Setting your company up as a premium brand has some key benefits. Firstly, premium brands can get away with charging more money for products or services, based solely on the fact that they offer an elevated experience. It’s how certain fashion brands can charge thousands for what appears to be a simple pair of shoes or a plain top. There’s a certain psychology that forms around luxury brands that’s super fascinating to delve into.
That’s a discussion for another time, but you need to think of your premium brand as selling an experience rather than a product/service. This extends beyond your online presence and enters the physical world. It’s easy to present yourself as a premium brand online, but one trip to your office rips the illusion away.
You need people to walk past your office or venture inside and be blown away by what they see. It should leave subconscious thoughts in their minds that you are a premium brand – and are therefore worth paying a premium fee for. To help you create this aura for your business, here are some simple office upgrades that instantly signal premium branding.
1. High-Quality Refreshments For All Guests
Office refreshments don’t seem like a big deal, though neglecting them can be all it takes to ruin the perception of your premium brand. It’s also one of those things that truly sets premium brands apart from the rest, so consider upgrading from your normal water cooler to something a bit more luxurious. Partner with a luxury spring water distributor to bring high-quality bottled water to your premises. Invest in quality coffee machines so guests can enjoy a flat white or cappuccino, rather than instant coffee from a pot. You want people to visit your space and feel like they’re being looked after. They should want to keep the water bottle for later, or feel as though they should pay for your coffee.
2. Luxury Office Seating
It’s easy and cost-effective to head down to Ikea and purchase the cheapest office furniture they provide. That’s why loads of businesses look the same; they’re equipped with cheap and affordable office furniture. You need your brand to stand out as a premium place of work, so prepare to invest in luxury office seating choices. Splash the cash on a fleet of Herman Miller chairs for optimal ergonomics and luxury appeal. Bedazzle guests with plush armchairs or sofas for them to recline on while they wait. Individuals should step into your workplace and be jealous of how nice your seating looks.
3. Curated Office Lighting
Office lighting has a tendency to look the same wherever you go. It’s all bright lights from the ceiling, with little room for nuance. Premium brands differentiate themselves by developing curated office lighting. That’s a fancy way of saying: they customize the lighting to create different moods or feelings in different parts of the workplace. Do away with the traditional large ceiling lights and explore different office lighting ideas. Combine pendant lighting with spotlights, add in wall lighting or hidden LEDs to create accents. It takes a while to figure out the right style, but the result is illumination that screams premium branding.
4. Subtle Scents Throughout The Space
Everyone knows that small details matter in the world of branding, especially when you want to present yourself as a premium company. As is so often the case, luxury brands do things that signify an immediate step up from what people are used to. They often target aspects that most people don’t think about until they witness the change. For example, scents. You wouldn’t think twice about how an office smells – unless it smells nice. Take a leaf out of the hotel sector’s book and use subtle scent devices to create an inviting smell throughout your office. It shouldn’t be overpowering, but it should be enough for someone to notice. That’s all it takes to trigger a thought in their brain that your business is on another level.
5. Impressive Office Technology
As you can expect, office technology plays a big part in your brand strategy. You can’t push this narrative of being a premium company when your office is full of outdated technology. Invest in the very best – and consider making the switch to Macs, purely for the aesthetics. Anyone who’s ever walked into an office and seen loads of Macs or MacBooks immediately thinks that the company is a high-end business. Couple this with other cool tech options – like smart switches, voice controls for certain things, automated sensors that turn lights on when you walk into certain rooms, etc.
6. Branded Office Elements
Partner with suppliers to create branded office elements – like branded door handles, branded toilet paper and soap in the bathroom, etc. Not only does this help you create a consistent brand image, but it also works to bring premium feelings to the workplace. Having different branded items makes your business look important and luxurious – it’s not something that the average company will bother doing.
7. Privacy & Sound Supressing Features
For a moment, imagine your business is a car. People pay more money for premium vehicles because they come with certain perks or features – like sound suppression and privacy. Will people pay a premium price for your car if they sit inside and get loads of wind noise? No. Take this analogy and apply it to your office space; you need to make it feel like a premium car, so invest in sound-suppressing features. Your office shouldn’t be bombarded with sounds from outside, creating a truly premium atmosphere. At the same time, use tinted windows and other ideas to create this sense of privacy. People should feel like they’re in this exclusive place when entering your office or viewing it from the outside.
Companies always fall into the trap of designing a premium brand strategy that only focuses on an online image. You can’t forget about your perception in the physical world, especially if people visit or see your office. These upgrades help you create the premium brand image you’re after, which can also aid you in converting leads when potential clients come for consultations or meetings.
