I drove into downtown Toronto this weekend, and noticed there was a company in a location where there was a big parking lot. The building, the exterior, looked very nice. The company logo, displayed near the sidewalk, looked very urban, very modern. There were cars in the parking lot. The whole image was very impressive. Yet I had no idea what the place was, and I could not see what products/services were offered inside the building. I could not decipher from the company sign what it was that they do.
First, I thought it was a car dealership. But then the person next to me thought it was a restaurant. We were both confused. I doubt that it was a club, since it was day time and there were cars in the lot. We didn't drive in, since there wasn't enough communication to let us know what the place was.
Have you taken a closer look at your company image? Your brochure, website, logo, and your place of business? Is your communication clear? Especially for retail businesses, if people do not register what you offer in the first few seconds, they will be driven to go elsewhere.
The stylish designs of the place and sign got my attention, but the message wasn't clear enough to draw me into the building.
If people who come across your company material (be it a brochure, website, business card, or place of business) and ask you exactly what you have to offer, you know you need to make your message clearer.
By the way, just for this entry I typed in the company's name in google, and nothing came up. I think that company's marketing efforts are disastrous.
