Building a successful business and brand is hard work, but in many cases it comes down to pure aesthetics to determine the success or failure of your business. Keeping up appearances is second in importance to provide quality products and services, but doing so is simultaneously a prerequisite for customers to take interest in what your business has to offer. Here are a few tips on how to make your place of business an attractive option for consumers.
Exterior Renovations
Before anyone can do business with you, they need to be enticed by your building’s exterior into coming inside, and there are a few ways to engineer this scenario. First and foremost, the walls of your building need to be pleasant to look at, and what that means depends on the material of which your building is made. For example, bricks have a certain charm to them, but brick walls typically have a limited palette, typically that of red or white. In that case, you have to choose between the more interesting, off beat white brick or the perennial, default red of clay bricks. On the other hand, wooden or paneled walls are more common, and they provide more freedom. It can be perhaps too much freedom, as the temptation to paint your building any number of wild colors can be overwhelming, while more subtle colors are typically preferred.
Interior Design
Once you’ve gotten your potential clientele interested in coming into your place of business, you’ll need to make sure that the interior of your building is up to snuff, as well. Otherwise, you stand to lose business due to subpar interior design. A good place to start is hardwood floor refinishing to produce a smooth, glossy floor. This both reduces the possibility of tripping and increases the visual appeal of the business’s walkways. Speaking of flooring, carpet is another common option, but it’s less than ideal in the modern, digital age. People tend to prefer hardwood or tiles in business settings. Furniture and decor also need to be considered, and the rule of thumb is consistency. Matching furniture is key, but so is creating a cohesive style between the colors and styles of the walls, furniture, and decor.
Branding
A company’s branding is representative of the face or personality of the company, and it therefore needs to be incorporated into the look of your company headquarters. A business’s brand consists of many aesthetic elements, some of which can easily fit into exterior or interior design in a few ways. For starters, the brand’s color palette can be incorporated into your building in the form of the color of your walls’ paint or wallpaper. Brand iconography has an important role to play, as well. No place of business is complete without signage, for instance, meaning that your business’s sign will be of both practical and aesthetic value. Much like interior design, the goal of branding is to create a cohesive image of your company, and how the role it plays within design needs to follow suit by establishing the company’s tone.
Cleaning
In addition to presenting the best design sensibilities possible, you need to keep the premises clean in order to make the best impression on potential clientele. Dust, for example, is the scourge of all cleaning endeavors, as dust continually piles up with no regard to circumstances. This means that dusting is essential multiple times a week. Carpets will need to be vacuumed periodically, and they may need to be shampooed after enough time has passed. This is another reason that carpets aren’t recommended for businesses. Hardwood and tile flooring will need to be swept daily in order to keep it immaculate. Keeping your place of business clean is crucial.
Maintenance
In addition to cleaning your place of business, you’ll need to keep it maintained in order to draw customers in and keep them interested. Outdated, failing machinery causes minor inconvenience to customers, but that can become major in the event that your customers decide to patronize another business that’s better prepared to serve them. Likewise, keeping your business’s restrooms maintained is a necessity, because a subpar restroom is the fastest way to repel potential customers.
Businesses succeed or fail on the backs of public perception and opinion, and that starts at your place of business. Therefore, maintaining a flawless appearance is the first step to building your business’s credibility. Using these tips, you’re prepared to elevate the look and feel of your business to attract a robust clientele.
