How You Can Harness the Power of the First Impression

It can be easy to focus your attention on your website as the main source of increasing the reach of your business's appeal, but you should also pay attention to the first impression that your employees project to potential and current consumers.

New research by 4imprint reveals corporate uniforms are a powerful marketing tool, and they are a valuable addition to any marketing strategy. Here's how you can benefit from a corporate uniform:

Branded first impression

You only have one opportunity to make a first impression, and it is made within only 26 seconds. This is an incredibly short period to make a lasting impression, and so a corporate uniform can be the ideal way to control how consumers perceive your workforce. Uniformity means consistency and developing your brand's reputation means that you must pay attention to how your employees represent your business.

Consumers trust people in uniform

The research found that consumers inherently trust people in uniform and are more likely to approach a stranger who is wearing one. Trust is essential for building your business's reputation and helps to instil confidence in the products and services that you deliver.

Builds corporate identity

The workplace culture that you rely on for the smooth running of operations is strengthened by having a defined corporate identity. A corporate uniform unites employees by confirming the ethos and practices by which they work. Furthermore, a strong corporate identity has been found to improve employee loyalty by increasing a sense of team spirit, pride and motivation which, in turn, boosts productivity and efficiency.

7 out of 10 employees wish that they had a work uniform to wear for work so that they don't have to worry about how they dress or how to manage to make a successful first impression to colleagues, customers or bosses. 82% believe that what they wear to work impacts the first impression that they project.

Builds brand recognition

While your employees perform their daily tasks, they are visible to the public and therefore potential consumers. The public will begin to associate the uniform with the products and services that you offer. Brand recognition is an important tool for influencing consumer behaviour, and when your employees wear your business's uniform, they are increasing the awareness of the products or services that you offer.

You cannot put a price on your business being already familiar to potential consumers – 50% of all purchasing decisions are influenced by word of mouth, which means that if you are recognised as a trustful and authoritative provider, you will be the first that is recommended.

We live in an increasingly busy, digital age, and that can mean that you neglect the physical representation of your brand. Your employees embody your organisation, and by introducing a corporate uniform to your business, you are using the power of the first impression to strengthen and grow your brand.