More entrepreneurs, small businesses, and independent contractors are working from home or remotely from the road than ever before. A lot of businesses thrive in a fully-digital workplace culture without a central office, but their customers still expect them to “exist” somewhere.
Without a reputable address, your business may suffer — so much so that a lot of independent professionals and small businesses are turning to a virtual office rental to improve the trustworthiness and prestige of their IRL (in real life) imprint.
How does your office address impact your brand, and how can you harness that to power your marketing?
A sleek, modern office building projects a professional image that instills brand trust and creates a strong first impression.
Traditionally, businesses pay a premium for that kind of curb appeal, and in the digital age, an address listing online works in the same way. Savvy consumers will do their research, and unfortunately your home office address can raise red flags about the credibility of your operation.
Renting a virtual office address is an affordable alternative to using a residential address. Should a prospective client Google your address, they won’t see a house in the suburbs or a dorm at the local university. Instead, they’ll get what they’re looking for: a real office building.
By choosing a highly visible virtual office such as 4000 MacArthur, Newport Beach, you’re able to influence perceptions and complement your brand through an association with a prestigious location.
A virtual office does more than just enhance your brand reputation.
Many remote businesses rely on a network of third-party vendors to handle mail services, customer care, and other consumer-facing services. Without a central location, you may send mail to a P.O. box in Chicago, phone calls to a number in Ohio — all for your “Silicon Valley-based startup.” It’s confusing to customers, and certainly not very professional in appearance.
As an alternative, many small businesses house key operations and services at their virtual office address (for example, Seattle Downtown is just one of numerous rental locations nationwide providing mail services). That way your business “runs” from one centralized footprint, no matter how geographically distributed your org chart is in reality.
An industry leader like Premier Workspaces offers the flexibility to choose service packages to scale operations with your growing needs.
Not all business can be done online. Sometimes you need to meet face-to-face to hammer out a decision, or maybe you need a private space to talk about financial matters with an accounting client. When that need arises, having access to an exclusive, dedicated meeting space can be the difference between a happy customer and a lost opportunity.
Other times, you may want to bring the team together for an important announcement, a strategy session, or just a friendly meetup. When you want to host in-person work activities, many virtual offices offer day-rate workspace rentals along with premier meeting rooms of varied capacity. For example, Premier Workspace’s Burbank, California virtual office has a winning combination of polish and practicality that will send the right message to anyone who steps foot in the office.
Plus, many virtual office locations also include receptionists and waiting areas for an added layer of professionalism — no one will suspect that your business was built at your dining room table.
As more work is done online, consumers are forced to make decisions about authority and prestige faster (and using less concrete information) than ever before. Many people still vet businesses using trustworthy symbols from a more analog era — physical address, phone and mail service, and meeting spaces. A virtual office space gives you a home base from which to contextualize your business, no matter where you physically may be.
Business owners that want to stand out need to meet expectations both online and off. Thankfully, businesses of all sizes can project a professional image with a business address, deliver consistency with supporting services, and demonstrate authority with Premier Workspaces.
Decide which virtual office fits your needs. Read How to Choose a Virtual Office.