BEFORE DESIGN
If you’re starting a new business or have a new business name start here with our step-by-step-guide where we cover everything from purchasing your domain name to setting up your email and everything in-between. Some of these you may have already so you can go ahead and check them off.
Securing your domain name and social media handles are propriety #1!
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Secure your business domain name
We recommend buying the .com and the .ca (if you are in Canada). You can also buy any other domains extensions you wish. ie. .co, .biz, .biz.
You can use Name Cheap or Go Daddy to buy and register domains
Be sure to set up your domain to auto-renew and auto-pay!
TIP: Don’t let someone buy your domain name on your behalf. You should always own this.
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Secure your social media handles on all platforms
We recommend getting the same handle on each major platform (ie. ours is @labcreativeinc on all channels)
You should secure at minimum:
Other options are X, Pinterest, TikTok and Youtube
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Set up an email address for your domain
We recommend getting a G-Suite account and linking your domain to it.
We suggest emails with this structure: firstname@domainname
Tip: Using an email address with your domain name is best practice for business.
If we are working together on design, we suggest setting this up through Squarespace. Reach out to Maria so she can assist you.
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Create an email signature for your email address.
We recommend including the following information:
Name + Title
Company name
Email address
Phone number
Social media linksLink to lead magnet (if applicable)
Resource: How to create a Gmail email signature
Resource: How to create an Outlook email signature
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Sign up for an email marketing platform.
Choose an Email Marketing platform to start building your list and creating automations with which to better serve your audience.
We at Lab Creative use ActiveCampaign, other options are: Mailchimp, Squarespace and Flodesk
Resource: What is email marketing & why do I need it?
If you don’t have a platform you are already using, let’s review your needs before making a decision.
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Sign up for a Linktree account
You will use this to share multiple links in your instagram profile.
Sign up for ChatGPT
You’ll want to use this to help with content creation.Sign up for a Canva account
If we work together on the visual design of your brand we will be setting up your social media templates in Canva - you can start with the free version.