I have been working on a number of startups lately and I must say that each of them is equally exciting & challenging at times. The reason I decided to share this blogpost was to highlight how we can help startups and also at which all stages of Startup Building, i.e., from itch to idea and then launching it as a business unit. To startup is a thing of freaks but what if we tread carefully, work on and assess the idea to clarify and fine tune it before launching it for the audiences. We offer Startup Services, and that essentially starts with idea validation. And those who are sure and have tested the idea already, work with us on the latter stages of Startup Services. Stage 1: Idea Validation Most of the startups are passion driven and come with an idea and lot of excitement behind it. For some it is a parallel path and for others – ‘it is THE ONLY THING’. And that makes it all the more significant to ‘VALIDATE your START UP IDEA’. When a client comes to us with a certain start-up idea, we help them in ‘EVOLVING THE IDEA’ further and give it a ‘BUSINESS MODEL’ which shall have 2 appeals, first one is resonating with the target audience and second – revenue scheme. Following is the first stage of validating an idea for a Travel Startup, which is also a significant Startup Service to avoid failures: ——— Option 1: Travel Diaries Here the target would be – who is traveling and exploring options. Explore your options. What’s Different Photo Essay’s Cuisines to Explore Food for the soul / Know the people For Shopaholics Maps & Magazines —- Option 2: Travel Inspire Here the target will be – people with wish lists but not traveling. If Indian Millennial is to be captured for first 2 years of launch, concentrating on India will be a better option and economic also. In the option 2, we may not be creating a great pull for International Travelers but we can certainly create a pull for those – who have ‘India’ on the wish list. Why Travel How travel changed life Travel for Good Health Travel...
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Thank you for signing up. Let us help ourselves in Branding Better… Yes that is the purpose of this email series to help entrepreneurs & startups ‘brand better in 2016’. The idea is to help you validating your idea and to support you in the execution of that idea and thereby creating a B R A N D that counts. — Apparently, my last movie of 2015 was ‘Tamasha’ and it pumped me up and my entrepreneurial spirit. I am sharing this, as most of the readers of this email are entrepreneurs, business owners, startups and those who are keen on launching their business, saving an idea since long or trying for a parallel path. Sorry to go out of loop – but that is the magic of movie. People like us must watch it. It instills the belief that there is nothing wrong in following your heart and to get going with the powerful imaginations of our mind. —- Let us get started with 1st Email of Brand Better in 2016 series. Ruth Handler, is the co-founder of Mattel, Inc., the leading toy company of the world with brands like Barbie, Hot wheels etc. Most of the startups have the same story. The first fuel required in a start-up is Dream and Talent to make that dream executable. But did you know that most of the startups fail because they are brand myopic. We are in the age of millennial customers and that makes it all the more important to ‘BRAND’. We will quickly REVIEW your Business Idea and ascertain how well is it branded so far. You can take out a pen and paper and write the answers for yourself. #Consider this as the Activity 1. —————————————————————– What does your Brand name reflect? How is it perceived by your target audience? Is the name & brand identity conveying the brand message? Have you positioned the brand right? What values are we establishing? —————————————————————– Now that you are done with the above exercise, let us edit the above 5 points as per the following #Quick Tips on Brand Positioning & Establishment. BRAND NAME Your ‘brand’ name is the most pertinent part. It is not necessary that...
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Internet and communication technology have advanced way too much. It gives the power to potential customers out there to look for solutions to their problems online without having to put efforts for travelling, visiting the market places which in a way also cuts the possible costs that can occur. Moreover e-business has become the latest trend in present scenario. It becomes imperative for any business to create an online presence. Here the website comes into picture. A website is your first impression to your prospective clients. It enables the potential customers to view what you have to offer to them. It makes them able to access the needed information anytime and anywhere. The more detailed you are – the higher the trust levels of your visitors. The information or the content you provide on website ought to be true and relevant. A website helps in creating a perception in the minds of clients/customers that we have necessary knowledge about the business. A simple question you should think before you start writing the content for your website – Are we offering solutions to their problems? The more detailed you are about a subject – the chances of a positive call to action double. Imagine if you have put less information, the visitor will lose interest in the middle and there are chances they will drift away to get better results for their queries. Is it important to know your website visitors in advance? Yes. Once you have the idea what are the current trends of the market, you understand what client/customer is looking for. This gives you the confidence to develop the right offer for right customer. Certainly when you know in advance what information the customers will be checking out on your website, you will be able to provide more meaningful information. In a nut shell it gives a sense and a purpose to your work. You cannot mention complexities on the website as not all users are equally educated on the subjects equally. So the language has to be simple and approachable – heavy jargon and tough English is not advised. It only confuses your visitors and those who are naive will only switch to simplified sites. That...
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How to improve a brand’s presence in the online world depends a lot on that engine that’s driving the entire web world crazy! And that engine is our very well-known search engine, the first two alphabets of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). We also have understood by this time the theory that – it’s practically impossible to succeed in SEO without having great content strategy for your brand. I am sure we all have so many times looked and re-looked on how the campaigns that we were running for our brands and the tactics that we were using to promote it miserably failed to match the SEO rules. And by this time you may have also realized that doing SEO without legitimate and compelling content is only a half sided battle that you can never win. So, if you want to succeed in SEO and you plan on doing it the right way then follow the rules to develop the appropriate content strategy for your targeted audience. A content strategy that engages your audiences attracts links and converts traffic into business leads can be crafted by just one person who has a good understanding of the prospective markets. Outlined below are the steps that 30TH FEB has used to leverage our associate brands as a brand agency to serve entrepreneurs, brand marketers, startups and other businesses worldwide to successfully improve their brand performance. Your Brand’s Website is your Brand’s Identity A brand’s presence or identity is the image of a specific product or service that consumers connect with by identifying the name, logo, and tagline, tonality of the brand or design of the company who owns that exact image. In short, it’s the persona that a brand sets for its offerings so it can differentiate them from generic or competing products or services in the market. That formula is applied in SEO marketing also. The brand’s spirit should be tangible in every asset you create for consumer consumption. The writing style, the visual design and the themes of your content are all important elements where branding can be infused. When trying to understand a website’s business and brand identity, you can look at the following areas to get a quick...
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HAVE YOU PICKED THE RIGHT BRAND AGENCY FOR YOUR BUSINESS? KNOW HOW TO PICK ONE. Are you like most entrepreneurs, who have invested their heart into their venture? Are you one of those, who have always known to start up their own? Are you among those business men who put their brand name before revenue? Do you believe in long term business credibility then instant profits? If you are likely the ones mentioned above then I am sure you also believe that your business is for a larger purpose, an extension of your existence and you want to grow with it, each passing day. Well to be noted that there are many aspects that should be considered in order to grow a business, one of the most important being brand building. Now when talking about brands, we see them everywhere – from Mango in US to Mochi in India, from Apple in US to Blackberry in Canada. So irrespective of big or small, you got to invest on branding in order to build it strong. Branding need not be a fancy affair or cost you a fortune; it needs to pick your brand’s strength and values and epitomize them in every piece of marketing collateral you have and in every action you take. The right kind of brand agency will help you stand out. @30THFEB we recommend to Brand Safe i.e., Choose a Concept. Have a story. Now, once you decide to brand your business, the foremost dilemma you will face is that which branding agency fits best for your kind of trade. Also on the second thought, whether to hire an agency or to do it all in-house. It’s a challenge. Now-a-days, thousands of different agencies exist. From freelancers on Behance to 10-men experimental shops to enormous traditional firms with a global reach, and everything in between – the choice is just overwhelming. With so many options out there, selecting the right agency for you can become something of a headache. However, following a few simple rules and considering few do’s and don’ts will ensure you end up with the perfect brand design agency for your business. Set your branding budget and choose from what you can afford...
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Setting up a new business can be both exciting as well as nerve-racking; Exciting because you finally get to be independent and nerve-racking because you get to do things all by yourself that too within a budget, which is usually skewed. Few things that can push you further in your plan of becoming a successful entrepreneur are keeping constant focus on the vision and by staying flexible to market dynamics. “Great Execution is the Ultimate Differentiator.” – Margaret Molloy Any business you set up should have an idea behind. An idea of where you want to be, how you want to be in time in the future. An idea is nothing but a plan that you need to execute. No matter how much you think you know, you are bound to know less than you realize. So, surround yourself with people who can give you necessary suggestions time and again. Interact with people who challenge your way of thinking about things you do know. You can also continuously research your market and be open to new opportunities. Few years back I started on my own and I know the drill. So, through this post I am going to share with you few business tips that I learnt during my entrepreneurship tenure. Here are the Branding Tips with 30TH FEB. Own a BRAND not just a BUSINESS Don’t just aim to run a business, make an identity and create a brand on the foundation of trust. Branding is all about creating unique value for your customers. Be clear and consistent in your branding communication that will help you build your business values, help you achieve goals easily and help to create a brand personality. And over the time, you will build a stronger business identity. A strong brand prompts strong emotions, opinions and responses from target markets that contribute to the growth of its business. So, remember your brand determines the position and strength of your entire marketing framework, and serves as a constant internal point of focus. 30TH FEB’s Tips: A company profile through a brochure helps in the introduction of the brand, what it is all about, what are its values directly to the client. It’s the...
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