There’s a lot to go through when you’re establishing a business. We’re not here to talk about the legal or administrative side—that’s not our thing. But the marketing side? Here are the elements you’ll need and approximately how long you should agonize about each one.

Marketing strategy

How much does it matter?

How much time should you spend?

Why? I know, boring. Why can’t we start with a logo? Before you do anything else, you need to know who you’re talking to, what they need and how you propose to deliver. Marketing is about them, not you. You want to talk about how great you are? Start a podcast instead.

Measure by:

• Tightly targeted, well-rounded audiences and needs
• What you offer is relevant to those needs—your value proposition
• Uniqueness of your value proposition
• Believability—your proof points
• Whether you know how to recognize success

Watch out for:
Hanging your value proposition on something people don’t really care about. They may not be moved by how long you’ve been in business or the quality of your customer service if you’re selling chocolate-covered cashews—and if it is about service, what makes yours any different from everyone else who is saying the same thing?

You may have noticed that everything keeps coming back to strategy. Any time there’s a question, your strategy has the answer.

Company name

How much does it matter?

How much time should you spend?

Why? This may be a controversial opinion, but I’m a big believer that as long as it’s on strategy, the name itself is less important than how you commit to it. If Apple had chosen to call themselves Melon, we would have all gotten behind that name. Following that example, however, it’s great if you can pick something visual, interesting and not too straightforward.

Measure by:

• Uniqueness
• Fun to say scale
• Easy to spell and pronounce (if you have to spend your ad budget telling people how to say your last name, you may need to ask your ego to take a back seat)
• How it lines up with your strategy and what your audience wants

Watch out for:
Recent research suggests that customers are slower to trust and choose brands with intentionally misspelled names, like Lyft and Tumblr. Tough news when it can seem like all the good names have been taken.

Think about the short version and other potential hiccups. Although we generally advise using your full name all the time until you’re on par with IBM or KFC, if you’re going to abbreviate, make sure it works. I’ve had to talk a family member down from naming a business “UTI.” Going global? Make sure the name doesn’t mean something else.

And, while your URL shouldn’t dictate your company name, make sure you can find an option that’s easy for people to remember and spell.

Logo and brand identity

How much does it matter?

How much time should you spend?

Why? Your logo and brand colors set you apart from your competition, so it’s as important to look different as it is to be different. Whether it’s a modified type treatment or an icon or a combination of the two, work with a pro to show the world something new. Here’s a FATFREE post that dug even deeper into getting your logo and brand ID right. Included in your brand ID should be document and presentation templates.

Measure by:

• Uniqueness in the category
• Simplicity and clarity
• Alignment with your strategy

Watch out for:
Knowing when to commit. Logos and color palettes are tough, because there are 1,000 right answers and you can iterate for thousands of rounds and billions of dollars. But that doesn’t mean you’re making the result any better—just different and more expensive.

Playing it too safe. Survey after survey will tell you that blue is the most popular choice for people’s fave. And that’s why more than half the nation’s logos are blue. Want to stand out? Blue probably isn’t the answer. (I’d also like to further editorialize by pointing out that, just because people may say blue is their favorite color, it doesn’t mean they hate all the other ones. And, by the way, what does “blue” even mean?)

Too many opinions. More about this in the post linked above, but you don’t need the approval of every friend and relative who isn’t even in your target audience. People will find something to dislike to reward you for asking.

Doing it yourself. Just don’t.

Website

How much does it matter?

How much time should you spend?

Why? Whatever you’re offering, customers want to see that you’re legit. Depending on your functional needs, an engaging site can range from pretty simple and straightforward to super sophisticated. The good news is, there are great platforms and plugins available to speed the process, and pros (like us) who can help you get the content right, search optimized and out in the world.

Measure by:

• An engaging experience that puts your audiences first
• Easy access to the information users want
• Clear pathways for people who want to purchase or connect

Watch out for:
Bargain hunting. We’ve had too many clients come to us with builds that were created on the cheap, but couldn’t be easily updated. You don’t have to pay a fortune, just work with someone who knows how to create content for humans, designs to today’s tastes and will hand over the reins (if that’s what you want) so you can evolve and update without starting over.

Business cards, letterhead and signage

How much does it matter?

How much time should you spend?

Why? Not so long ago, opening up a box of new business cards was the official sign that you were in business. Today, unless you have a physical storefront, you can skip all of this in lieu of the electronic versions noted along with your logo.

Launch plan

How much does it matter?

How much time should you spend?

Why? You can’t just sit back and wait for people to find you. Your plan can evolve over time, which is why it has fewer sprouts and clocks here. But it’s important to activate the hard work you’ve done by advertising online or off, working the appropriate social channels, and getting the word out.

Measure by:

• How your tactics reach your audiences
• Analytics—are you getting the eyes and engagement you need?
• Alignment with your strategy

Watch out for:
Just putting yourself out there without a plan or without a way of knowing what success looks like.

You may have noticed that everything keeps coming back to strategy. Any time there’s a question, your strategy has the answer. And if you need help with creating or executing on that plan, connect with FATFREE. We’re all about turning smart strategies into marketing that motivates.