Appearances Matter: 5 Aesthetics Your Business Should Prioritize
There are plenty of proverbs telling you why appearances don’t really matter, but when it comes to marketing your business, they’re all wrong. Look amateurish, careless, or cheapskate, and you’re not going to attract the best customers – if you attract any at all. Prioritize these areas to create the impression of professionalism you need for your business to succeed.
1. Your Website and Hard Copy Brochures
It’s all about design – and beautiful, eye-catching images that make people pause and look again. With so much technology at your fingertips, you might be tempted to try a DIY job. Don’t. It will show and that won’t create a good impression. Always get a professional company to take care of certain things for you. For high-quality pictures of yourself, your team, and your products and use real designers to put together your website, brochures, or menus, Alaa Taher Photography does a great job.
2. Your Storefront (If You Have One)
No matter how down-to-earth your business is, your premises should present a tidy, well-maintained appearance. Sure, you can still be great at what you do even though your business premises don’t look smart, but first impressions count. Nowadays, most first impressions come from websites, but passersby and prospective customers will still see your premises from the street. If your business looks down-at-heel, they’ll be reluctant to give you their custom.
3. Office and Store Interiors
Once they’re through the door, the next impression of your business is about to be formed. And if the interior look doesn’t appeal, you’ll have to work harder to create a positive customer experience. Even people who aren’t “neat freaks” will notice things like dust, cobwebs, worn furniture, or messy layout and displays. Although they may not put that into words, even to themselves, they already see you as being neglectful and sloppy. If you’re able to sell them goods or services, they’ll be more critical – supposing they buy at all.
4. Your People
Don’t get this wrong. You don’t have to employ a staff of hunks and beauty queens – but they should be dressed neatly and look well-groomed. For most businesses, staff with a neat, conventional appearance are necessary to create a professional impression. If what you’re doing is slightly fringe, you may get away with having frontline staff with an offbeat appearance, but not otherwise. And then there are the folks that just get it wrong in terms of professional dress. Handling this kind of situation with tact can be tricky: one of the reasons (among many) why so many businesses have some kind of work uniform.
5. Your Packaging
Even if you don’t sell typical products that are presented attractively to attract sales, there are other forms of “packaging” to consider. For example, if you’re an artisan who visits other people’s homes to do your work, vehicles should present a neat and professional appearance. We could also explore the packaging of services themselves, but in this instance, “looking good” isn’t altogether a matter of aesthetics. Suffice to say that if you want people to think you’re good, the way you present what you do should look good too.
