We’ve gone from sundress-weather back to our winter coats in less than a week–must be springtime in DC! With it comes the inevitable hatchlings–and we’re not just talking about baby animals. We’re talking about startups and the many bright ideas that swirl about this time of year, eager to make a safe landing.  All this abundance–not to mention the pollen count–has us in a generous mood. We love startups, so, below you’ll find three quick and dirty tips for laying the groundwork in brand recognition for your startup.

Find your message and stick to it

Do you have an elevator pitch?  Have you identified the three words that best describes your idea/future company? Do you have a look and feel for your brand that matches that of the audience for your products or services? Until you can answer yes to all of these questions, do nothing else but hone your message. Then, stick to it and make sure every description of your brand, be it verbal, written or visual, exactly matches your message.

A killer website, optimized for SEO

Now that you’ve got your branding down, it’s essential to start building your page ranking so that potential customers can find you fast. That begins with a clean, polished, and professional website that concisely and accurately describes your company, products and services. You should also know what SEO keywords correspond to the top Google rankings in the category of searches for similar products or services to those that you plan to offer, and make sure that they are used on your website. Don’t go overboard, but you want to use SEO effectively, and in the right ways, to alert top search engines to your existence and legitimacy in your chosen space.

Social media and traditional media relations

If you’ve got your messaging down and you’ve got a clean, shiny face (read: website) to show the world, it’s time to get out there and get talking! You want the media to be writing about what you do, why it’s great. You want your audience to be brand ambassadors. So get active on social media, and engage regularly with your potential customers–just like you would face-to-face–via social media. It’s also not a bad idea to invest in a partnership with a professional media relations company who can help spread the word about your company and brand to a wider audience.

Want some more? Download our white paper “Five Best Practice Tips for Launching your Tech Company” for lots more ideas and tips.