand in the media spotlight but also maintaining the level of consistency.
Keeping a tab on what competitors are doing and recognize the current trends in the respective segment will assist in structuring the goals and accomplish the desired results.
An Image consultant who is constantly in touch with the media and understands your product domain will help differentiate the brand from its competitors.
Identifying your market and your needs:
In this age of fast paced communication, when opinions & feedbacks are exchanged freely using various social and media channels like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TV etc… Image and reputation management plays indisputably an important role and requires a new level of engagement on the part of companies and entrepreneurs. While aiming for the moon and stars is good in the long run –it is not advisable to do so during an early stage of a startup, instead adopting a focused approach will reap benefits for entrepreneurs. A smart and coherent consultant understands this and help create a lasting impact on your target audience by telling compelling stories about your business thereby building strong relationships with your audience.
Identifying leads and converting them into relationships
A good Image consultant or consulting agency knows that “communications is an art” and they are the catalyst between the brand and the media to reach out to the consumers. So, when hiring a communications specialist evaluate them on the basis of their ability to tell you succinctly, who they have worked with and notice how well they summarize each company and what they did. Having existing relationships, their ability to create new ones and identify potential consumers to resonate with the brand.
People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic. – Seth Godin
Invest not in what comes cheap but what will add value
Speaking of brands and building up a recognizable brand identity is perhaps one of the most significant responsibility, so it might as well be shouldered by someone who will be able to manage it well. The value of an experienced Image consultant or a team shows in its ability to bring your message to target audiences in the areas most important to your business.
While there are many more measures a startup or an entrepreneur can evaluate the image consultants or consultancies they plan to work with, these above listed tools will help you in finalizing the most suitable consultant or consultancy to manage your brand. However, there is always this thing you would need to consider when deciding between your options, it’s important to realize that the practice of a solid Image building campaign will take few months before you see results.
Guest Post by Juhee Bagri