Curb appeal is defined as the attractiveness of a property and its surroundings when viewed from the street. When people hear curb appeal, they typically think of residential properties up for sale. Home owners put a lot of focus on curb appeal when they are looking to sell their home as curb appeal is a very large factor in perception of value and a nice curb appeal can get you more in the sale than neglect to address it. In the commercial sector, curb appeal has the same impact on the perception of your business to potential customers. As discussed in our post “Commercial Exterior Painting – A Customer First Approach”, we live in a world where perception is key. Our perception is strongly shaped by visual elements and the right efforts to boost your curb appeal can not only increase business but increase what customers are willing to pay for your products or services. One study found that 70% of first time sales are based on curb appeal! This means if you are neglecting your curb appeal, you are missing out on lots of sales from NEW customers. 

The good news is that curb appeal is something that can easily be boosted and does not have to cost you a lot of time or money. There are many inexpensive ways to boost the perception of your business by improving your storefront and surrounding areas. Below we explore 5 tips to increase your business’ curb appeal from JMA Painters, your local painting contractor. 

Tips To Boosting Your Commercial Curb Appeal

Tip #1 – Fresh Exterior Paint Job

Being a professional local painting contractor, we couldn’t leave this one off the list! In fact, a fresh exterior paint job is one of the quickest, and most cost effective ways to transform your curb appeal. Painting the exterior of your business can increase sales, increase walk in traffic and completely change a customers’ perception of you and your brand. A fresh coat of paint will automatically grab more eyes from your everyday passerbyers because it’s a change in scenery so to speak. It will also show customers you care enough about your business to spend the resources in the upkeep of your facility. A fresh paint job from your local painting contractor can make your business look brand new. In addition to this, there are many other benefits to a commercial exterior repaint including increasing the longevity of your business by protecting from sunlight and weather, improved employee morale and productivity, and the overall cost benefit from regular maintenance. For the full list of benefits of an exterior commercial repaint, click here.

Tip #2 – Parking Lot Striping

Do not let parking lot striping be an afterthought for your business. While it holds the highest level of importance for retail businesses, it is an important factor for any brick and mortar business. Without proper parking lot striping, there is no direction, no traffic flow, poor utilization of parking spaces and an increased opportunity of accidents on your property. Fresh and clear parking lot striping will boost the overall perception of your curb appeal, whether the customer realizes that is what is impacting their perception or not. Plus, in addition to remaining ADA Compliant, you will want to make the most out of your parking lot space to accommodate for the boost in traffic you get from your fresh exterior paint job mentioned in Tip#1. Look for a local painting contractor for your parking lot striping today or contact JMA Painters for your free quote. 

Tip #3 – Proper Signage

Large, visible signage that quickly explains who you are and what you do is crucial to boosting business with curb appeal. Imagine seeing a beautiful facility that looks very appealing, but having no clue what business it is or what they sell… if you are like most, you will keep on moving rather than stop to find out. Curb appeal speaks to those who are walking or driving by your business – if you want their business, they need to clearly know who you are. Visible signage is an essential compliment to your brand and can be what gets people in the door. If your current sign is broken, too small, or non existent, consider making the investment – it will be worth the cost. 

Tip #4 – Landscaping

Tip #4 from your local painting contractor is to boost landscaping wherever possible. Unfortunately, this can be a difficult task for some businesses but find opportunity in what you have. Keep any grass healthy and trimmed, add greenery, flowers, and garden elements where possible. This will make the storefront more visually appealing which will naturally attract people to come on in. 

Tip #5 – Safety First Mindset

Our final tip is to keep a safety first mindset. You may not immediately relate safety to curb appeal but there are certain things you can do to keep your customers safe that will also contribute to curb appeal and how your customers perceive your business. Proper lighting for example; if you operate a retail storefront that is operational during night time hours, having a well lit parking lot and storefront is a must. Even if you are not open during nighttime hours, nighttime curb appeal is just as important as daytime. Pathway lighting adds a beautiful element to your storefront and directs traffic. Some other safety elements that compliment your curb appeal are keeping sidewalks cleared and repaired, keeping windows cleaned and crack free, keeping parking lots free of trash and debris and more. 

Improving your curb appeal can boost business and does not have to be expensive. A repaint, added lighting and landscaping alone can transform your entire business and will not break the bank. Take some time to inspect your storefront (especially from the road and back of your parking lot both during the day and at night) and see what improvements could easily be made. JMA Painters is a local painting contractor that does commercial exterior repaints and parking lot striping. We would love the opportunity to knock these items off the curb appeal list for you. Contact us for your free quote today.