You are a small company and have just started out. You do not want to hire a PR agency but would still like to work on your company’s image. Yes, there are teething problems but what can you do to show to your business partners and prospective clients that you are different, serious and enthusiastic? To begin with there are a few small things you can do immediately. These tiny bits you might just ignore but they are the same things big daddies pay special attention to. So read on and feel free to add new ideas…

1. ‘Don’t design your own company logo’ – Unless you are a creative hot shop, it’s best to leave the job of designing your company logo, branding and stationery letterheads, business cards, brochures to professionals. Very often in our enthusiasm to start a new company we ignore the importance of ‘soulful’ branding. A logo is like you at a business meeting – confident and dignified. It’s just that your logo works 24×7x365. Therefore, never use Microsoft Word to design your company branding; seek out professional help.

2. ‘Stop using Gmail’: If you are still using Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail to send official emails, stop it immediately. You may not realize it but you have been silently telling your business partners that you don’t take your company seriously. So go out and get your own domain name and let the world know that you are here to stay.

3. ‘Phone etiquettes for employees’: Many small businesses suffer from the ‘small business syndrome’ (syndrome discovery credit rests with the author!). Companies suffering from this disease don’t pay attention to the way their employees respond to phone calls from strangers. Remember the next phone call could be from a prospective client, who is likely to be put off by the dry response from your staff. What to do? Energize your people through proper training and make them talk like they are your company’s brand ambassadors.

4. ‘Look sharp’: Always be smartly turned out for meetings. Business suits for business meetings help. You represent a small company and it’s important that your prospective client understand you do not perform the here-today-gone-tomorrow trick. They should absorb your seriousness and what better way of doing it than by looking your best.

5. ‘Exploit the Net’: While you may not be ready to spend on public relations and advertising, internet provides many platforms to small companies to talk about their products and services. For example, your corporate blog can attract people who want to try out your services; YouTube can showcase your creatively done product video. Think about it…