While hair grows back and you can recover from a bad idea like that pretty quickly, it’s another matter to invest in and proceed with a bad business idea. That always guarantees a loss of time and money. 

The best business ideas solve problems. We’ll say it again for the people in the back — the best business ideas solve problems.

So how do you know if you have a great business idea or a dud? In today’s post, we’re going to discuss the process of business idea validation and you’ll learn how and why you should validate your business idea.

Validating your business idea

The worst thing you can do when making business decisions is guess. Guessing is not a good strategy when it comes to your business, your livelihood, and your income.

Idea validation is the process of testing and validating your idea with feedback and data before you start developing a new product or service, or starting a business. This process is essential to developing a business or product that people actually want. If your idea is self-serving and doesn’t help solve the problems of others, it won’t go far.  

Large companies and corporations call this process “Research & Development,” and while you won’t need to do anything at such large a scale, there are a few things you can do right now to validate your idea.

By validating your business idea you’re going to save yourself from a future headache and loss of money. So, let’s dig in and figure out how to validate your idea.

The business idea validation process

Identify your ideal customer

Do you know who your ideal customer is? That’s as good a place to start as any when you’re trying to validate your business idea. If you don’t know who your ideal customer is, who are you supposed to ask for feedback and validation? Sure, you can ask your friends and family, but let’s be honest: They’re likely to sugarcoat things so as not to offend.

Your ideal customer is the person whose needs are met by what you’re offering. To identify those people, you’ll need to know your products and services from your customer’s point of view. Think from their perspective: What sets you apart from competitors? What problems of theirs does your business solve?

Identifying your ideal customer isn’t about identifying who you want as a customer, it’s about identifying who benefits most from your product or business as it is.

Think about what you’ll ask when validating your idea

In order to validate your business idea, you’re going to have to present it to people to get their honest feedback. You don’t want to inundate them with a massive presentation; instead think about how you can present a handful of ideas, the best ideas and solutions your business aims to provide.

If you start with your life story and amble into a presentation about your business, you’re going to lose your interviewees’ attention (yes, interviewing is part of the process.) You’ll want to keep your presentation short so that it doesn’t get confusing and focus on the core of your business or products.

Reach out for interviews and feedback

Once you’ve identified what your ideal customer looks like and know what you’ll be asking, it’s time to do some reachout. Make a list of potential customers or clients that you think fit your ideal customer profile and ask for their time. You’ll want to set expectations with them: Let them know you aren’t trying to sell anything, why you’ve contacted them, and that it won’t take much of their time.

As we said earlier, friends and family are likely not great candidates for interviews. They’re personally vested in you and may gloss over issues they see in your product or business idea. It’s not because they’re trying to be unhelpful, but more often than not, they won’t want to hurt your feelings.

The business idea validation interview

When you start your interview, remember that these people are giving up their time to try and help you succeed. So, say “Thank you” and let them know how much you appreciate their time. Explain that their feedback is essential to you designing and creating something people will actually benefit from. People like to know that they’re important and valued, and assuring them of their importance during this process can help them open up to you.

Give them a brief rundown of your business, but don’t get lost in the weeds or use technical terms that they’re unlikely to understand. Then, launch into the core aspects of your business idea that you need their opinion on. Present these ideas individually and allow people to give you their thoughts on one of them before proceeding into the next. The interview is a back-and-forth between you and the other person, not a one-sided soliloquy.

Once you’ve completed the interview, thank them for their time and again reinforce the importance of their opinion and insights. You may find that you’ve just earned yourself a future customer or client.

Review your feedback and optimize your business idea accordingly

After your interviews, sit down and review what people had to say. Look for common themes and patterns in your feedback — is there anything everyone was excited about? What negative things did they highlight?

This process of validating your business idea isn’t designed to deflate anyone’s confidence, it’s designed to help you create the best and most effective business to suit your customers’ needs and wants.

Take what you’ve learned from the interview feedback and use it to modify and improve your business idea. Always keep the customers’ point of view in mind as you move through this exercise as they’re the ones who will be keeping you in business once you launch.

What happens after you validate your business idea?

After validating your business idea and making any necessary changes, it’s time to create a business plan and launch your business.

Keep in mind that it’s essential for businesses to have a digital presence these days. Online business has boomed throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and we don’t see it going away any time soon. If you want to be competitive, be where your customers are — online.

Creating an online presence for your business starts with a domain name. Your domain name is your online address and will lead people to your site. You can easily create a beautiful website using a website builder once you’re ready to go live.

If you need help or have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us or comment below. We wish you the best as you launch your business!

Yes, it’s that time of year already.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s your main source of income or if it’s your weekend passion project — when you have an eCommerce website, the holiday season takes on extra importance.

Sure, it’s the season for family, friends, and those we love; but it’s also about cutting through the carols to increase your bottom line in one of the busiest retail seasons of the year.

And that’s especially true for 2022 — a year in which we’re all feeling the pinch of inflation.

Salesforce predicts that this year’s online sales won’t exceed those of 2021, bucking the net-positive trend we’ve experienced since 2019. November’s and December’s totals are expected to reach $1.12 trillion worldwide with $265 billion of that in the United States. Those numbers represent a 2% decrease in online international sales as compared to last year, and only a 3% increase in the U.S.

Being mindful of the current economic situation, how should you go about maximizing the holiday season for your business?

With thoughtful, data-driven planning.

And so, we’re learning to create an engaging and effective holiday marketing plan in this blog post.

Creating a Holiday Marketing Plan

A good marketing plan serves as the framework for building customer relationships and gaining mindshare in a cluttered digital landscape. Not only that, but it directly contributes to influencing positive customer and client actions, like increasing completed purchases or subscriptions.

A great marketing plan does all of the above, as simply as possible, because at the heart of marketing is humans building relationships with other humans, and we do that best when we communicate effectively.

Rob Garf, VP and GM of Retail at Salesforce, sets the stage for how we ought to approach a marketing plan with the following statement:

"Inflation has finally caught up to bullish spending, with consumers buying fewer items from fewer retailers. This likely isn't a temporary mindset, but instead a signal of a larger consumer behavioral shift towards value and convenience. For retailers to address this, it's ... [about] finding ways for channels to work symbiotically to attract and retain loyal shoppers." 

Keeping that larger consumer behavioral shift in mind, our challenge is to form a marketing plan that supports you working smarter, not harder.

Designing Your Plan’s Framework

Domain.com’s Content and Social Media Marketing teams use the following framework to kick off their marketing plans.

It distills your plan down to its core elements, providing clear direction for you to further define your specific tactics, S.M.A.R.T. goals, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). As we design our holiday plan, we always keep our brand, mission statement, and ideal customer top of mind.

Defining Your Target Audience

For holiday eCommerce success, you’ve got to know your archetypal customer.

Why is that so important?

Well, your eCommerce site, as great as it is, isn’t for everybody. Some folks will love what you offer and turn into repeat customers, some can appreciate what you offer but won’t commit to a purchase, and others won’t be interested at all. (Sounds a lot like dating, doesn’t it?)

This blog post, “How to Identify Your Ideal Customer” dives into the topic, discussing customer personas, demographics, and data and analytics in further detail.

The Holidays That Matter to Your Audience

Focus your time and attention where it’ll make the most impact.

Unless you’re a big box store with outposts across the world, odds are that your audience isn’t “everyone” and they don’t celebrate each and every fall and winter holiday. And generic spray-and-pray marketing is a dinosaur best left in the past.

To stay relevant and authentic, identify the holidays your customers most likely celebrate and concentrate your efforts there. This 2022 holiday calendar will help.

Now that you’ve selected the holidays where you’ll be concentrating your marketing efforts, let’s dive further into the specifics of what you’re trying to achieve, and how to get there.

Defining Goals and Specific Holiday Marketing Tactics

At this point, you should be asking yourself:

• What actions do you want your audience to take? For example…
  • Is it to complete more purchases instead of abandoning items in their carts?
  • Do you want them to subscribe to your email newsletter?
    • DYK: In marketing lingo, every time one of these desired actions is successfully completed, it’s called a conversion.
• How do you measure success? Identify the data points that matter.
  • E.g. – you’ll never know if your goal of increasing online sales is successful if you’re only measuring the total number of visitors to your site.
  • Bias has no place in data or data analysis, and vanity metrics are not actionable and won’t help you succeed.
  • Focus on the data points that are the most relevant and accurate reflections of performance.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

A holiday marketing plan is no place for obscurities or egos.

Your plan defines how to connect and communicate with your audience effectively so as to positively influence them toward the desired outcome(s), thereby increasing conversions.

And now, we explore S.M.A.R.T. goals. You’ll want to have these goals concretized before launching any of your marketing initiatives and going live with specific tactics. The process of creating these goals includes brainstorming tactics to help move the needle toward conversion (though we have a dedicated section on tactics coming up next.)

S.M.A.R.T. Goals are:

• Specific – Get granular.
• Measurable – How can you quantify success?
• Achievable – Did you seriously just create your first eCommerce site and genuinely expect to compete with Wallyworld’s online sales this holiday season? That would be the opposite of achievable.
• Relevant – Keep it focused.
• Timebound – At what point should you stop to assess your performance?

Here’s an example to help you create your S.M.A.R.T. goals. In this imagined scenario, an eComm site owner wants to leverage Black Friday fervor to increase their revenue.

Now to some, that last sentence might seem goal enough. But it begs the question: increased revenue as compared to what? And how will they be leveraging Black Friday — by asking it nicely?

S.M.A.R.T. goals don’t leave room for interpretation. Here’s a better goal for that eComm site owner:

On Black Friday, I’ll increase my eCommerce sales by 20% over last year by using social media to prompt my followers to visit my site for the following exclusive 24-hour deals: 20% off my best-selling goods, including discounted or free shipping, dependent on purchase size.

If this is your first year in eCommerce and you don’t have any historical data from previous years as a basis for comparison, your goal could look like this instead:

On Black Friday, I’ll increase my average daily sales by 20% by using social media to prompt my followers to visit my site for the following exclusive 24-hour deals: 20% off my best-selling goods, including discounted or free shipping, dependent on purchase size.

That goal encompasses all the elements of a true S.M.A.R.T goal — helping you to define and measure your successes — and perhaps those not-so-successful endeavors, too. It can happen to the best of us so don’t get discouraged — what we so often see as failure is just as readily a lesson in what doesn’t work. A learning experience so we don’t make the same mistake twice, if you will.

Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, your goals and accompanying tactics may vary. And while money does talk, there’s nothing restricting you to discounts and coupon codes. A little creativity can go a long way when it comes to creating value for your customers and encouraging them to transact on your site.

Holiday Marketing Tactics and Offers to Promote eCommerce

• Gift Guides
  • Help those indecisive shoppers find the perfect gift with a holiday gift guide.
    • No one ever knows what to buy for Aunt Bea or Cousin Freddy, but with your excellently curated guides, their names are getting crossed off the shopping list early this year.
  • Include a variety of gift guides catered to different budgets and relationships (i.e. – separate gift guides for family, friends, and coworkers, respectively) so there’s a little something for everyone.
• Free Gift Wrapping
  • Want to increase eCommerce sales on Small Business Saturday? Do something most other online retailers won’t and offer free gift wrapping.
• Offer Free or Discounted Shipping
  • Drive online orders this Cyber Monday by offering free or discounted shipping based on the purchase total. Customers will be enticed to add more goods to their shopping carts so they can reap those free shipping rewards.
• Tips, Tricks, & Advice
  • The holidays aren’t just about shopping and spending. Provide value to your customers by giving them relevant tips and advice to help make the holidays less stressful. For example, if you’re a salon you can offer tips on how to pamper yourself during the holidays. This is also a great way to highlight the services you offer and include ways for people to book them.
• Holiday Recipes
  • Share a favorite holiday recipe from your family (or restaurant if that’s your industry) with your customers to provide value and make a connection without offering a discount.
• Holiday Photo Contest
  • Ask your customers to share their holiday photos with your business online. You can ask them to tag you on social media or use specific hashtags to make sure you see their posts.
  • You can offer a prize for “best photo” or provide a discount to those who engage with your business online.
• Gift Cards + Bonus Value
  • Want your customers to buy more in gift cards? Offer a bonus amount with each gift card purchase! For example, every time someone purchases $50 in gift cards you can give them an additional $10 for free.
• Promote Holiday Events
  • If your business hosts events, whether virtual on in-person, you’ll want your customers to know about them and attend. Drive interest in your events by marketing them to your audience and offering a discount on tickets.

Leverage the Best Marketing Channels for Your Business

The holidays are often a busy, hectic time. With that in mind, it’s important that you get your message to the right audience and at the right time.

Stop and think about all the different ways your customers and prospects interact and communicate with your brand. Where are those engagements happening?

Below, we’ve listed some of the most popular channels and methods for communicating with your audience. Review them and decide what works best for you. Don’t dissuade people from doing business with you during this busy time by accosting them with messaging on every single platform — no one likes a nag.

• Social Media
  • Social media is a valuable tool and almost everyone has a social media account on one platform or another. It’s not essential that your brand have a presence on every social media platform — focus on the ones where your customers are.
    • Facebook is a great platform to engage with your customers and audience throughout the year and especially during the holidays. Update your business page’s cover photo with a holiday image to reflect the festive season and post about your special events, discounts, and offers. Most Facebook users access the app through their mobile devices, so it’s a fantastic way to target local consumers.
    • Twitter’s platform works wonders for engaging with your audience and sharing bite-sized content that’s both helpful and insightful. Consider sharing your tips and advice on this platform, and don’t forget to share your offers. If your customers reply to you, engage them in conversation on this fun channel.
    • Instagram is heavy on visuals — which is perfect for styling and showcasing the items you mentioned in your gift guide. Share photos of your staff at your annual holiday party or behind-the-scenes clips as your business preps for the season.
    • YouTube’s popularity isn’t going anywhere. People love engaging with videos and absorbing content in that medium. Consider “unboxing” a popular product and sharing it with your audience.
• Website
  • Your website is your business’s home base online. Update the images and text on your site to reflect the holiday season and any special events or offers you may be running.
  • No website? Get started today with Domain.com.

• Email
  • Reach your customers where they are every single day: Their inbox. A few well-crafted emails to highlight your holiday offerings and events can do a lot to drive business. Include easy-to-click buttons that take your readers directly to your online store and the products you’re looking to sell. Don’t forget to include your discounts along with a clever subject line to entice your audience to open your emails.
  • Help your customers recognize you in their inboxes. Get a professional email address that matches your domain name so you don’t get sent to the spam folder.
  • You can perform a quick online search to find a reputable Email Service Provider to help with your email marketing needs.
• Text/SMS
  • SMS marketing has grown in popularity over the years and there’s good reason for that. Gartner reports that “98% of SMS messages get opened” and Omnisend found that “SMS marketing’s conversion rate rose 102% in 2020.”
  • A quick online search can help you identify the perfect SMS marketing vendor to help you reach your customers.
• Paid Advertising
  • Not all businesses have the budget for paid advertising, but if you do, you should consider leveraging it during the holiday season to get in front of the right audience. Paid advertising can be done on Google to appear higher in the search results, on social media, and on various other online platforms.
  • Concentrate your efforts on the platforms where your audience spends their time.

Once you’ve decided on the channels you’ll use to communicate with your customers, think about when to start sending your messages. Too soon and you may soon be forgotten. Too late and your message may get lost in a multitude of other last-minute, opportunistic messaging. Plan to send a series of communications starting a week or two before the holiday occurs and culminating on the holiday itself to stay top of mind with your audience.

Ready to rock your holiday marketing?

Don’t leave any room for silly mistakes or error in your planning. By leveraging the holiday marketing guidance in this post, and referring to this Holiday Marketing Checklist, you’ll be well on your way to a successful season of online sales.

With a little creativity, thoughtful planning, and some elbow grease, you can create the perfect offers to attract your audience and provide value all while nurturing customer relationships.

As you market your business this holiday season, keep track of what efforts are successful and which ones aren’t. You’ll want to have this information handy for future years so you can tweak and iterate your marketing messages instead of starting over from square one.  

Do you have any other holiday marketing ideas for businesses? Let us know in the comments below!

If you haven’t had the time to prepare for them, don’t fret. We put together the following 2022-23 eCommerce holiday calendar to help you get started.

Once you’ve identified the holidays you’d like to participate in, refer to our Holiday Marketing Plan Guide for more insights and instruction.

Pro Tip: Don’t worry about each and every holiday listed below. Focus on the holidays that resonate most with your target audience.

Holiday Marketing Calendar ’22-’23

October Holidays 2022

Dates of note:

• 4 — Yom Kippur begins
  • Considered the holiest day in Judaism.
• 10 — Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Columbus Day
  • Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a recognized holiday in some U.S. states and cities. It’s meant to commemorate the indigenous peoples of America.
  • An official federal holiday in the U.S. that commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.
• 24 — Diwali
  • One of India’s biggest and most celebrated holidays.
  • Known as the “Festival of Lights” it’s celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs.
• 29 — National Cat Day
  • Meow…
• 31 — Halloween
  • “The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.”

Monthly Themes:

• Breast Cancer Awareness
  • As of 2021, breast cancer has become the most common type of cancer across the globe. It accounts for 12% of all new cancer diagnoses worldwide.

November Holidays 2022

Dates of note:

• 6 — Daylight Savings Time ends
• 11 — Veterans Day
  • A U.S. holiday dedicated to paying tribute to all veterans who’ve served their countries honorably.
• 24 — Thanksgiving
  • Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate the harvest and other good things of the past year.
• 25 — Black Friday
  • The Friday after Thanksgiving.
  • Traditionally marks the start of the holiday shopping season.
• 26 — Small Biz Saturday
  • The Saturday after Thanksgiving.
  • A day to celebrate and shop at small businesses to support all they bring to their communities.
• 27 — Artists Sunday
  • Sunday after Thanksgiving.
  • Started as a national marketing campaign to encourage shoppers to buy from artists and give one-of-a-kind gifts for the holidays.
• 28 — Cyber Monday
  • The Monday after Thanksgiving.
  • Created to encourage online shopping, it’s the second-biggest shopping day of the year.
• 29 — Giving Tuesday
  • The Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
  • It is “a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.“

Monthly Themes:

• “Movember”
  • Focus on men’s health.
• Holiday preparation and shopping.

December Holidays 2022

Dates of note:

• 18 — Hanukkah begins
  • An eight-day Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple.
• 21 — Winter Solstice
  • Marking the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year.
• 24 — Christmas Eve
  • Marks the last day of Advent before Christmas begins on the 25th.
• 25 — Christmas Day
  • A Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
• 26 — Hanukkah ends
• 26 — Kwanzaa begins
  • Observed by many African Americans, this secular holiday celebrates culture, heritage, and traditional values.
• 26 — Boxing Day
  • Originally a day to celebrate and give gifts to the poor, it’s now mostly a shopping holiday.
  • Celebrated in the UK and other commonwealth nations.
• 31 — New Year’s Eve
  • The last day of the Gregorian calendar.

Monthly Themes:

• It’s the height of the holidays.
• Charitable giving and goodwill.

January Holidays 2023

Dates of note:

• 1 — New Year’s Day
  • The first day of the Gregorian calendar.
• 7 — Orthodox Christmas
  • Also known as “Old Christmas Day.”
  • Celebrates Jesus Christ’s birth according to the Julian calendar.
  • Observed by the Orthodox Church.
• 14 — Orthodox New Year
  • The first day of the new year according to the Julian calendar.
• 16 — Martin Luther King Jr Day
  • A federal holiday in the U.S. that marks the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
• 22 — Chinese New Year
  • Also called “Lunar New Year.”
  • Annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities across the globe.
  • Celebrates the beginning of the new year according to the lunisolar or Chinese solar calendar.

Monthly Themes:

• New beginnings and resolutions.
• Health and wellness.

With everything happening, it’s often the case that things fall through the cracks or don’t get the attention they deserve.

Don’t let that happen to your marketing efforts.

Below, you’ll find a handy holiday marketing checklist to help guide you through the busiest retail season of the year.

Holiday Marketing Checklist 2022

Pre-holiday Checklist

Have the following items completed by mid to late October.

• Review and forecast your online store based on your historical data or the previous year’s performance.
  • If this is your first year in business, review industry trends and data from the year prior, so you have a sense of what to expect.
• Create the framework for your marketing plan.
• Decide on the holidays you want to focus on.
• Set your S.M.A.R.T. goals.
• Figure out what tactics you’ll use to support your overall strategy and goals.
• Optimize your online store for the holidays.
  • Fix broken links, optimize SEO, test your user experience, and add holiday elements where appropriate.
• Prepare and update your social media accounts.

As the Season Progresses…

• Keep tabs on your performance.
  • Actively monitoring your online performance helps you identify and resolve issues as they occur, instead of allowing them to become bigger problems.
• Communicate your “ship by” dates to your audience. And then remind them of it!
  • Create a sense of urgency, or FOMO (fear of missing out), so that your audience is incentivized to transact ASAP.

Post-Holiday Checklist

• Remove holiday content from your site in a timely manner.
• Review and analyze your metrics while they’re fresh.
  • If you haven’t kept great records, you might not remember what actions influenced your results come next year.
• Keep your customers and clients engaged!
  • You want them to do business with you all year long, not just the holidays. Stay in touch via email, and social media, and keep your site current.

But if that’s true, why does it feel so stressful?

As a business owner, you’re likely feeling the stress of the looming holidays and the biggest retail season of the year. Everything from decorations and website updates to deciding what sales to run and deals to offer falls on your shoulders. Then, you have to think of your home life and purchase gifts for your nearest and dearest without breaking the bank. 

By the time the holiday season actually arrives and carols commandeer our radio stations, odds are good you’ve been overwhelmed for a while. 

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You deserve relaxation and to be shown care and concern. But sometimes, that has to start with ourselves and learning self-love and appreciation. 

Though you wear a lot of hats and time is tight, self-care is vital, especially during the holidays. Below, we’re exploring 10 ways you can practice showing yourself gratitude. Keep reading for our best holiday self-care tips. 

10 Holiday Self-Care Tips

Ah, the holidays… 

The weather (and responsibilities) outside could be frightful… but inside? Your mind could be a calm oasis, a place to find refuge during the holiday storm. When business, social expectations, and life all seem too much to handle, take a step back and refer to the self-care tips below. 

1. Plan your downtime

When you have a million things to do and tasks of all sizes await your attention, it seems difficult to justify taking a break. Adding to that, we live in a world where busyness is glorified. Silvia Bellezza and other researchers at the Columbia Business School “…argue that a busy and overworked lifestyle, rather than a leisurely lifestyle, has become an aspirational status symbol.”

Breaks are essential to a healthy lifestyle, and it’s time to reframe the way you think about them. Taking a break isn’t a sign of laziness; instead, it’s an opportunity for you to refresh and promotes productivity and improved creativity. 

Moving forward, make a point to carve a few minutes out of each day for a bit of downtime. 

2. Define and delegate

When you started your business, you did it with a vision. You know how you want your business to grow and what needs to be done to get there, and it can be difficult to let others into your plans. In an effort to “do it all,” we resort to multitasking. Multitasking seems fruitful but consider the following passage… 

“Research suggests that ‘multitasking, which many have embraced as the key to success, is instead a formula for shoddy work, mismanaged time, rote solutions, stress, and forgetfulness,'” says author Kimberly Himes. 

If you feel like the best way to get everything done is to do it yourself, and if you’re drowning in responsibilities, we’ve got one word for you: Delegate!

Defining what needs to be done and delegating those tasks “helps leaders manage their workload and maximize productivity while also helping employees build skills.“

Learning to delegate helps relieve stress. You can rest easier knowing that delegation prepares your team to handle whatever happens if you are unavailable due to an emergency, or just taking a break.  

3. Breathe 

Have you ever had someone tell you to “calm down” during a time when you were visibly stressed?

It didn’t help much, did it?

When you’re stressed, your prefrontal cortex is impaired. That’s the part of your brain responsible for rational thinking, so following a simple instruction like “calm down” seems nigh impossible. 

Stress impacts your decision-making and ability to interpret information related to your business, too. 

So, what can you do to minimize the effects of stress and regain mastery over your mind? 

Breathe.

The Harvard Business Review reports that “different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing, and so changing how we breathe can change how we feel.”

The critical thing to remember is this: When you exhale, your heart rate slows down, and when you inhale, it speeds up. A popular breathing technique to combat stress is inhaling to a count of four and then exhaling to a count of eight. Try that for a few minutes the next time you feel stressed.

4. Prioritize what matters

When you’re running a business and trying to make a profit, it can be hard to remember what the holiday season is truly about. Keeping your business afloat and successful is, without a doubt, important. Still, it isn’t the only important thing in your life. 

If the pressures are mounting, turn to your loved ones and favorite activities to help ease the burden. Whether you find comfort with your family or pets or close friends, remember that the holiday season is about coming together with those you love and those who love you. 

Make time for a holiday movie with your kids after a day at work. Or call up a friend and snuggle on the couch with your dog as you rewatch “The Grinch” for the first time in years. 

If coming together with family and friends sounds more stressful than relaxing, then make time for what does relax you. Is it playing a league sport in the evenings? Do arts and crafts warm your heart? Whatever it is that makes you happy — make time for it!

5. Eat good food

It’s the holiday season and cookies, crackers, and assortments of baked goods abound. We don’t think you should restrict yourself from the sweet treats the holidays offer; just enjoy them in moderation. 

Here’s why: Good food equals a good mood.

The next time stress has you feeling blah, combat it via your plate. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “The best meal to enhance your mood is one that combines complex carbohydrates with lean proteins and colorful produce.”  

Complex carbohydrates, like those found in sweet potatoes or quinoa, can increase the availability of serotonin, a “feel-good” chemical, in your brain. Proteins have been associated with increased levels of the chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which influence a person’s mood and concentration. 

And fruits and vegetables? There’s evidence “that people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower incidence of mental disorders, including lower rates of depression, perceived stress, and negative mood.”

6. Don’t skimp on sleep

Short work doesn’t lead to a smoothly operating business. Depending on the situation and what needs to be completed, it might mean you’re burning the midnight oil and forgoing sleep. While you can probably get away with a bad night’s sleep every now and again, don’t make a habit out of it. 

The American Psychological Association says that “sleep is a necessary human function — it allows our brains to recharge and our bodies to rest.” And missing out on sleep is more detrimental than you might think. “Sleep is so crucial that even slight sleep deprivation or poor sleep can affect memory, judgment and mood.”

To sleep better, establish a nighttime routine.

This routine can include meditation, breathing techniques, reading, or other relaxing activities. Additionally, stay off your phone and turn off your TV before starting your bedtime routine. 

7. Understand your emotions

Most of us have strong feelings surrounding the holidays. Whether those emotions are good or bad depends on our personal histories, external influences, and much more.

Around the holidays, many people resort to overworking, overeating, or drinking as ways to compensate for feelings they don’t know how to manage. Instead of burying your emotions and feeling the resultant stress, explore and acknowledge them. You can do this by journaling or seeking outside advice on how to manage your feelings and emotions.

When you begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed, sit down with a notebook and a pen and try to determine why you’re feeling the way you are. The more you practice acknowledging your feelings and understanding where they come from, the less control they’ll have over you.

8. Disconnect

When the stress of the holiday season gets to be too much, take a step back. It’s okay to disconnect if you need to (just remember you can’t stay disconnected!).

Disconnecting looks different depending on your situation and needs. Maybe it means turning your phone off for set amounts of time each day or muting notifications. Or perhaps your version of disconnecting includes meditation— a literal forgetting of self.

Taking a step back from it all doesn’t mean you’re a failure or don’t know how to cope. Sometimes, life is just that busy and you need to find a quiet refuge where you can collect yourself and rebuild momentum.

Looking for ideas on how to take a break from the Internet and other stress-inducers this holiday season? Take a look at this curated list of ideas on how to disconnect from social media and more.

9. Talk about it

We’ve all been there — so stressed out that we get lost in our own heads and ways of thinking. When that happens, turn to someone you trust and talk it out. Getting an outsider’s view can offer perspectives on your issues and stressors that you likely wouldn’t reach on your own.

Eva Stubits is a Houston-based clinical psychologist specializing in stress management. She says “that talking about how stressed you are can help you get it out of your system.“

“It’s kind of like the pressure cooker analogy: If you don’t open a lid periodically, the steam can build up and cause you to feel even more stressed. If you let it out, it can help you process whatever it is you’re worried about.”

10. Work it out

You’ve heard it before; exercise helps keep you healthy. That doesn’t mean that exercise only keeps your body in good form; it keeps your mind healthy, too.

Exercise in almost any form helps your body to reduce stress and its effects. Whether you choose to walk, run, or perform burpees and wall squats in your office, the important thing is that you get moving. Physical activity increases the number of endorphins in your body, producing a “feel good” effect in your brain. You may have heard this phenomenon referred to as a “runner’s high,” but any good aerobic exercise can lead to the same result.

If you’d like to learn more about the effects of stress on your body, and how to implement an effective workout routine, check out this article from the Mayo Clinic.

Making the Most of the Holiday Season

We hope these self-care tips help you make the most of the holiday season. Let us know what else you do to manage stress during the holidays in the comments below.

We don’t mean to intrude, but you’ve just landed on the perfect blog post for such a state of mind.

If you’ve had enough of punching time cards, having your meal times determined by a scheduling program, and answering to middle-management, then perhaps there’s no better time than now to turn those daydreams into reality.

There’s a lot to consider and plan for when becoming your own boss and starting an online business — like what kind of business will you start?

How to Start an Online Business

We live in a connected world, with the internet and technology enabling ample opportunities to start successful businesses online. If you decide to give up the office or retail life and become a digital entrepreneur, you’ll be in good company.

Online, home-based businesses are on the rise and are valuable sources of income for many. Depending on your needs and goals, your business may be a part-time side hustle or it could be your full-time venture.

Is starting an online business a good idea? Online businesses may require fewer investments as compared to brick-and-mortar businesses that require external facilities or a hired staff, and they offer a flexible work-life balance as it’s dictated by you. However, keep in mind that you may need to convert part of your home and living space to support your business, especially as it grows.

Let’s explore some online business ideas that you can launch with a little business planning and a website (and that aren’t MLMs.)

15 Online Business Ideas

Ready to be your own boss? With these business ideas, you can be.

1. Web designer

Web designers are in demand.

As brick-and-mortar businesses convert into online retailers, they all need websites. Business owners often don’t have the time to create and design beautiful, functional websites. Even with the advent of easy-to-use website builders, they seek outside counsel and assistance.

And it isn’t just small businesses that need web design help, large companies frequently hire design consultants to assist with their needs.

Web design is all about creating an intuitive, beautiful experience for the end-user, so if helping others and designing are your passions, this is a great business idea to consider starting from home.

2. Personal fitness trainer

The pandemic has shown us that traditionally in-person businesses can be successful online. You may be accustomed to going to a gym or studio to learn and instruct, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing that online, too.

A website, camera, and open floor space are all you really need to get started if you’re knowledgeable about proper exercise, motivation, and healthy living. Once you build your reputation and your business grows, you may find that you’ll want to start making house calls or letting your clients come to you.

Before starting a personal fitness training business, make sure to research local guidelines to determine if any special licensing is required.

3. Copywriter

Do you have a way with words? The ability to sway people by pen or keyboard? If yes, it’s time to give serious consideration to becoming a copywriter.

Great copy helps convert website visitors into customers, so website owners everywhere seek help writing content like FAQs and blog posts.

To attract those website owners and convince them to hire you, you’ll need to put your skills to work. Start by creating a website to showcase your strengths. Make sure to include an “About” page where prospective clients can learn about you, samples of your work, and make it easy for them to contact you — a “Contact Us” page is great, but your contact information should be discoverable from every page.

4. Interior Designer

Some people have an eye for style, and some don’t. If you do, why not help others create the living or workspaces of their dreams?

Someone, somewhere, doesn’t understand that houndstooth can’t be matched with plaid, or what color walls best pair with their flooring. Your stylistic expertise is what they need and they’ll be happy to pay for a consultation.

As with any business, social proof is important, so you’ll want to showcase your work on your website. Consider adding a blog to your site to keep your readers up-to-date with trends and inform them of what you’ve been working on.

5. Dropshipper

Have you thought about starting an online retail business, only to abandon your dream because you don’t have the funds to invest in a large inventory of products?

Dropshipping solves that issue for you. With dropshipping, you can sell products on your site without worrying about stocking and inventory. It works like this: When you sell a product on your site it’s purchased from a third party who fulfills shipping, so you never have to touch the product. These third-party sellers are normally wholesalers or manufacturers, and you’ll still make a profit from the sales.

Dropshipping means low overhead. You don’t have to purchase any products unless you’ve made a sale and it’s been paid for by the customer. This also gives you great control and flexibility when it comes to testing new products in your market. 

6. Personal chef

Does everyone rave about your cooking? Perhaps now is the time to turn your culinary prowess into a profitable business.

Depending on local regulations and guidelines, you can use your home kitchen to create nutritious, enjoyable meals for your clients. As your business grows, you may need to find a commercial kitchen and hire helpers, but the majority of your marketing, planning, and business work can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Happy clients and referrals will help your business grow, so don’t hesitate to create a website to show off your delicious meals and share information about your offerings.

7. Grant writer

Non-profit organizations rely on donations to fund their goodwill initiatives. There are many opportunities for them to apply for grants to receive funding, but oftentimes, the people behind the scenes are juggling many roles, and don’t have the time to write the incredible grant proposals they need to secure funds.

This is where you come in. Are you a master of pen and keyboard? Do you have a knack for laying information out concisely and persuasively? There are so many organizations vying for a limited amount of grants, that it’s imperative for proposals to be well-formatted and well-written.

There are many free resources online that can help you learn how to write the perfect proposal. Once you’ve nailed it, pitch your services to different organizations and create a website where people seeking grant writers can contact you.

8. Life coach

Does everyone in your friend group rely on you for advice? Do they seek you out for your sage wisdom on love, work, and any other number of personal and professional issues?

Sounds like you might already be a bit of a life coach. Life coaches aren’t therapists, but they do help individuals focus on the life they want, provide guidance and counsel, and help people to achieve their goals.

Some life coaches prefer to coach and speak to big crowds, but it’s a career that can easily be done from your home. While life coaches don’t technically need a license to operate, there are programs designed to help you become a life coach that offer certifications. As with any business, you’ll need to invest in your online presence to build your audience of prospective customers.

9. Blogger

Blogs and websites have democratized the information age, letting anyone who has an interest or is an expert on a topic hold court. Blogging is one of the most popular ways that people share information, and you can manage your blog from home or anywhere!

To be a blogger, you undoubtedly have to have your own site. To be successful, you’ll need to create fresh, interesting content that appeals to your audience. Encourage your readers to share your posts with their friends and on social media to grow your following.

As your blog gains more and more engaged readers, you can offer advertising space on your blog for additional income. If you’re seriously considering becoming a blogger, check out this post about what you need to know when starting a blog.

10.  Virtual assistant

Are you an organizational powerhouse? Have you been called “Type A” more than once? A virtual assistant position may be perfect for you.

Busy executives and business owners can reach a point where they’re inundated with responsibilities and don’t have the time to manage all their tasks. Appointments, emails, video calls — all of these things add up and are time-consuming.

As a virtual assistant, you’d be stepping in to provide the help and organization they so desperately need. You’d carry your tasks out at home, from scheduling meetings and appointments to replying to emails, fielding phone calls, and managing documents. And all of these things are easily achievable using cloud-based solutions. 

So, if you’re the type who plans everything from morning to sundown, you can have a lot of fun and find fulfillment as a Virtual Assistant. 

11.  Consultant

Someone, somewhere, needs your expertise. Consultants are experts in their fields, and they are paid to advise others in their field or to address specific issues others are facing. It’s not the same as a coach, who provides advice and motivation so you meet your goals.

Usually, consultants offer their services to businesses, although individuals sometimes seek out consultants, too. As a home-based consultant, you have the flexibility to determine your own schedule and rates, and there isn’t much overhead when starting your business. However, it takes time to build your clientele, so make sure you highlight your expertise and other relevant information on your site and include social proof where possible. 

12.  Instructor/Tutor

Covid-19 has changed the face of education, and now is a great time to start an online tutoring business. Parents everywhere are struggling to run their households, manage their careers, and act as secondary (or primary) teachers as their kids attend remote schooling.

If you’re knowledgeable and have a gift for teaching, why not help out in this time of increased need and get paid for it? All that’s required are a computer, a website, and a camera. You can conduct online lessons and tutoring sessions, and add helpful content to your site.

If you do well, your students’ parents will be your best advocates — touting your expertise and sharing your information with other parents in similar situations, and word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool.

13. Podcaster

Podcasts are insanely popular. In fact, almost 60% of U.S. consumers listen to podcasts.

If you like the sound of your own voice and think others may, too, then consider starting a podcast. All of us have stories to share and knowledge that we can impart to others.

To get started with podcasting, you’ll need the following:

• A quality microphone
• Software or tools to record audio
• Audio editing tools
• A website

To gain more listeners, try partnering with other more well-known podcasters or thought leaders as you get started. And don’t forget to encourage your listeners to leave reviews!

14. Domain Investor

You’ve heard of real estate investors, but did you know that domain investing is a thing?

Just like real estate properties, domains are great investments because a good domain name will only increase in value. Domain investing means buying domain names and then selling them for a greater amount.

Good domain names have to meet certain criteria, like being short, memorable, and brandable. Business owners will pay for the right domain name because domains are the core of a business’ digital identity. You’ll need to do your research before jumping into the world of domain investing, as you’ll be using your own funds to get started, and you don’t want to lose your money.

Luckily, there are many online resources that can help you get started with domain investing, and there are plenty of sites, like BuyDomains.com, that offer reasonably priced premium domain names which you can resell.

15.  Freelance Editor

Does the thought of correcting someone’s diction and syntax excite you? Do you have fond memories of red pens in the pre-digital era? Are you the person your friends rely on for reviewing and improving important documents?

Sounds like you’ll make a mighty fine freelance editor. Freelance editors take on many roles, from editing grammar to content, and even SEO.

To get started, you’ll want to create a site to showcase your work. Ask friends and family that have relied on you for editing services to provide testimonials, and reach out to businesses you think could benefit from your services. Your work as a freelance editor can be done from anywhere — at home, while traveling, or in a rented space, whatever you prefer.

Ready to start your online business?

There’s no better time than now to launch an online business. We hope these ideas have inspired you to get started and pursue your dreams!

Before investing your time and money in a new venture, it’s always a good idea to take the time to validate your business idea and create a business plan. This way, you’ll know exactly who your audience is, and the best way to conduct your enterprise.

Do you have any other online business ideas you’d like to share? Comment below!

So, are you ready to get your piece of the holiday pie? 

If not, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered and can help you get there.  

Today, we’re discussing five Black Friday ideas you can leverage to drive more sales and provide additional value to your customers. We’ll also cover some tips that can help you do more this holiday season.  

5 Black Friday Ideas for Your Business 

Join Forces with Local Businesses 

Hey, maverick … you don’t have to do it alone.  

Instead of stressing out over every detail of Black Friday by yourself, consider teaming up with other local small businesses. Work with other small business owners to highlight each other’s sales and best-selling items. If a customer asks if you carry a particular item and you don’t, point them in the direction of another local store that does have what they need.  

Keep the Mystery Alive 

“Keep the mystery alive…” It’s advice you might expect to hear from a relationship therapist, not so much advice given to your small business. But before you roll your eyes, hear us out.  

Advertising mystery sales and gifts is a great way to get foot traffic into your brick-and-mortar or visitors to your eCommerce website. Think of these mystery gifts as “rewards” that you’re offering your customers for doing business with you. Humans, funny creatures that we are, love rewards, and the positive reinforcement can keep them coming back to do business with you time and time again.  

What should these rewards or mystery gifts look like? That’s entirely up to you! Could you offer a $15 gift card with every purchase over $50? How about a free consultation with booking if you trade in services and not products? You know your customers better than anyone else, and if you really aren’t sure, ASK THEM. Find loyal customers and get their feedback. That way, you have a good idea of what little gestures and gifts significantly impact them.  

At the end of the day, your customers are going to remember the way your business made them feel when you surprised them with that mystery offer. “When we get a reward, special pathways in our brain become activated. Not only does this feel good, but the activation also leads us to seek out more rewarding stimuli.” It’ll endear them to you and help build your customer relationships.  

Reward Customer Loyalty 

Black Friday sales attract folks from every corner. Some of the people who transact with you that day will be regular, loyal customers, and others are strangers who might never again do business with you. (Though, we’d certainly like to see them become your regulars.) 

Treat your loyal customers to an additional discount or bonus gift. For example, you could consider implementing a program that provides a deal after a certain number of purchases. That could look something like offering 25% off their next purchase after making five non-discounted purchases.  

Create FOMO Moments 

FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” is an effective marketing tactic.  

To create a sense of FOMO and drive urgency, you want to structure your sales and announcements in a specific way. Highlight your limited-time discounts and make sure to emphasize that they won’t last long! Use pop-ups or other features on your site so your visitors and shoppers are aware of the deals.  

You can also consider creating limited amounts of coupon codes. This way, customers want to prioritize shopping with you, so they don’t miss out on your sales.  

Don’t Just Discount, Add Value  

We spend so much time focusing on the transactional side of Black Friday that we forget to use the day for building customer relationships.  

When advertising your Black Friday deals, entice customers to shop with you by providing them with curated gift guides or customized gift sections in your store. Your customers are busy — they’re working, managing their households, and trying to make sure they get a gift for everyone on their list. But sometimes, they need ideas. After all, who really knows what to get for Uncle Joe — you know, the man who’s impossible to buy for but expects a gift nonetheless?  

 Help your customers efficiently complete their holiday shopping lists. They’ll think of you fondly, which is always a good thing, and can entice them to do business with you again in the future. Creating gift guides works whether you’re a physical retailer or an online eCommerce business. 

Making the Most of Black Friday and the Holidays 

We hope these ideas help you prepare for a successful holiday shopping season. We wish you many sales and repeat business! 

And don’t forget, these ideas aren’t just good for Black Friday. Try them on Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday, or at random intervals throughout the year to increase your sales and surprise your customers.  

What else are you doing to help your business do more business this holiday season? Let us know in the comments below! 

After all, you don’t have a marketing budget like the big box stores and digital retailers. So, how are you to compete and get your share of the holiday sales?

In this guide to Black Friday for small businesses, we’re breaking down what you can do to give your small business a chance to succeed on Black Friday and throughout the entire holiday season. 

Black Friday for Small Businesses

What is Black Friday?

The Friday immediately after Thanksgiving traditionally represents the start of the holiday shopping season. The term “Black Friday” as we know it, meaning a day when businesses move from the red into the black, has only been around since the 1980s. When it was first coined in the 1860s, it referred to a manipulated crash in the stock market due to the inflated price of gold. 

For many consumers, Black Friday means staying up late to be the first in line for dibs on the most significant discounts. And some digital retailers attempt to recreate that experience digitally. They create a sense of urgency that potentially drives sales using clever tactics. Some design digital “wait lines” and provide staggered access to their sites, and thus, to their discounts. Others go so far as to limit the amount of time shoppers have on their sites, hoping to drive those impulse buys. 

The Evolution of Black Friday

A single day of deep discounts and flash sales may have sufficed in the 1980s, but not anymore. Black Friday now kicks off a series of big shopping days. 

Small Business Saturday immediately follows Black Friday and, for obvious reasons, shouldn’t be ignored by small businesses. Then comes Cyber Monday, a day full of digital sales, and finally, Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to non-profits and their appeals in hopes of driving donations. 

So, as a small business, how can you participate in the biggest shopping season of the year in ways that make both you and your customers happy? 

Tips to Guide Your Black Friday Success

Many small businesses can’t afford to offer discounts as deep as 50% on their products and services. If you can’t beat the big chain department stores and digital retailers at their own game, then don’t. 

Use the following tips to plan your Black Friday and holiday shopping season goals, events, and discounts, and learn how you can offer value to your customers throughout the season. 

Create a Holiday Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is essential to help you plan your goals and create the relevant supporting strategy, tactics, and offers. You can read all about how to make a holiday marketing plan right here. 

Create Relevant Moments and Offers that Entice

As we mentioned above, many small businesses can’t compete with larger retailers when discounting products and services, and that’s okay. 

While many consumers hunt for the best deals on Black Friday, others don’t want to be part of the shopping hordes and eschew the long lines. In fact, according to Finder’s research, as many as 54% of Americans may not be participating in Black Friday shopping. 

With that in mind, instead of flaunting crazily discounted items to draw foot or online traffic to your store, consider offering something else of value to your customers. 

For example, you could provide complimentary gift wrapping to those who shop at your store on Black Friday and during the holiday season. By doing this, you’re providing added value to your customers by saving them time and from the hassle of wrapping their purchases. 

Another idea to consider is partnering with other local stores or businesses. If you’re a brick-and-mortar, you could participate in a shopping event with other like-minded business owners. Set up tables at a holiday sales event with your best-selling wares or offer curated gift selections to make your customers’ shopping experience is a breeze. 

Make it Easy for Your Customers to Shop from Anywhere

Few people want to get up at 4 am to stand in line outside and wait for your store’s physical doors to open, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on their sales.

Instead of having people cater to your business hours, allow them to shop on their own time. Someone may not want to wait in line at 4 am, but they may be up feeding their baby and shopping from their phone. Meet your customers where they are by creating an eCommerce website to capture digital traffic and sales. 

Communicate Your Offers to Your Audience

Suppose your customers don’t know about your special deals and offers this holiday season. In that case, they won’t be taking advantage of them. 

You can communicate your memorable holiday offers in a variety of ways:

• Updated information on your website.
• Email marketing communications. 
  • Pro tip: Use a custom, professional email address that matches your domain name to increase your customer’s trust in the inbox. They aren’t likely to open an email from an unrecognized sender. 
• Social media notices and posts. 
• Physical mailers. 
• Local advertising on TV or radio. 

Don’t Stop at Black Friday

Small Business Saturday

When it comes to having a successful holiday shopping season, you can’t leave all your hopes pinned to one calendar day like Black Friday. 

As a small business, you have to consider the shopping days that follow Black Friday and determine how to participate in them. The Saturday after Black Friday is known as “Small Business Saturday,” and that’s a fantastic opportunity for you.

“Founded by American Express in 2010 and officially cosponsored by SBA since 2011, Small Business Saturday has become an important part of small businesses’ busiest shopping season.” According to research done by American Express, there was record spending on Small Business Saturday in 2020. Last year, spending reached an estimated $19.8 billion USD. Don’t you want your piece of that holiday pie this year?

Make the most out of Small Business Saturday by leveraging the tools and marketing materials provided to you here by the Small Business Administration, or SBA. 

Cyber Monday

The term “Cyber Monday” officially entered our lexicon in 2005. It was coined to describe the increase in online sales that occurred on the Monday after Thanksgiving. 

In 2020, Cyber Monday sales reached $10.8 billlion USD, becoming the single biggest eCommerce selling day of all time. 

To participate, you must have an eCommerce website where your customers can make purchases directly from you. Having a website is no longer a “nice to have” in today’s age; it’s necessary to compete in a digital market. 

If you have yet to create a website for your business, set some time aside to do it today. Building a website isn’t a complicated process requiring coding knowledge; instead, many website builders make the process fast and straightforward. 

No time to create a website, even with a website builder? That’s okay; there are plenty of professionals who can help you get online quickly and with a great-looking and functioning site. Check out Domain.com’s Website Design and Marketing Services to get the assistance and guidance you need to get online fast. 

Making the Most of Black Friday for Your Small Business

You don’t have to compete with large retailers for your small business to have a successful Black Friday.

Instead, think of Black Friday as the kickoff to a holiday shopping season where you’ll do well because you’re providing the correct offers and value to your customers. You can promote things like complimentary gift-wrapping or customized gift guides to bring in traffic and sales while building customer relationships.

Have you run any Black Friday specials in the past? Let us know what has and hasn’t worked for you in the comments below!

Developing a strategy around your brand and learning how to market it are pivotal to the success of not just your brand, but your business as well. And that’s exactly what we’re discussing in today’s blog post. 

If you’d like to learn more about what a brand is and the different elements that comprise it, check out part one of our Guide to Branding, “What is Branding?” here. 

What is Brand Strategy and Marketing?

A strong brand strategy helps you present a unified, consistent brand identity in market: Ranging from your site design, to your social media profiles, and even to how you communicate with customers. 

Consistency is pivotal to branding because it helps set expectations with your audience, and a consistently good experience with your brand increases brand loyalty. Without a brand strategy to drive that consistency, your business will suffer. 

Crafting a brand strategy isn’t difficult, but it does take time and effort. 

A good brand strategy helps you understand your business values and directs your brand to grow in manners beneficial to both your business and customers. It’ll help you communicate with your audience clearly and effectively, attract the right customers, and positions your brand in a way that helps you grow your market share. 

Why is Brand Strategy Important?

Without a good, consistent brand strategy your business will suffer. 

Crafting a brand strategy helps you understand who you are and what matters to your business, like your values and mission. Those are vitally important to understand when making marketing and business decisions. 

When you have an inconsistent brand, your marketing and communications take a hit, and if you can’t clearly communicate your brand and values to your customers, you’ve lost them. 

So let’s look into how to create a brand strategy and what you can do to succeed against the competition. 

How to Create a Brand Strategy

Before sitting down to create your brand strategy, it’s good to have the following information at hand:

• Who’s your target audience?
  • Who are you trying to reach? Do you know what your ideal customer looks like? To craft an effective brand strategy you must know who you’re talking to and what their needs are so you can offer the appropriate solution. If you know your audience, you can speak to them more effectively.
• Who’s your competition?
  • What other businesses and brands are competing for the same customers and audience? This information is vital to know. If you understand your competition, you can figure out how to position yourself in the marketplace to stand out from them and attract customers. 

Once you have that information handy, it’s time to start strategizing. So, let’s do it. To build your brand strategy, follow the steps below. 

Understanding the Core of Your Brand

Your business holds a set of core beliefs that drives and influences every aspect of your brand. You can think of these beliefs as your business values or your mission. 

When your brand and core business beliefs are aligned, it’s a powerful thing. When they’re not, well, you’re facing some issues. 

If you understand what drives your business, what drives your brand, then you can successfully communicate that to your customers both verbally and visually. It allows you to grow your business in a way that successfully sets you apart from competitors and engenders you to your audience. 

Without a set of guiding beliefs, your messaging will be erratic, employees may feel directionless, and overall, your business will suffer. 

To help you determine your core values and beliefs, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who am I? Why does this business exist?
  • These questions help you understand the purpose of your business. 
• What does the future of my business look like? What does success look like and how do I create it?
  • These questions help you understand your business’s vision and mission, and help you determine what needs to be done to support them. 

It’s essential that you start your brand strategy by diving into the heart of your brand and determining your values. These values and your core brand can then be shared with your audience and in market through messaging and visual representations. 

Define Your Brand Voice and Messaging

Now that you understand what makes your brand tick, it’s time to figure out how to communicate that to your customers and in the market. You can think of this as an exercise in brand messaging. 

Brand messaging is the practice of talking about who you are. Like with any practice, the more you hone and refine your messaging, the better it gets. Defining your brand messaging helps your brand communicate honestly and effectively. 

It’s important to spend time figuring out your brand messaging before jumping into the more visual aspects of your brand. That’s because your brand’s visual assets are largely an extension of your messaging and how you represent yourself online and in market. 

For example, when developing Domain.com’s brand strategy, we determined that our messaging needs to be authentic, interesting, and straightforward. Cleverness is okay, but we’re not cutesy and we won’t pander. We try to be honest and transparent while speaking clearly and simply — no “fluff.”

In turn, this helped us craft our visual identity — bold, strong, and energetic. Our approach with images and the more flexible creative elements of our brand is to find clean, clear imagery for complicated concepts. Our minimal illustration style is designed much like our messaging, again, no “fluff.”

To craft the best brand messaging, you’ll need to understand three things:

• Your brand’s personality. 
  • Long gone are the days when businesses were entirely formal and focused on transactions alone. Now, your brand needs to have some personality. What characteristics and human attributes does your brand express? Are you fun and cheerful or serious and direct? Determining what attributes to highlight in your messaging helps you build relationships with the right audience. 
• What voice to use. 
  • Your brand voice is unique. A car dealership doesn’t have the same voice as a non-profit, and for good reason. Your brand’s voice is your brand’s personality put into words and articulated in your customer-facing messaging. 
• What tone to take. 
  • A good way to determine your tone is to think about how you want your messaging to make people feel. Your voice won’t change, but your tone can depending on the context of your message or who you’re talking to. Just because your voice is clever, doesn’t mean you can’t have a serious tone when necessary. 

Once you’ve defined your brand messaging, it’ll be so much easier to communicate effectively and talk about who you are in market. Your brand messaging and voice should be used when sharing your brand story, making a pitch, or making a promise to your customers. 

Define Your Brand’s Visual Identity

Usually, when someone hears the word “brand” they immediately jump to thinking of colors and logos. However, we chose to include visual identity as the third step in your brand strategy because it’s a continuation of your brand messaging. 

Your brand expresses itself through colors, images, and icons just as much as it does with words. When crafting your visual identity keep in mind that you’re designing not just for your immediate needs, but for your brand’s future, too. 

With that said, your visual identity needs to be clear and intuitive so that the different elements, like colors and logos, work together. There needs to be an element of flexibility so that you can adapt and grow as your business does and as you introduce new products or services. And it needs to be comprehensive. Detail your color palette and what your imagery is meant to convey so that your employees or contractors understand and can apply your visual identity to their tasks and responsibilities. 

Translating Your Brand Strategy into Brand Guidelines

Now that you’ve gone through the exercise of determining your brand strategy it’s time to finalize it. 

Translating your brand strategy into a tangible document that contains your brand guidelines is an essential step in achieving business success. Having this information documented not only keeps you accountable, but it makes it easy to share with whomever needs the information, whether that be employees or an outside contractor. 

We recommend using a cloud-based tool, like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, to track this information. Both tools make it easy to work from wherever you’re located and you can access your files across various devices. They also make it easy to collaborate with others and stay on top of tasks. 

Your brand guidelines should detail the following information:

• Mission
• Vision
• Voice & Tone
• Color Palette
• Logos, Taglines, and Icons
• Typography and font
• Visual Language and Identity
• Media kit 
  • Your media kit should include downloadable files of any logos or design elements that your employees or contractors may need to support your brand. 

Putting Your Brand into Market

Ready to take your business and brand into the market? Congrats!

Now that you’ve established your brand strategy, you’ve set yourself up for success. 

You can use your brand strategy and guidelines to talk your customers online and off — in email, via social media, and face-to-face. And you should absolutely use and refer to your brand guidelines when designing your website, the core of your digital identity. 

If you don’t have a website, we can help. With Domain.com’s WebsiteBuilder, you can get online quickly and easily. And while our AI-powered site builder helps make life a little easier by getting your site design started, you retain full control over customizing your site to support your brand identity. 

So what are you waiting for? Get started today. 

Your brand is what makes you and your business unique — if it could be distilled down into something tangible, we’d venture to call it your “special sauce.”

Your brand is a first impression — the first impression that customers and potential clients will have of your business. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, so make it count.

The good thing is, you don’t have to go at it alone. We’re here to help you understand what it takes to craft the perfect brand and take it to market in our two-part guide to branding.

What Is a Brand?

Your brand comprises many things: It’s your business and website colors, your logo, the products and services you offer, and the way you present your business online. It’s the feeling someone gets when they hear your business or domain name, and it’s what they think of you as they browse your site. And yet, that still doesn’t fully capture what your brand is.

In essence, your brand is the summation of every single touchpoint a person can have with your business and what they think about you. That includes your site, social media, products and services, logos, your business’s mission and values, the way you speak to your audience on your site and in your blog, and how you provide customer service.

You can build and work on elements of your brand to influence it; however, keep in mind that it’s just as much what someone thinks of your business as it is the elements you can control, like your logo and colors. Ultimately, your brand lives and dies in the eyes of the consumer.  

To get a bit more technical, let’s look at how Merriam-Webster defines “Brand.” They say it’s a “class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer, a characteristic or distinctive kind, and a public image, reputation, or identity conceived of as something to be marketed or promoted.”

Why Are Brands Important?

Your brand sets you apart from the competition. When all else is equal, a customer’s brand loyalty is the deciding factor in where and with what business they choose to transact. Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

So, what do you want your customers to say about you? And how can you influence it? Let’s explore different elements of branding that you can work on to craft the perfect brand identity.

Elements of Branding

Your brand isn’t entirely within your control. You see, it’s a living, evolving thing. You set the foundation upon which it grows: Deciding on a domain and business name, your logo, your colors, and your typography. Then, it evolves as people and customers interact with you, get to know your products and what type of service you provide, and when they buy into your mission and values as a business.

Business and Domain Name

Names affect brands, but how?

A good name lends trust and credibility to your business, to your brand. A good name is one of your company’s most valuable assets, and if you don’t believe us, you need only look to one of the largest businesses of our time, Starbucks, to find out why.

Starbucks co-founder, Gordon Bowker, tells us how Starbucks got its name in an interview with The Seattle Times. He says, “We were thinking of all kinds of names and came desperately close to calling it Cargo House, which would have been a terrible, terrible mistake. Terry Heckler [with whom Bowker owned an advertising agency] mentioned in an offhand way that he thought words that begin with ‘st’ were powerful words. I thought about that and I said, yeah, that’s right, so I did a list of ‘st’ words.

Somebody somehow came up with an old mining map of the Cascades and Mount Rainier, and there was an old mining town called Starbo. As soon as I saw Starbo, I, of course, jumped to Melville’s first mate [named Starbuck] in Moby-Dick.”

There you have it — Starbucks was named, in large part, due to the perceived strength of the “st” sound that begins its name.

“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Jeff bezos

Words can indeed cause people to feel different things depending on the sounds in the word. Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., a verbal branding consultant known as “The Name Inspector,” discusses these sounds or “rhythmic contrasts” in words in his book MICROSTYLE The Art of Writing Little.

Did you know that business names can be thought of as either feminine or masculine depending on the sound or rhythm of the word?  He uses the examples of Chanel, a “feminine brand name”, and Black & Decker, a “masculine brand name”, as explained below.

The name Chanel is an iamb, meaning it consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one (shə-NEHL or chaNEL.) “Iambs tend to sound lighter and softer,” Johnson writes, while “… trochees tend to sound heavier and harder.” Black & Decker is an example of a trochee; those consist of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (BLACK & deck-ER.) He notes that “Most people ‘feel’ this difference even if they find it hard to pinpoint.” Keep in mind that means people will feel a certain way about your business name, probably without realizing it, so put some extra thought into naming your business.

Choosing the right domain name should be part of the process of selecting your business name. Both will support your brand, and for consistency, they should be as similar (if not exact) as possible. Successful businesses in this day and age require having an online presence, so a website (and therefore, domain name) is a must.

Here’s what else you should keep in mind when deciding on the perfect domain name for your brand:

• Does it pass the radio test?
  • If someone were only to hear your domain name in passing on the radio and never see it written out, could they navigate to it? If the answer is no, consider going back to the drawing board and choosing another name.
• Avoid unique spelling, punctuation, or excessive numbers.
  • For starters, it won’t pass the radio test. Do you really expect people to remember that instead of the letter “I,” you use the number “1” in your domain name? Or that you have approximately five hyphens and three numbers in your domain? No, you can’t reasonably expect that. And if people can’t remember or spell your domain name, the chances of them getting to your website are slim.
• Make it memorable.
  • Try to keep your domain name short. The longer it gets, the more chances people have of mistyping and never reaching your site.
• Buy alternate misspellings of your domain name.
  • This helps in two ways:
    • If there are common misspellings of your domain name, purchase them to ensure you get any traffic from people who mistyped your correct domain.
    • It prevents competitors from purchasing misspellings of your domain name. If your competitor owns those misspelled alternates of your domain, they can redirect traffic from there to their own site.
• Consider a new domain extension.
  • Is .com really king? It’s well known, and people recognize it, but nowadays, there are thousands of domain extensions that can help you get the perfect domain name.
  • Starting an online store? Try .store. Opening a yoga studio? Try .yoga. There is a domain extension for just about everything, and these TLDs can help add context and memorability to your domain name.

Business and Brand Logo

Humans are visual creatures, so hook their attention with a good-looking logo.

Why are logos important? Just like with domain names, a good logo is a calling card for your brand. Your logo should be memorable and unique enough that when people see it, they instantly think of your brand and don’t confuse it with another.

There are various types of logos, ranging from strictly visual (think abstract logos like Chase Bank) to mascots (used by many sports teams), emblems (law firms or universities), and lettermarks and wordmarks (like CNN or Google, respectively.)

Domain.com uses a variety of logos, like you see below, to help support our brand. 

When designing your logo, keep the following tips in mind:

• Leverage white and empty space. 
  • Your logo doesn’t need to look “busy” to communicate your brand.
• Rely on your business’s color palette. 
• Where will your logo be displayed? 
  • You’ll likely need different versions or sizes so that it looks good on your website, in your emails, and on social media. 
• Relevancy is key. 
  • Your logo is representative of your brand, don’t forget that. 

With Domain.com, it’s easy to create a professional logo to support your brand. All you need is a name, and Domain.com’s LogoMaker will instantly create hundreds of logo options for you to choose from. Then, you can customize everything from colors and fonts to icons and more. 

Sign in to your Domain.com account today and select “Business” at the top of your control panel to leverage the power and design capabilities of LogoMaker. 

Color Psychology and Branding

Designing a website can be a lot of fun, especially when you use a tool like WebsiteBuilder, which does all the heavy lifting for you. That gives you more time to focus on the creative aspects, like the color palette your business and site uses. 

Your brand’s color palette can affect the way people interact with you. This is due to color psychology, or “the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior.”

Certain colors lend themselves to specific associations. In Western culture, we say that green is the color of envy and think of blue as relaxing and meditative. The color black, for example, is believed to represent wealth and prosperity in Eastern cultures and is foreboding and threatening in Western cultures. 

Domain.com’s primary color is Carmine Red, as you see below. We chose it to help us create a strong, bold, and energetic brand expression that helps us stand out and build recognition. 

From there, we selected an accompanying functional color palette — one that’s monochromatic and leverages greyscale to add a stark contrast to our primary color. 

Go into your color selection with an idea of what you want those colors to exemplify. For Domain.com, we embrace a minimal and clean color palette to allow for deliberate emphasis on bold visual elements. Our colors are meant to inspire and drive action, to help the Doers out there get more done. 

Font and Branding

A successful brand understands that different fonts send different messages to their audiences. So choose your fonts carefully — no one wants to send the wrong message to their audience accidentally. 

There are hundreds and hundreds of fonts available to you, some you can find for free, and others require purchase. However, most of the fonts you’ll want to use fall into the following categories:

• Serif
  • Serif fonts are distinctive due to the flourish or decorative stroke at the end of the letters (both horizontally and vertically.) These fonts generally give your site and brand a more formal tone. 
• Sans 
  • Sans fonts add no serifs, or decorative strokes, to their letters. In fact, in French, “sans” means without. These fonts give off a modern and straightforward vibe. 

Domain.com uses Lato for its branding, choosing it for its flexibility and bold, modern style. 

What are you thinking about using for your brand? Why? Let us know in the comments!

Customer Service, Values, and Branding

A consistent customer experience is at the core of your brand. To put this into perspective, let’s look at Starbucks again to see what they’re doing right. 

Whether or not you’ve had their coffee (and with over 28k locations, we’re betting you have), the odds are good that you’ve heard of Starbucks. How did they get to be so big and such a well-loved brand?

The intelligent minds at Starbucks realized that their brand, their business persona, was in the hands of their customers. Understanding that, they’ve since done everything they can to enhance the public’s perception of them positively. 

Starbucks trained its partners (what they call their employees) to greet you when you walk in the door and know that it should only take 3 minutes from that moment until you get your drink. I don’t know about you, but a cheerful greeting and expedient service are likely to make me think more fondly of a business.

Starbucks provides a consistent experience. You’ll find similar menus across most of their locations, all of which are easily identifiable by the green siren logo. Not to mention, that logo is one of the world’s most recognizable logos. Their locations are comfortable, inviting, and positioned as a “third place” — a place between home and work that’s welcoming and relaxing.

Starbucks’ mission statement is, “To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” They live this mission in their stores, and it’s reflected in the materials they choose to share on social media. They do such an excellent job of living their mission statement, and so it’s how their customers think of them — it’s the heart of their brand.

What would happen to the Starbucks brand if they decided to double all their prices, increase the wait time for drinks, and hire only surly service workers? Those wouldn’t be changes to the material goods they offer, but changes that affect the customer experience. Their brand would undoubtedly suffer because it lives in the eyes of the consumer.

Have you ever been to the Starbucks website? In our original definition, we said that “Your brand is the summation of every single touchpoint a customer can have with your business and how they think about you.” Websites are customer touchpoints, and Starbucks’ site is designed to reflect their commitment to their mission statement and ease of use.

We understand that you may not have a Starbucks-sized budget to run and market your business, but you can still cop a few of their tactics to grow your brand. Put your customers first, provide a good and consistent experience, and live your mission statement.

A Successful Brand Is a Successful Business

Take the time to focus on building and crafting your brand before launching your business in the market. 

Structural elements like your logo, color palette, and typography and fonts keep your brand consistent and robust. These core pieces work together to make your brand recognizable wherever it appears. 

Once you’ve nailed your structural elements, you can approach your brand’s more flexible and creative elements, like selecting what photography and illustration to use on your site. All of these things help communicate a broader range of emotions, showcase your products, and create clear points of view for your customers. 

Ready to work on your brand and bring your business to life? Domain.com has all the tools you need, so get started today.