Branding Marketing & Sales

5 Tips on How to Make the Best First Impression With Your Small Business

Most people will judge you within seconds of meeting you, after that it will hard to change their opinion of you. As the 1980s Head & Shoulders shampoo commercial states:  “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” In the same fashion, most people will form an opinion about your business based on their first impression. Following these tips will help you leave a positive impression with your marketing campaign.

1. Research Your Target Audience

First of all, you have to conduct research to identify your consumer group and your customers’ preferences. This means to research the demographic factors of your audience such as gender, class, occupation, education, group membership, and other relevant categories. Even the best marketing content designed to appeal to millennials won’t have much success if most of your customers are retirees. To be able to make a good first impression when marketing your business, you must understand your target audience.

2. Set the Right Tone

The tone of your marketing campaign depends on your brand, but also on what you are selling and to whom. Younger audiences might like a more casual tone, but you don’t want it to be too ‘young and bouncy’ as some people might not take your brand seriously. Older generations, on the other hand, might prefer formal communication, but keep in mind that if too formal, it can make your brand look unapproachable. Your audience preferences will determine the way you’ll speak to them.

3. Stand Out with Creative Design

The competition is intense in almost every industry nowadays meaning that you have to go great lengths to get recognition and eventually a leading position. Whether your customers are mostly sitting in front of their laptops or like to read magazines, your ad material needs to grab their attention. Recognisable logo upgraded with creative design is what your business needs to score a captivating first impression.

You can attract your customers with color, thought-provoking phrases, unusual formatting, aesthetically pleasing layout, impactful graphics, and etc. Sometimes you have to look at how your competitors like to advertise. For instance, if they prefer a pastel color palette for their ads, you might want to go for vivid hues that will immediately stand out in the sea of soft-colored advertisements.

4. Create Fresh Content

Content marketing is big nowadays as many businesses interact with their customers through different channels on the web. Chances are that people will make a first impression based on what your brand is posting on social media, websites, blogs, and so on. For instance, this modern master course in advertising focuses on using all the available channels offered by technology and mastering communication techniques that support the brand to ensure a killer first impression.

You need to create unique and fresh content to keep your audience entertained and interested, otherwise people might lose interest. Posting fifteen articles on your website and then disappearing for a few months won’t bring you a stellar first impression. Consistently updating your website, blog or social media pages will not only get you results and keep your audience engaged but will also increase your online presence.

5. Put Your Business Out There

What’s the point of creating great content and a solid marketing campaign if people can’t find you? Put your business everywhere, from Google to business directories such as Yelp and Yahoo and more. Paying to be listed on these directories will bring awareness about your products and services as well as leave an impression that you care enough to get closer to your customers.

If you manage to grab people’s attention and make a killer first impression, they will most likely check out your products or services. The first interaction with your customers often determines whether they will continue to choose your offerings over others. If needed, you can even test some of your ideas on a sample of your audience demographic and implement their feedback in your marketing campaign. 

“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."

About the author

Jennifer Hahn Masterson

Jennifer Hahn Masterson is a senior business strategist, holding an undergraduate degree in business design, as well as an MA degree in business communication. She is always doing her best to help her clients find their place in the ever so competitive business arena. You can check her out on LinkedIn and Twitter.