10 creative ways to boost your business’ curb appeal
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As a business owner, you likely invest a lot of time and dedication into developing your business into a successful enterprise. From developing superior products and fine-tuning your customer service policies that will help build your brand, it’s essential to do everything you can to attract business.
As in all parts of life, first impressions are crucial. How you present your business to the world can be the deciding factor for a customer that is standing outside your door. Business fronts can relate to the world the complexities of what you have to offer. Putting thought and effort into your storefront or building exterior can result in increased interest in your business.
Unmaintained storefronts are not an attractive draw to anyone and can reflect your lack of effort as a business owner. Customers want to see a well-kept, intriguing and presentable business that they can trust. This makes your business’s curb appeal as important as the product or service that you are trying to sell.
Taking care of things like spreading calcium chloride for road dust control in your driveway or gravel parking lot to add greenery to your landscaping will help you put your business’s best face forward. Let’s look at a few creative ways to boost your business’s curb appeal.
Update signage
Dirty, peeling, or partially lit signage for your business is sending the wrong message. You want customers to be able to find you with ease, meaning that your signage should be updated, refreshed, and in good working order at all times. If the first thing that customers see is a sign in disrepair, it will be easy to associate your business with inactivity or apathy.
Regular maintenance
You may spend a lot of time designing and merchandising your shop’s interior, but that will not make the first impression on potential customers. Making sure that the exterior elements of your business are in good working order is essential. Door handles, bells, walkways, and railings should routinely be maintained.
Add greenery
Plants have a way of adding a welcoming feeling to any space. Hanging colorful baskets or planting simple and elegant greenery at the front of your business can give it a look that is inviting and serene. Your business’s front doesn’t need to look like a florist shop, but a few well-hung or placed plants can add vitality to your business that will catch customers’ attention.
Seasonal decor
Most businesses cater to seasonal holidays to help with their merchandising. Although it’s a good idea to add some appropriate seasonal things, simplicity is the key to making an enormous impact. It’s important not to overdo your decorations for each holiday. Too many seasonal decor items can detract away from the products that you are trying to sell. Ensure that your decor items are timely and that when a holiday is over, decorations are promptly taken down.
Upgrade entrance
A cracked and uneven walkway, driveway, or parking lot says a lot about a business. You want your customers to have a neat and safe entrance to your business. If you have your own parking lot, make sure that it is correctly graded if it is gravel and sprayed with calcium chloride to minimize dust. Paved driveways and parking lots should be resealed annually and parking lines should be repainted when they begin to fade.
Accessibility
You don’t want to limit or exclude any customers from your business, so it’s important to ensure that your facilities are ADA accessible. Ramps into your business, automatic doors that assist customers using wheelchairs, and braille tags for sight restricted customers help every customer to feel comfortable in your business. Owners that take the time to be inclusive when designing their business’ interior and exterior to cater to disabled customers make an important statement about their brand.
Add color
Neutral colors may be easy to use as decor, but can make a bland and uninteresting curb statement. You want customers to take notice of your business; stand out from the crowd. Adding a pop of color can help draw the eye of potential customers in your direction. You don’t have to go overboard with the color; keep it simple and elegant, and you will boost your curb appeal simply and affordably.
Convenient parking
Customers that have to circle the block trying to find parking to your business are more likely to keep driving to another location. Make sure that your business has convenient and easy to access parking for all of your customers. If you have parking in the back, ensure that you have clear signage indicating where your customers can find a parking spot.
Neat landscaping
As a business owner, you already know the importance of making a statement. That positive picture about your brand starts before your customer even walks through the front door. To increase your curb appeal, always ensure that your landscaping is well maintained and neat. This means that your grass should be cut regularly, garden beds should be weeded and look well cared for. This type of maintenance will reflect your care for your entire business.
Rotating window displays
Your customers may come from all over, but your base clients are generally local buyers that walk or drive past your shop every day. If you want to draw continued interest in your business, you should regularly rotate your window displays. Keep customers intrigued with new products and creative displays that will lure them into your store to see what else you have to offer.
You may wonder why it’s so important to put any effort into your business’s curb appeal. The simple answer is that over 95% of customers say that how a business looks from the outside directly impacts their decision to shop inside. If you own a business that has a storefront or business building, it’s important to remember that first impressions start at the front door. Follow some of these tips, including adding greenery, adding accessibility services, maintaining your parking area, and updating your signage to help you boost your business’s curb appeal.
