Last night, we were watching an episode of Project Runway titled “Let’s Do Brunch.” The designers were tasked with creating an outfit for the “modern, Southern woman.” The winning design would be sold at Belk. You would think that this is a rather straightforward task; however, many of the designers were not only Northern but had very little knowledge of the South.
Living in the South my entire life, I am rather familiar with what types of clothing would fall into this category. With that being said, if someone tasked me with designing something for a woman who lives in Australia I can easily admit that I would be clueless of what, exactly, I was tasked with creating. From that standpoint, I can completely understand the designer’s uncertainties.
However, it became abundantly clear that many of these designers have flawed perceptions of the South. In fact, I was shocked to hear some of the statements and assumptions. For example, many of the designers chose plaid as their fabric – assuming that most women in the South wear plaid. One person said that they did not know what to design for a day in the forest. Another individual made a comment about designing a dress for women going to a Cotillion. These are only a few of the long list of uneducated statements that were made throughout the episode.
These perceptions led me to the creation of this post – perceptions are powerful and your website is often the first impression of your company.
Perceptions and Your Website
After watching the episode, I would be shocked if any of the designers who made these comments would ever move to the South. Why? Due to their perceptions of the South (which granted has been fueled by the media and movies).
The same is true in the business world. Today, most people go online and research a company and examine reviews before making a purchasing decision. When searching for your company by name, more often than not they will be led to your business website. It is in this moment that you give off your first impression. When someone goes to your website, they will immediately have perceptions about your business and the products or services offered.
Below is an example of before and after pictures of a website of a website we redesigned for one of our clients.
Perceptions matter and your website can help give off a great first impression that clearly communicates your message and increases your chances of business success or can drive people away. If you want to win over people who are making buying decisions based on what they find online, then creating a visually appealing, intentional, and search engine optimized website is the first step.
What does your current website say about your business?
Ready to improve your current website? Contact Uptick today to learn more!
