You're Not Coca-Cola...Yet.
Welcome to the world of start-up business. It’s exciting, euphoric, nail-biting and nauseating.
Your product samples are getting great feedback. Your designer has created a logo and packaging with your Pantone colors and the look amazing. Your website is online and social media is queued up.
But wait. Does this message effectively represent your brand? Is it right? Maybe you should tweak the colors. The promotional t-shirts you ordered are turquoise, but your logo has more of a royal blue tone.
Are the images in my social media reflective of me and my business strategy? Will my product shine through or will readers absorb the wrong message? And those brochures...does the copy content accurately describe how great my product is?
Stop the presses! You may be off-brand!
You may assume that’s how I would advise you. But not necessarily.
Don’t stop. Get out what you got. If you are brand-new and unknown, you just need to get your s*it out there--get it out. Start with friends, neighbors, your local community who will support and embrace you; and forgive you if you are a shade off Pantone 10441-C
Visibility with an adequate message supersedes invisibility with a spectacular message. If you wait until it’s perfect, your competitors may pass you by.
Over the last five years, Coca-Cola has spent an average of 3.8 billion dollars per year on advertising worldwide. Unless you have a similar budget, you gotta do what you can, when you can, and usually on a shoestring.
Get your message out, If the t-shirts are off-color, add in a hat or scarf that resonates with your signature colors. Post your messages and remain consistent with your posting schedule. Believe me, no one will remember that your post was off-brand a week from now. But a lack of online presence WILL have an effect. Not thrilled with your brochures? Do a short run of a limited quantity so you have something to give out (digital printing technology makes this doable). Edit and punch them up the second time around.
You have a tight budget. Make what you have work for now...until your brand hits it big with a Coke budget.
