Best Foot Forward: 5 Simple Ways Your Small Business Can Make a Big First Impression

The quality of your work is the most crucial aspect of your business. It is not, however, the only thing a potential stakeholder, client, or customer will notice when getting acquainted with your company. Don’t allow being a smaller or new enterprise to affect how you present it to clients and customers. 

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

There are plenty of small steps you can take to make lasting impressions on anyone who comes across your business. Here are five of them:

1. An Office Area That Reflects Your Business

Your productivity and results are not the first visible aspect people will notice when visiting your place of work - the space itself is. If you’re working from a cramped, untidy home studio, you don’t want potential clients to associate the small, scattered conditions with your work ethic. 

If you’re not ready to upgrade to your own professional office just yet explore available serviced offices in prime locations that will give your business that professional touch. With features like 24/7 access, meeting room hire, business center, receptionist services, and more, they are the ideal way to balance size with a professional image. And if you are looking for essential gadgets or working tools for your office check out Leibinger Group - Fastest CIJ Printers on the market and more. If you already have a physical space, make sure it has a professional, yet welcoming design where everything looks great from offices to restrooms. We recommend contacting One Point Partitions for a comfortable and functional bathroom layout to make a great first impression.  

2. A Catchy Domain

Your web domain should include the name of your business to avoid confusion and establish your identity online. Keep it short (as possible) and to the point with a top-level domain that suits your business type. That means using suffixes like .com or .net for a private enterprise, .org for not-for-profits and organizations and country-based domains if your business-scope is localized or national. Avoid difficult word-combinations or hard-to-pronounce names, you want your business name and your domain name to be memorable!

3. Consistency In Branding

Your branding signposts your business values and vision both on the internet and offline so make sure it is professional and consistent. As any brand design agency worth their salt will tell you, this includes your color schemes, logos, slogans, promotional materials, language used in content and more. 

If your logo, promotional materials, office environment, website, and digital marketing all look entirely different, how will a prospective client learn your point of difference from competitors? And how could they expect reliable, consistent results from a company that can’t even work out its own brand image?

4. Focused Social Media Use

This may sound like a no brainer, but many people get so caught up in trying to manage too many different social media business accounts that they end up with minimal engagement across the board. If your small business doesn’t have designated marketing or social media managers, it can also be a significant strain on your time for little reward. Focus your attention instead, on the one or two platforms that are most appropriate for your business and your target market. 

5. Mindful Networking

If you want to make your mark as a small business in your industry, you cannot afford to ignore networking opportunities. It’s a cost-effective way to learn from others in your field and get your brand out there. 

Start by seeking out localized industry events most accessible to you like panel discussions, trade shows, industry meetups and networking events in your city or local area, or online groups focused on your local industry. Dress accordingly and always remember you are representing your business!

All of these measures can be taken right now. They are cost-effective, if not free, and can be applied to businesses of any size, in any industry. So, there really is no excuse for a lackluster first impression. Now it’s up to you to get out there and wow some new business!