Here’s How the Appearance of Cleanliness Can Affect Customer Trust

It’s not even about proof, it’s about bad feelings. You wouldn't go to a coffee shop and get a drink if you see that it looks, well, gross, right? For the average customer, it doesn’t even take ten seconds to make a judgment on whether or not it’s worth going there. The space can be clean, but it’s more about how clean it is. 

Sometimes it’s just the floor by the door looking grey from years of shoes, the carpet having that one mystery stain, maybe there’s a water stain on the ceiling, or the tiles looking dull even though, technically, someone mopped them that morning. It doesn’t help if there's flies or other bugs, that also sells this gross feeling that customers don’t want to deal with.

And yeah, that’s annoying for business owners, because the place might genuinely be clean. The bathrooms might be checked. The counters might be wiped. The staff might be doing exactly what they’re meant to do. But if a customer sees stains, a not-so-perfect entrance, well, you probably just lost their service. Even if the business is clean, but the environment looks “old” or “tired”, well, they won’t be able to point their finger tot hat, for them, it’s still not as clean as it should be.

Stains Kill Reputations

Stains are so unfair, well, you can’t really get them out. They just stay there. So, a dark mark on the carpet could be old coffee from 2021, but to a customer, it could be anything. Like that could be mud, feces, food, water damage, something from someone’s shoe, something worse, who knows? Great, now everyone’s thinking too much. But that’s what happens with stains.

That’s especially rough for businesses where trust is basically the whole thing. In a clinic, a stained floor can make the place feel less clean. In a salon, it can make the whole service feel less premium. In a café, people might start wondering about the kitchen, even if the kitchen is spotless. It applies to all types of businesses here, so you need to think about that.

Daily Cleaning Can Still Leave a Place Looking Worn Out

It’s the worn-out look that more or less gives the idea that a place is unclean, even if you and your team are constantly disinfecting it. So, proper visual upkeep and cleaning aren’t the same thing, but they do go together when it comes to perceived judgment.  A mop can deal with surface mess, sure, but it’s not going to magically fix years of foot traffic, dull flooring, old carpet marks, scuffed corners, or that weird flattened patch near the till where every customer stands. 

It’s like a white t-shirt, you can wash it a bunch of times, but if it has holes and stains, and the white has faded, well, it still looks bad. You could look into commercial cleaning equipment and better cleaning routines to help bring back some life. Honestly, getting rid of any stains and even a fresh coat of paint can help a lot, too (and removing anything that looks outdated as well).

Customers Usually won’t Complain

They’re not going to complain because they’re just going to spend their money elsewhere, plain and simple. All it means is that the second they’re grossed out, or alarm bells go off, is that they’ll just browse for less time. They’ll feel less comfortable booking again. They’ll choose the other café next time. They’ll decide the salon down the road feels nicer. They’ll tell themselves it was nothing, but they still won’t rush back.

How Will Copywriting Change In 2023?

In the 1990s, the internet (or just “Internet”) was referred to as the information superhighway. Many on-ramps and off-ramps taking you where you want to go from point A to point B. After the smartphone revolution in 2007, the World Wide Web resembled less a highway and more of a vending machine - content was now on demand, curated by algorithm, stopping and starting at the whim of the user.

Copywriting was once the province of “Mad Men” who wrote pithy, predictable, and gimmicky headlines.

For the most part, they were effective.

Now, headlines are boring in comparison to other forms of content. Text is competing against short videos on TikTok, pictures on Instagram, and podcasts on Spotify. Not only that, but endless streams of them, all the time.

Your business isn’t competing against other businesses, it’s competing for attention. This is the crucial distinction between doing copywriting the old way and doing it the new way in 2023.

COPYWRITING From New Media To The Norm

Let’s assume the “snappy headline” is no longer relevant since the competition is just too fierce and compelling. What must you do right away? Your content and copywriting should convey the value of your product or service in a way that is educational, insightful, and interesting.

If you can't connect with your audience, you won't be successful since they'll go on to the next exciting thing. These constant bursts of content releases dopamine chemicals into people's brains to maintain their bio-transmitter levels and hold their attention.

Former Facebook engineers have since admitted their medium was built around “continuous partial attention,” as Justin Rosenstein. inventor of the ‘like’ button, told the The Guardian.

If you can't convince potential customers to remain, you lose them. However, you need to know how to maintain consumer interest throughout the entire transaction. You must establish a compelling value proposition, a compelling story, and a reason for people to care if you want to do it well.

The curiosity Factor in copywriting

Curiosity is always the call for attention. One of the most famous examples in narrative storytelling instills a burning curiosity that leaves even five-year olds spellbound: a flickering, repeating hologram of a woman saying, “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

Who is that? Who is Obi-Wan? What kind of help? Why is he her only hope?

We are inherently and naturally highly interested as humans.

You can hold someone’s interest for a while if you tell them something intriguing and engaging without immediately providing the solution.

In the end, we want people to understand that we have something that can benefit them, and that is what we as copywriters are trying to convey to them with this interest. People need our help. Someone's time is wasted if your product or service doesn't genuinely provide something of value. They'll be irate if they spend five seconds or five hours with you if you don’t give them anything truly valuable.

The last thing you need is a disgruntled customer since they won't do business with you again. It cannot be overstated how little time you have to capture and hold someone's attention in the present environment with all of your competitors. It follows that your headline, hook, and entrance point into that person's world has to be intriguing otherwise it’s a flick of the thumb and on to something else.

Creating The Compelling Narrative

The first part is giving someone a reason to be interested in what you have to say - which is how you sell. Motivation is what drives characters in narrative fiction, and it’s what drives humans to do pretty much everything. In business, the motivation may be the profit motive. In Law and Order: SVU, the motivation might be something more sinister.

Then, comes Information. Information that a target audience can actually use. Not just “five tips” that have been recycled ad nauseam, but information that is the entry point into a grander and more compelling narrative.

Once Luke takes R2D2 to Obi-Wan, he learns that Princess Leia is seeking the old man’s help after a failed diplomatic mission to Alderaan. We enter the world of the dastardly Galactic Empire, swashbuckling Jedi, scheming bounty hunters, and an entire galaxy of creatures. Will the Rebel Alliance prevail? Every scene in Star Wars ended on an old serial style cliffhanger by design - we all couldn’t wait to see what the next scene had in store.

By sharing a little of your experience or explaining why you might be able to relate to their suffering, you are also connecting with them. And the world's top start-ups and businesses are built on the principle of relieving someone else's suffering or making a difficult task simpler.

Heeding The Call To Action

The next step is to give the customer a Call to Action. These can range from asking customers to follow your channel or to look at the free report or case study at the bottom of an email. It could ask someone to begin a risk-free trial. It may be to purchase a product or sign up for a free consultation. Giving consumers the next step in the process of becoming and keeping a client is the ultimate destination on this journey.

The more value you can provide people, the more trust they will develop in you. The more examples you can provide of the job you can really execute, the more probable it is that they will become your clients or customers.

Always conclude with a strong call to action, and be extremely precise about what you want them to do.

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Yes, Bad Spelling Turns Customers Off

A couple of months ago, I asked my mailing list (sign up here!) all to participate in a short survey. I got a handful of responses (about 20 or so) and the results are clear: yes, bad spelling and grammar turns customers off.

Responding to When you see a business with spelling or grammar errors in their marketing or advertising, what is your perception of that business?, four-fifths said it looks "sloppy."

Most (80%) agreed that "Better spelling and grammar means better attention to detail."

Almost all said if they saw a spelling error in a piece of their communications, they'd rewrite it. (One person said they'd ignore it. I can't wrap my head around that. At all.)

When asked How much do you agree with the following statement: "Writing that is simple and direct is easier to understand" all respondents "strongly agreed" (an 8/10 or more.)

Here's the big takeaway: not ONE response went above neutral when asked "if you see a business with spelling or grammar errors in their marketing or advertising, does it make you more or less likely to buy from them?" It generated an average of 3/10 - meaning "extremely unlikely."

If you think that bad spelling or grammar doesn't effect your business: it's time to think again.

My lame superpower is finding spelling and grammar errors in writing - but as lame as it sounds, it could help your business win more customers with a polished presentation.