Make your brand recognizable

TechDay 2015, on Pier 92 in NYC, hosted about 400 start-ups and about 10000 attendees. Do we still have to consider Uber as a start-up? What is the smartest decision to make on brand positioning for your first TechDay trade show? Should my business plan have a communication budget? Which is the best way to make your business unforgettable?

This huge event is about Business Development, Design, Networking, Product Development, Publishing and Technology. This was a unique opportunity for companies to introduce themselves to potentially thousands of NYC journalists, investors and consumers. It was an exceptional branding observation platform. Uber was the first company to appear at the trade show. Does it encourage you to be an entrepreneur? Of course!

After talking to many people in the field, and reviewing the statistics, within 3 years, 90% of start-ups fail. Of those who fail, why do they fail? Approximately 74% fail due to premature scaling which means spending money on marketing, hiring, etc. either before finding a business model that works, or spending too quickly while failing to secure further financing. Most tech start-ups have the highest rate of failure among all industries mainly due to a number of uncertainties that accompany launching something innovative. That brings me to reflect upon start-up branding. What are the first indispensable marketing investments to be made before approaching potential investors?

• develop a clear and detailed business model, coherent with your target
• know that an intuitive communication plan isn’t enough anymore
• find an attractive name for the company for both national and international use
• create a logo reflecting your company’s DNA, recognizable and clearly visible on all types of devices
• set up a clean and simple web page, explaining your services, approach, and culture
• conceptualize a minimal booth set-up, coherent with your image and your offer
• order attractive tradeshow merchandise in order to cover a full year of communication
• be unforgettable and adapt your image to the local culture!

A minimal communication budget must be determined. If you are not a creative marketing and communication person, hand it over to a specialist. Strong branding at the beginning will determine your global concept, based on the budget you allocate to communcation. Social media will spread all kinds of messages or pictures and can be the best or worst ambassadors of your start-up.