Before a customer buys from you, they may already have investigated you.

They may search your business name, check your social media page, read reviews, look through comments or ask someone who has used your service before.

And you may never know they were watching.

The first impression of a business used to happen when a customer walked through the door.

Today, it can happen long before that.

Someone discovers a restaurant online.

They check the menu.

Look at pictures.

Read reviews.

Check the comments.

Then decide whether to visit.

The same thing happens with fashion brands, salons, photographers, caterers, event planners and countless other businesses.

Your digital presence has become part of your storefront.

Customers aren't only asking:

They're also asking:

A business can lose a customer without ever knowing it, not because the product was bad, but because what the customer discovered online made them hesitate.

Your old posts are communicating.

Your reviews are communicating.

Your comments are communicating.

Your customer photos are communicating.

Even your silence is communicating.

That doesn't mean a business needs a perfect social media page.

It means customers should be able to find enough evidence to believe that the business is real, reliable and worth their money.

Show the product.

Show the process.

Answer questions.

Respond respectfully.

And when something goes wrong, show people how you handle it.

A customer can compare prices, check reviews, research competitors and ask friends—all before spending a single naira.

So businesses shouldn't only ask:

They should also ask:

Getting someone's attention is only the beginning.