There are a lot of challenges that face any small startup in the early days of its existence. In fact, that might be something of an understatement. The early days of a startup can be an incredibly stressful and difficult time for you as the owner and for anyone else working with you. However, there’s one thing that often makes life difficult for small companies more than just about anything else, and that’s public perception. The reality is that if your business is new and small, people are going to assume that you’re less reliable and professional than a larger, more established business. Of course, this isn’t necessarily true, but it’s certainly a pervasive idea. With that in mind, here are a few ways to give your startup the professional shine it needs to succeed.

Consistent branding

Great branding is often the first thing that potential customers look for when it comes to engaging with any business. That might sound shallow, but the truth is that customers have no many businesses vying for their attention at all times that there’s no way they could wade through all of them without just focusing on the surface details. Because of that, you need to make sure that your branding is not only high quality but consistent across your business. Everything from name badges to signage, to banners on your website, should have the same colour schemes and logos. Otherwise, it’s going to look like a jumbled mess that reflects incredibly poorly on your business.

A solid web presence

The internet has well and truly taken over the modern world, and that means that your business needs to have a presence online. This includes a well-designed website and accounts on the various social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Not only should you have these pages but you should know how to use them in such a way that it doesn’t feel forced. Posts on social media should feel natural. Just look at corporate Twitter accounts like Wendy’s. That account has become incredibly popular due to the natural and easy-going way it interacts with people on the platform.

A “head office”

If customers see that the office of your business is just your spare room in your home, then they’re going to assume that your business isn’t worth their time. Luckily, you have access to things like virtual mailboxes which allow you to have your mail forwarded from a dedicated office address. A telephone answering service is also a great option for any small business that wants to give itself that professional shine. Services like www.ivyanswer.com help to present your business to customers exactly the way that you want them to see it. That lends a whole extra layer of legitimacy to your business that will make potential customers much more likely to want to engage with it.

Improved customer service

Customer service is, and always has been, one of the most important parts of any business. If you’re not able to take proper care of your customers then it’s not going to matter how great your business is in every other respect, you’re just going to end up looking amateurish. Not only that but poor customer service is something that people are very willing to talk to one another about. This means that you could very easily end up with your business gaining a reputation for not really caring about your customers. Being able to provide efficient and friendly service to your customers every time can make a huge difference in how they feel about your business. Even if something goes wrong with your product or service, if you’re able to supportively resolve that issue, there’s a good chance that your customers will still walk away feeling positive about your business as a whole.

It’s a strange paradox that small startups often find themselves in where customers aren’t interested because they seem too small, but they can’t grow and become more established because they don’t have any customers. This kind of thing has been the doom of many startups with a lot of potentials. However, these tips should help you to shit public perception in such a way that customers no longer assume that your business isn’t worth engaging with. It’s also important to remember that your business’s size is something that can work to your advantage. After all, you can offer a more personal and direct experience to your customers than large corporations could ever possibly manage, creating a far stronger emotional connection.