House hunting can be a pain. It’s stressful, time consuming and sometimes expensive. You just want to find the right place and get the job done. Leafing through books filled with bland images of identical houses becomes a nightly hobby and you long for something different. And then you see it. A beautiful town house, caught on a bright sunny day, the tiny front garden immaculate, the windows and doors a sight to behold. You have to see it, and after arrangements with the estate agent are made, you wander around its lavish interior, thinking ‘I’m so glad they’d taken a great picture for the brochure’. Curb appeal then, is everything; and this is true not only of those buying or selling homes, but also for businesses.
No matter what you do, whether you’re a retail extraordinaire, or a starkly successful consultancy when prospects, customers and clients visit, they want to be compelled to go inside; they want to see the core of your company reflected in the image they see stood outside; they don’t want to see the same drab, grey, faceless, unkempt building as this will merely give them a negative impression before they’ve even spoken to you.
Many consider business curb appeal to be a much deeper image of the company projected outwardly by your actions, working environment and modernity; however the physical side of commercial curb appeal, is something that often gets missed, and as such, here’re a few easy ways to get the front end looking fantastic.
The first thing to do is to stand outside yourself. Does your building look clean?
A lack of cleanliness is one of the first things that is likely to put potential visitors off, or instil in them a negative frame of mind. Hire a cleaner to pick up wind swept street rubbish and, if the front of your property is large enough, install some modern looking bins and have them emptied regularly. Nothing looks worse than wrappers and rubbish in your courtyard.
Next, return to your position at the front of your building and think; does this building look presentable?
Different to simply making sure everything is clean and tidy, maintaining a level of presentation will instinctively encourage a keen attention to detail and professionalism in the mind of a customer. Retail units should ensure their sign above the door is appropriately lit, that marketing material is clearly displayed and that the doors are open and welcoming.
On larger properties, greenery is a significant factor, and can invoke the idea of an up-market, respected name. Ensure this is kept to with the utmost attention, and try to do something different with it. Interesting trees planted in symmetrical positions; flowerbeds and plantlife carefully arranged and shapely, curvaceous lawns, all neatly tidied together with lawn or border edging, to create a genuine sense of presentation and prestige on your property.
Thirdly, does your building look bland and ordinary, or interesting and inviting?
Doing something different in your entranceway will help to differentiate you from the thousands of other anonymously adorned buildings around. The aforementioned greenery could be done on a smaller scale; plant pots, statues and even a park bench if the grounds to your property are large enough would all make for something different. Use colour and design techniques to make your premises feel unique. You could use POS and marketing materials such as PVC banners or A-frame signs, the possibilities are endless.
Keep these basics in mind when you’re thinking about the physical curb appeal of your business, and you’ll be on the way to being remembered in no time!