How Snapchat is Changing the Startup Space

What started as a fairly simple picture-sharing social media experience is now changing the game for businesses world-wide. Those that don’t already have their own Snapchat channels will fall behind in the coming years. ​

Seriously, if you look at Taylor Swift’s twitter, who knows if she’s writing her tweets, but if you add her on Snapchat and see her taking a selfie or video. You know it’s real, and it’s her.

It’s a new, highly effective way of interacting with your consumers, and it’s safe to say that Snapchat is changing the startup space for a number of reasons:

It makes your brand more authentic.

Unlike some of the other big social media sites, like Facebook or Instagram, Snapchat isn’t about creating the perfect visual — it’s about being authentic. While a company, or even the average person, may spend several minutes altering and applying filters to make their image look exactly how they want on another site, Snapchat offers a place where people and companies can post authentic pictures and videos — knowing they will disappear within 24 hours.

It gives consumers a “behind the scenes” look into new services or products.

Snapchat allows you to give your consumers an exclusive look into how your company operates and what new projects you’ve been working on. In the fast-paced society we live in, one of the key components of advertising is staying relevant and keeping consumers engaged. Check on this article on transparency.

It appeals to a wider range of consumers.

A few years ago, it used to be that Snapchat was popular among a younger, more elite demographic. Today, an ever-growing number of people are using Snapchat to connect with their friends and family, and to keep tabs on their favorite celebrities and brands. Despite any other social media channels you may have, Snapchat gets your message across in a different way to wider demographic.

Snapchat is the future of brand advertising and is the newest way for startups to connect as a human with their audiences. To learn more about using Snapchat to enhance your startup, visit out website or even better, add me on snapchat.

Originally published at www.handshakin.com.

How to [NOT] Perfectly Launch a Business

How to [NOT] Perfectly Launch a Business

From the tiniest of details to the launch date, there’s a lot to plan and consider. Check-out the guide below for insightful information that is important, but doesn’t need to be perfect, before starting a business. Get it? Consider these, but don’t let them stall you from starting your business.

Fundamentals

Insurances and funding are the fundamentals of most new businesses. General liability insurance is necessary for most types of businesses, as well as additional insurances, depending on the type of new business you want to start.

County, city, state, and federal government all have different requirements for the types of insurances for specific businesses.

Also research to find-out if you need any certifications, and if you’re engaged in any sort of retail business, you’ll need to register to pay sales tax in your state.

Unless you’re a sole proprietor, you’ll also need to obtain workman’s compensation insurance, and make sure that any vehicles used for business have the correct auto insurance.

In terms of funding the start-up of your new business, it’s likely that you will need more capital than you think you do.

Unless you still have steady income from another source, add to your funding account the amount it will take you to live comfortably for six months.

Most businesses do not see a profit until approximately the third year after start-up. Funding estimations need to include any advertising that you plan to use to market your new business as well.

But, I didn’t consider a single one of these when I started my business. Know why? Because you’ll learn as you go, and none of them are risking the 3 things entrepreneurs shouldn’t risk: the cemetery, hospital, or jail.

Marketing 101

Choose the opening date of your new business carefully, they say.

When you’re opening in retail, it’s very strategic to start on a holiday, as consumers naturally shop more during those time frames. On the other hand, other types of businesses are likely to benefit from starting on other dates, since people get distracted during the holidays.

It’s very important to know your market and your niche. Know the who, what, when, where, and why of your business, and prepare to share that information succinctly and effectively to potential clients/customers.

Understand how your business is different from other businesses, and understand how to communicate where your business fits in the scheme of your industry.

Or, whatever, think about your target customer and personas that you’re helping, and then take your best guess. This will change after you launch anyway.

Details

When planning all of the huge things that go along with starting a busy, it’s easy to overlook details, especially if you’re on a tight schedule.

Make sure that you make choices, not only about pricing, but how to digitally (or physically) communicate that price.

Take lots of notes and have lots of other people help you with all of the details. It’s always a great idea to visit your local small business administration office.

Or, ignore most the details, and only take care of the most risky ones. You can’t do it all alone, and you’re going to need to attract the best talent to mitigate your risks.
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Do you need help gaining credibility since you can’t do all of this on your own? Check out our service where we help create content for personal brands. Learn more here, or tweet me at @handshakin.

Originally published at www.handshakin.com.