First Impressions count

This is part of a series of posts entitled “WHY BOTHER?” – covering why you should bother with branding and design in your business.

You wouldn’t turn up to a networking event dressed in your pyjamas, unwashed and with unbrushed hair would you? (Unless you were trying to make some sort of point. I guess there are exceptions to everything right?)

So why would you have a brand, business cards or a website that look dated, dull or amateur?

First impressions count. I’m sure you’ve heard this before. According to Nancy Koehn, Americans currently have an 8 second attention span… which is 1 second LESS than a goldfish. Not that great is it?! Attention spans are getting shorter, so you have to work harder to make sure that you’re grabbing attention and keeping it. According to a study completed in 2012 you actually have only two tenths of a second to grab someones interest on your website. (Click to tweet.) That’s not very long, so you need to make the most of it to make them stay!

One way to do this is with design. Design can make your business stand out. It can make that first impression count. If you spend time working on how your business looks then people will straightaway get a feel for what you’re all about and if it resonates with them then they’ll spend time getting to know more.

Your logo is often one of the first things people see – either on your business card, at the top of your website, on your social media profile – so it’s important to work on how well it communicates what you do and what you stand for, and then back that up by putting other elements in place – the right imagery, the right fonts and colours – whatever you can do to get your brand image looking and feeling incredible so that your prospective customers will just “get it” in those first crucial seconds.

According to ClickFox, “research showed consumers strongly consider customer service and brand quality/image as the most influential factor when choosing loyalty to their brands” with 59% noting that “they decide when a brand becomes their favorite immediately after their first purchase or when the service begins”. So if our loyalty is defined by that first impression then it really is worth getting it right.

This article from Forbes is about YOUR first impression – what you look like – which is equally important as you are your brand, so well worth a read, however, the bullet pointed list of what a positive first impression can help you to achieve is just as relevant to your business image. These are the benefits of creating a fantastic first impression:

  • Control what others see/perceive
  • Enhance others’ perception of you
  • Project trustworthiness
  • Inspire confidence in your abilities
  • Exude friendliness, approachability and likeability
  • Open doors to opportunities
  • Enhance/elevate your status

Wouldn’t you want that for your business?

What can you do now to improve the first impression you give throughout your business image, from your logo, to your website, to your own image? 

 

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