Did you know that around 45% of small startup businesses fail within the first five years of trading? 

Sometimes this is due to unavoidable and unforeseen circumstances. However, it’s due to a lack of business planning and effective marketing most of the time. 

The good news is that by taking some time to learn how to market a small business, you can significantly increase your chances of entrepreneurial success in 2022. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place!

Read on to learn a few critical helpful small business marketing tips. 

Make a Plan 

Planning isn’t always fun, but it’s your best friend if you’ve got a small business. Remember, unlike large corporations, you don’t have millions of dollars to fall back on if you have a terrible year.

Set out your monthly and yearly goals, and then calculate what you need to do to make this happen. Don’t forget to include a comprehensive budget analysis for your business. 

Make sure that you plan out your marketing campaigns in advance, so they look organized and professional. 

Create yourself a business plan and then make it a reality. 

Prioritize Your Website

Next, when learning how to market a small company, the first thing people usually talk about is your website. 

You need to optimize it to help you look professional and successful; as a small business, people are naturally cynical about your services. 

You should play by Google’s rules and create content that it considers valuable; you can follow the link if you need more info.

Advertise

Next, you need to actually advertise! Too many people have the product and the website but fail to tell anyone it exists. 

Customers won’t come flooding through the door just because you created a website; you need to shout it from the rooftops. 

Share your brand on social media; get support from friends, family, and colleagues. You could even try hosting a giveaway to encourage engagement from potential customers. 

Local Marketing 

Finally, if you want to know how to market a startup for immediate results, you need to focus on local marketing. 

This means local SEO (e.g., geotagging posts and adding ‘near me’), word of mouth testimonials, and paper printouts left in local areas. 

The more you can get talked about in your home town, the more successful you’ll be! Over time, word will spread outside of your local area, and by then, you’ll already have a loyal customer base. 

Now You Know How to Market a Small Business

This simple guide details how to market a small business for the highest chances of business success. Now you’re armed with the knowledge; it’s time to put it to practice and get your name out there! 

Remember, small business marketing is all about planning, optimizing your digital content, and getting local clients through the door. 

Did you find this article helpful? If so, check out our other posts for all things business, finance, marketing, and more. 

What do golden arches, a tick, and a piece of fruit all have in common? The answer is that they are famous logos from some of the top brands in the world (can you guess the three brands?). 

A great logo is essential for any ambitious business. But it’s also a challenge to come up with a new idea that is striking, relevant, and unique.

To help you, we’ve together with this guide to 5 top logo design tips to help you craft a brand that will help your business stand out for all the right reasons. 

1. Decide on a Visual Graphic

You can opt for a logo that consists solely of text, but you risk it looking dull and unoriginal. In contrast, a simple graphical picture is an excellent way for a logo to look more meaningful and professional. 

The trick to a great graphic is to keep it simple. Don’t use more than two colors, and limit the design to one or two shapes if possible. In addition, avoid small elements in the graphic that are hard to see at a distance.

Try to find a graphic that you can incorporate into your business name if possible. Nike is an excellent example of this, as the tick sits underneath the business name to underline to word.

Get advice from a digital branding agency for help creating the perfect graphic. 

2. Experiment

Don’t let your design phase limit you to a handful of logo design ideas. The more early creations you attempt, the better the chance you’ll find something you love.

When reviewing the designs, get friends and colleagues to give you their input.

They might react differently to the image or see something in a picture of text style that you didn’t spot (“it’s nice, but that image reminds me of the Starbucks logo”).

3. Embrace White

Lots of white space is the trick to creating any clean, professional design. And you can get away with using more than you think. The white space will help draw the eyes into your logo.

White space also makes adding your logo to print and your website more straightforward.

Most websites tend to have a white background around the top left (where a logo sits), so you won’t have to tweak your website background to match any complex logo color scheme. 

4. Think of Your Wider Brand Appeal

A logo is only the start of your business branding. Once you have the design, color, and font for a logo, you’ll want to apply that same style to other marketing graphics.

So keep this close to mind when you are creating a logo. Will the text you’ve chosen look equally striking in a Facebook ad or on a poster? Or is it too difficult to read? Do the colors pop, or are they too bland? 

5. Use Color Psychology

Color psychology is the term given to matching colors to meaning. For example, many people associate the color blue with calm.

Consider how you want your brand and business to come across to the public. Use that information to determine what colors will work most effectively for your logo.

Logo Design Tips to Try Today

Don’t settle for a less than perfect logo. Your business deserves more. Use our 5 logo design tips to create something that will stop people in their tracks and serve your business well in the future.

Did you enjoy this logo design advice? For more helpful business tips, head over to our “how-to” section. 

Did you know that the average CFO salary in the U.S. is $410,539 annually?

From tracking cash flow to handling financial planning, CFOs spreadhead the strategic management of their companies’ finance and accounting functions. 

But do you need an on-site CFO at your company? If not, a virtual CFO is a good option.

Keep on reading to learn about the 7 advantages of bringing a virtual CFO onboard.

1. Hiring a Virtual CFO Will Save You Money

As you can see above, paying for a full-time CFO can wind up costing you a ton. Meanwhile, virtual CFOs make $125,273 annually on average. So, if you either don’t need a full-time CFO or can’t afford one, consider a virtual CFO.

You might only need someone to work part-time. With the right technology, you can keep in touch with your virtual chief financial officer.

2. Benefit From Their Experience

A virtual CFO tends to have more than one client at a time, while a full-time CFO who works at an office typically has a single client at a time. 

When you hire a virtual CFO, you’ll benefit from the experience and expertise the financial officer brings to the table.

Being able to pick the brain of someone who has worked with different businesses in different industries will add value to your company.

3. Focus on What You Do Best

If you run a small company, chances are that you wear many hats. On the one hand, it can be stressful to have to shoulder so many duties. On the other hand, you don’t want to be a jack of all trades but a master of none.

So, instead of taking on something that you may not have experience in, why not consider hiring a virtual CFO who has the financial planning know-how? 

4. Virtual CFOs Are Ready to Go Right Away

Virtual CFOs come ready to work. With their wealth of expertise serving companies in multiple industries, they will be productive in short order.

You can’t say the same for many in-house CFOs. Many of them will need some time to get up to speed with your business. If you’d rather have a professional who will be productive and efficient right away, consider hiring a virtual CFO.

5. Tap Into Wider Talent Pool

Remote work has gone mainstream — and that was the case even before COVID-19. According to one source, over 36 million Americans will work remotely by 2025 — and 16% of people currently doing so are managers. 

What is a virtual CFO? A virtual CFO will do everything an in-house CFO will do. The difference is that the former will work remotely based on your needs. So, why not get aboard the remote work bandwagon and hire a virtual CFO?

If you hire a virtual CFO, you can select a professional based wherever you want. You won’t have to stick with a few select candidates in or around your town. That means you’ll be able to tap into a wider talent pool.

6. Formidable Network

When you hire a virtual CFO who has experience working with a lot of different companies, you’ll have access to a formidable network of people and businesses. Your CFO will offer financial advice and recommend contacts.

7. Grow Faster

With a virtual CFO helping your business, you’ll be able to grow faster and more responsibly. The professional will help you shape your financial plans.

Hiring a Virtual CFO Makes Sense

As you can see, there are lots of benefits to hiring a virtual CFO. If you’re running a business and don’t have someone filling that role, consider it.

You’ll find it more cost-effective if you retain the services of a virtual CFO rather than hiring someone to work in your office building.

Are you interested in reading more content on topics ranging from logo and design tips to how to market an auto repair shop? If so, check out our blog.

In Texas, the sun shines bright for more than 200 days a year. That’s why solar energy is such a great option for homeowners and businesses in the Lone Star State.

Not only is solar energy environmentally friendly and sustainable, but it also has a number of other benefits. In this article, we’ll explain the top four benefits of solar electric in Texas. Read on to learn why you should get started.

1. Solar Electric in Texas Reduces Air Pollution

One of the biggest benefits of solar electricity is that it helps reduce air pollution. The more homes and businesses that switch to Texas solar, the less demand there is for traditional forms of electricity generation.

Coal-fired power plants are a leading source of air pollution in Texas and around the country. Solar electric power doesn’t produce any emissions or pollutants when it’s generating electricity, so it’s a much cleaner option.

2. Solar Power Reduces Water Pollution

Solar panels don’t require any water to generate electricity, which is a major benefit in states like Texas that are facing severe drought conditions. In fact, solar energy can actually help conserve water by reducing the demand for power from traditional sources that use large amounts of water.

Solar electricity also helps reduce water pollution because it doesn’t produce any wastewater runoff. All the dirty water and pollutants from coal-fired power plants and other traditional forms of electricity generation end up in our lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Texas solar protects our waterways and helps keep them clean for future generations.

3. Solar Electric Texas Saves You Money on Your Energy Bills

One of the best things about solar energy is that it can save you money on your energy bills. Texas solar is a great investment because it pays for itself over time, while also protecting the environment and helping you save money in the long run.

It’s true that installing residential solar panels can be expensive at first, but they’ll begin to pay for themselves almost immediately through reductions in your energy bills.

If you live in an area with lots of sunlight like Houston or Dallas, then switching to Texas solar will make even more sense financially because your system will produce much more electricity than it would somewhere else with less sun exposure such as Alaska or Maine.

This means that you’ll see bigger savings from going green when you find out more info about solar panels.

4. Solar Energy Decreases Our Dependance on Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Switching to solar energy is a great way for homeowners and businesses in Texas to decrease their dependence on nonrenewable energy sources. There are many different kinds of renewable energy, but none are as abundant or accessible as the sun’s rays.

As more people switch over from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas (which take millions of years to form), we will reduce our reliance on these resources, which won’t last forever.

Learn More About Solar Panels

As you can see, there are several benefits of solar electric in Texas for homeowners. The sooner you install solar panels for your home, the quicker you can reap these great benefits.

Do you want to learn more about topics like this one? If so, check out our blog for more helpful articles.