Choosing an office space for your business can be an extremely important decision for any business. By having a prestigious office location, in the center of the city that your business operates in, will be a great asset to any company.
As your business is itself a brand, it is important that your business stands out from its competitors.
For this reason, it is crucial that the identity of your business is present not just in the products and services it offers, but right through to the office environment. That it connects with the essence of what your business stands for. Brand personality and identity are the emotional connections that your customers have with your business. Research suggests that nearly 90 percent of our purchase decisions are made subconsciously; therefore it is valuable to your business to develop your brand identity across all areas, including your office space.
Your office should be a physical description of what your company stands for, its business strategy, corporate values, customer service and the environment where your business operates. By extending these brand messages, whether they are subtle or overt, across all client interactions it will only further strengthen the emotional connection your customers have with your business.
Your office environment will allow your business to live the brand, and promote it during face to face customer interactions. It is a visible and viable asset, which can be utilized to build and grow your business. Your clients will have an expectation of your business based on its environment and location. When your clients enter your office, how they are greeted, and what technology your business is using, and where your business is located are all indicators of what your business stands for and how successful it is.
Internally the office environment communicates to your employees the way you wish your business to operate. By choosing your workplace based on its usage, space will be able to create an environment where productivity is key. Consider offices where the internal systems and technology will only aid your staff and the customer service delivered to your clients.
One way to establish what attributes you would like your office to communicate to your staff and clientele is to consult Aaker’s brand personality model. Aaker’s brand personality framework allows a brand to describe itself in terms of human attributes, to which there are five core components; sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. This framework will give your business an indication of what traits are important. For example, if sophistication is rated highly, you will know that in order to extend your brand image across your office space you need to find a business environment which has a sophisticated presence.
It is important to also point out that the 3D branding of your office environment is very much linked to the location of your office space. The postcode of your business can say a great deal about your brand, and where you sit in comparison to your competitors. It is all about location, location, location. If sophistication is a vital part of your business identity, having your office in a landmark building overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge will certainly make your business stand head and shoulders above your competitors.
Furthermore by choosing a location, which is easily accessible to your clients, will create positive associations with your business. As you want to make every aspect of your interaction with your clientele enjoyable, if they step in the door stressed from an unenjoyable journey this will transfer onto your business dealings and your client relationship. Therefore good transport links and the local area are considerations that can also affect your business and how it is perceived.
