This multi-part series is designed to give small businesses and start-ups an insight into how to build collateral and brand to target investors expanding on the overview article on my blog.
Most people looking for investing and funding believe that with their good idea, or even great idea, that people will be lining up to get on board.
That is almost never the case.
Investors are in the business of making money by loaning money.
They put a lot of thought into who they invest in as well as how often they do it.
One thing that you must always think about is there is very little more important than you in selling to investors.
The top investors in the business care less about the product compared to the person behind the product.
Make sure you have all your ducks in a row, are presentable, prepared for questions, and confident (not cocky) in your business or product.
That being said, assuming all people meet that requirement, you need to produce collateral that will separate you from the pack.
Presenting well thought out, informative, and attractive collateral will not only present your information in an eye pleasing package but will also show investors you are committed to your product's success and not just looking for hand-outs.
On to this installment of Building Collateral for Investors.
Your Social Networking Identity The latest craze and buzz is about the concept of "Social Networking" the people that love it say it is the wave of the future and you won't be able to succeed without it, those that hate it say it is just a passing fad and will wear itself out in a year or two.
The truth of the matter is it will ultimately fall into the middle of both thought processes.
The problem right now is that the attraction to Social Networking has increased dramatically and its function in the world of business is, as yet, unknown.
Actual Social Networking has been around as long as the internet.
In fact when the Internet was first starting to spread all it really had to offer was forums and chat rooms...
i.
e.
Social Networking.
So thinking about it as a marketing tool used to target Investors specifically, how can you leverage it to your advantage.
Out of the five things I will discuss in this series, Social Networking is the biggest unknown.
Investors are without a doubt aware of most if not all things that are progressing in the marketplace.
They have to be in order to make decisions properly and accurately.
However, the last group besides the government to transition and incorporate new technologies into their regular business practices is the investing world.
The nature of their business requires they have a more face-to-face relationship with their clients.
But, there are ways you can generate some serious interest from investors by using Social Networking.
In one word: EXPOSURE! Here are some things you must consciously address when targeting investors through Social Networking.
Define Yourself Clearly and Professionally When using Social Networking tools, whether it is Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo or others, you must clearly state who you are, what you are about and what you believe in as a business owner.
Leave your personal beliefs and opinions away from your keyboard.
Talking politics, controversy, or anything questionable will kill your image in the eyes of an investor.
As previously stated, investors are looking for people who have sound business plans and are moving forward in that vein.
If your business presence is continually talking about how you dislike (or like) certain current political events will give investors the impression that you can't separate personal views from business views.
So when establishing your identity in social circles keep your identity to business matters only.
Investigate Each and Everyone With Whom You are Associated Just like the content you post to your profile who your are associated with can easily influence investors.
Especially on sites where other people's posts and comments can show up on your page.
Ultimately Social Networking will influence your reputation more than anything and your reputation is directly impacted by the people you associate with.
So, that guy that continually makes the hilarious body noise jokes might not be someone that your business needs to be associate with.
Avoid the same potholes and trouble spots you avoid in your own writing and you should be fine.
Be Active.
At this point in time the most influential way Social Networking will impact your image is through buzz and being all over the Internet.
The more you are on the Internet the more likely you will pop-up in a search on your business or on yourself.
If you are involved in multiple discussions on multiple sites you will be more likely to pop-up in a search.
The trick here is to make sure that you are making meaningful contributions to each and every discussion.
Posting responses that are simply "Great Article" or "Fantastic Post" and don't in fact add to the discussion will make you look like you are not actually involved in the discussion which then translate to not being truly interested in what your company is about.
If you keep those things in mind and are an active participant in the ever changing world of the Internet you will score invaluable points with those investors that search for you on the web.
As is the case it is always about how you want an investor to perceive you.
Most people looking for investing and funding believe that with their good idea, or even great idea, that people will be lining up to get on board.
That is almost never the case.
Investors are in the business of making money by loaning money.
They put a lot of thought into who they invest in as well as how often they do it.
One thing that you must always think about is there is very little more important than you in selling to investors.
The top investors in the business care less about the product compared to the person behind the product.
Make sure you have all your ducks in a row, are presentable, prepared for questions, and confident (not cocky) in your business or product.
That being said, assuming all people meet that requirement, you need to produce collateral that will separate you from the pack.
Presenting well thought out, informative, and attractive collateral will not only present your information in an eye pleasing package but will also show investors you are committed to your product's success and not just looking for hand-outs.
On to this installment of Building Collateral for Investors.
Your Social Networking Identity The latest craze and buzz is about the concept of "Social Networking" the people that love it say it is the wave of the future and you won't be able to succeed without it, those that hate it say it is just a passing fad and will wear itself out in a year or two.
The truth of the matter is it will ultimately fall into the middle of both thought processes.
The problem right now is that the attraction to Social Networking has increased dramatically and its function in the world of business is, as yet, unknown.
Actual Social Networking has been around as long as the internet.
In fact when the Internet was first starting to spread all it really had to offer was forums and chat rooms...
i.
e.
Social Networking.
So thinking about it as a marketing tool used to target Investors specifically, how can you leverage it to your advantage.
Out of the five things I will discuss in this series, Social Networking is the biggest unknown.
Investors are without a doubt aware of most if not all things that are progressing in the marketplace.
They have to be in order to make decisions properly and accurately.
However, the last group besides the government to transition and incorporate new technologies into their regular business practices is the investing world.
The nature of their business requires they have a more face-to-face relationship with their clients.
But, there are ways you can generate some serious interest from investors by using Social Networking.
In one word: EXPOSURE! Here are some things you must consciously address when targeting investors through Social Networking.
Define Yourself Clearly and Professionally When using Social Networking tools, whether it is Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo or others, you must clearly state who you are, what you are about and what you believe in as a business owner.
Leave your personal beliefs and opinions away from your keyboard.
Talking politics, controversy, or anything questionable will kill your image in the eyes of an investor.
As previously stated, investors are looking for people who have sound business plans and are moving forward in that vein.
If your business presence is continually talking about how you dislike (or like) certain current political events will give investors the impression that you can't separate personal views from business views.
So when establishing your identity in social circles keep your identity to business matters only.
Investigate Each and Everyone With Whom You are Associated Just like the content you post to your profile who your are associated with can easily influence investors.
Especially on sites where other people's posts and comments can show up on your page.
Ultimately Social Networking will influence your reputation more than anything and your reputation is directly impacted by the people you associate with.
So, that guy that continually makes the hilarious body noise jokes might not be someone that your business needs to be associate with.
Avoid the same potholes and trouble spots you avoid in your own writing and you should be fine.
Be Active.
At this point in time the most influential way Social Networking will impact your image is through buzz and being all over the Internet.
The more you are on the Internet the more likely you will pop-up in a search on your business or on yourself.
If you are involved in multiple discussions on multiple sites you will be more likely to pop-up in a search.
The trick here is to make sure that you are making meaningful contributions to each and every discussion.
Posting responses that are simply "Great Article" or "Fantastic Post" and don't in fact add to the discussion will make you look like you are not actually involved in the discussion which then translate to not being truly interested in what your company is about.
If you keep those things in mind and are an active participant in the ever changing world of the Internet you will score invaluable points with those investors that search for you on the web.
As is the case it is always about how you want an investor to perceive you.