Something I’ve noticed in the wellness + coaching world over the last few years is a huge emphasis on aesthetics.
Aesthetics of IG graphics.
Sales pages.
Emails.
Memberships.
IG story filters.
You get the gist.
While aesthetics are an important component of brand building, they shouldn’t be the main priority (at least in my opinion!).
Aesthetics may attract clients to you.
Aesthetics might add additional value to your offers.
But if your client experience is lacking and your service sucks, then your aesthetics won’t mean sh*t.
Harsh for a Monday morning, but true.
I’ve seen so many consumers (myself included!) get lured into buying a product or service because of a perfectly edited video or a beautifully designed sales page. The design is captivating. The vibes are immaculate. Yet, the quality of the product or service is severely lacking.
Yes, businesses that prioritize aesthetics over value may capture the sale, but you know what else they receive?
1. Lack of repeat business: When a business prioritizes aesthetics over providing actual value, customers don’t have a compelling reason to return. If the actual product or service fails to meet customer expectations, they are less likely to become loyal customers, resulting in a lack of repeat business (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, people won’t purchase again).
2. Reduced word-of-mouth referrals: Clients tend to recommend businesses that offer excellent value and exceptional experiences. If a small business prioritizes aesthetics at the expense of delivering value, the likelihood of your clients referring friends, family, and colleagues to your business are slim-to-none (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, people won’t refer your business to others).
3. Negative online reputation: In the world we live in, online reviews and ratings play a significant role in shaping consumer perceptions (we’ve all seen this play out IRL). If customers feel let down by a business that prioritizes aesthetics over value, they may leave negative reviews and ratings on Yelp, Google Reviews, IG, etc. A poor online reputation can deter potential customers from choosing that business (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, you’ll probs get bad reviews online which will probs defer future clients).
4. Difficulty in building brand loyalty: Building brand loyalty requires more than just visual appeal. It requires consistently delivering value, meeting customer expectations, and building a positive emotional connection with the target audience. If a small business focuses excessively on aesthetics but fails to deliver meaningful value, it may struggle to cultivate a loyal customer base which is needed to sustain a long-lasting and successful brand (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, you wont’ have an engaged community supporting your brand over the long-haul).
5. Increased customer complaints: Aesthetic-focused businesses tend to neglect certain functional aspects or quality standards in favor of appearances. This lack of regard for quality can lead to increased customer complaints, dissatisfaction, and requests for refunds or exchanges. Handling a high volume of complaints can very quickly strain a small business’s resources and add a high degree of stress onto the business owner’s plate (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, customers will complain and request refunds/exchanges which adds stress onto the business and the founder).
6. Difficulty in adapting to changing market demands: Consumer preferences and market trends evolve over time. Businesses that prioritize aesthetics over value may find it challenging to adapt to changing customer needs and industry trends because they aren’t paying attention to the functional needs of their community. They may struggle to innovate, introduce new features or services, or stay ahead of competitors who prioritize both aesthetics and value (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, you probably aren’t paying attention to your community’s actual needs and will, more than likely, fall behind or struggle to innovate to keep up with demand).
7. Higher client acquisition costs: Small businesses that prioritize aesthetics but fail to deliver value have a lot of turnover (AKA their client retention rates are low). Rather than being able to retain current clients to meet their sales goals, they are constantly needing to sell in order to make ends meet. This results in higher client acquisition costs, as they need to constantly replenish their customer base (TLDR: if your client experience + product/service sucks, you’ll have to spend more time, energy, and money constantly acquiring new clients).
Long story short: Your business not only has to look great, but it has to deliver great too.
So, the next time you find yourself pouring endless hours into perfecting how something LOOKS, take a moment to pause. Is your time really best spent perfecting the aesthetics OR could you be dedicating more of that time + energy into honing your skills, adding value to your offers, and exceeding expectations in your client experience?
You can hire a VA to tinker with the aesthetics of your brand (after all, if we’re being honest, a VA can probably do it quicker and better than you can, anyway). We need YOU to be the driver of innovation and impact in a way that only you can for your brand.
Just some food for thought 😉
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