Whether you like it or not, we’re living in a world where everyone’s glued to their smartphones, watching endless videos of cats doing backflips and influencers pretending their lives are perfect. It’s way too easy to forget just how much power a proper first impression still has. Everyone’s out here chasing social media likes, hashtags and awkward TikTok dances.
Sure, a lot of people enjoy those things (some are more questionable than others), but people are also still paying attention to businesses that show up in the real world. You can have a small local craft business, a remote service business, such as a makeup artist for weddings, basically, anything and people are paying attention.
Just think about it. You remember that pun-filled café sign down the road with the cute chalkboard that makes you snort-laugh every time you pass by? Perhaps at Christmas, there’s a shop that has cute Christmas displays, and you pay attention. If you pay attention to these offline businesses, then some people are paying attention to you as well (as in they know you and others enjoy these, and they continue doing them for their business).
You show up, they show up
It’s a breath of fresh air, seeing a small business showing up in public. It depends on the business, of course, but popping up at the local market, chatting to people at community events, sponsoring local raffles… and people love it. Besides, it makes your business feel as if it belongs in the neighbourhood instead of being some random brand with a dodgy website and fake reviews.
Honestly? You don’t have to do much to get noticed. If you want to, you can pass out some quality flyers and get businesses to display them too. You can have flashy banners and booths too for events, but it’s not always required. Sometimes, it’s really about that friendly smile, making yourself known and just proving you’re a human (rather than a large company that doesn’t care about the community).
The smaller details add up
You know when you walk into a shop, and it just feels like they’ve got their act together? Meaning that the place is clean, the signs are aesthetically pleasing (but smart), the playlist’s decent and it’s all dreamy? These little details just make you find yourself wanting to browse for a bit longer.
Overall, it’s their effort that did it all (even if it feels magical), and with you feeling the way you’re feeling, it paid off. So, what’s the message here? Unfortunately, people judge fast. Sometimes, ridiculously fast. If your window’s grimy or your sign’s falling apart, people clock it before you’ve said hello. Sure, it seems unfair, but this is how it is.
People judge before you open your mouth
Is this one the harshest of them all? Yes, it is, unfortunately, but technically you’re guilty of it too. But overall, it’s entirely true; people are making snap judgments about your business before you’ve even opened your mouth. Yes, it was repeated just above, but this deserved some more attention too. It’s that flyer on the café noticeboard, that little market stall or even that poster someone spots when they’re half-awake, grabbing a morning coffee.
It’s not just about what you sell, it’s about how you show up. Sure, maybe some judgment for what you sell, but usually people don’t pay too much attention to that. But really, you don’t have to sell your soul to social media just to get attention for your business. While it’s true that for some businesses, their first impressions can be online, you still need to remember that for a lot of people, those first impressions are created offline too. Meaning, you need to make it all count out in the real world as well.