Company Marketing Strategy – A Checklist for New Ventures

In thinking through the marketing strategy for a new entity, a key question to ask is to what extent the new venture’s brand will be separate from or part of the overall company brand. There is no textbook answer – it’s a combination of what makes sense politically to the company, and what makes sense from a risks/rewards point of view. For example, how much focus will there be on cross-selling? Do you think the parent brand would hurt/help the new venture? How will the new venture’s success (or failure) impact the overall brand? Once the answer to this first key question is settled, the rest of the branding decisions will flow from there.

For both Google and Apple, the answer is clear – they wanted the new ventures to tie closely to the overall brand.

The checklist below includes some of the primary marketing to-dos for a new business:

• Overall
  • Develop a mission statement for the new company
  • Determine messages for key audiences – what are your key differentiators in the marketplace?

• Branding
  • Develop a logo, choose company colors – how formal do you want the company to feel?
  • Then develop:
    • Marketing brochures, handouts
    • Business cards
    • Signs for physical office
    • Email signatures
    • PowerPoint template
    • Letterhead

• Website or Webpage
  • Draft the “about” section, highlighting the mission statement and differentiating statements
  • Identify keywords for search optimization, incorporate into site content and development
  • Then develop:
    • Executive Bios
    • FAQ
    • Client Testimonials (over time)
    • Product/service details

• Communications
  • Draft letter(s) to announce new venture, targeting as appropriate:
  • Existing clients
  • Influential third-parties
  • Current employees

• Public Relations
  • Draft announcement press release
    • Once ready to launch, release and pitch to targeted reporters
  • Fine-tune spokespeople talking points
  • Develop social media strategy and digital footprint:
    • LinkedIn: update company page, ensure employees change their profile, encourage employees to reach out to connections to alert relevant contacts about new entity
    • Conduct a social media audit to determine what type of social media presence makes sense for the company, and to understand the types of conversations that are taking place

This is just a starter list of marketing factors to consider when launching a new venture.  What would you add?

To reach Katherine:

Phone: 212.840.1661
Email: katherine@blisspr.com
Twitter: @kilpatrickk
Linked In: Katherine Kilpatrick