The Signdealz Blog provides information about our products as well as actionable ideas, trends, case studies, and news about business signage.

In business, it is all about getting people's attention, since you can't really sell anyone something if they are unaware that you exist. We all talk about building an online presence, but what about your physical location? How can you really make an impression to get people interested in what you have to offer – within the immediate surroundings of your location? The straightforward answer, psychologically, is "visuals." After all, the human brain is capable of assimilating and understanding an entire image in just 13 milliseconds (MIT). Compare that to the time it takes to blink: 100-400 milliseconds (Harvard). These numbers show us how powerful visual perception is: impressions based on images are created 8-31 times faster than the blink of an eye!

In the current economy, we often give excessive preference to digital marketing over what everyone knows can get attention for a lemonade stand or any other physical business: a sign. Beyond improving foot traffic, strong signage also helps people in vehicles know that you are there. We all try to understand our environments as quickly as possible. Signs capture attention by helping you immediately communicate what you have to offer, along with a small glimpse of your brand identity.

No business owner ever wants to spend money on something “just because they should.” They want to know what the return on investment will be. What will this marketing budget yield? Why should X amount of dollars be invested in custom lighted signs for your storefronts? These are perfectly reasonable questions. As it turns out, signage does have a measurable impact on a business’ success. How do you know, though, if signage is actually effective? If it meets the following criteria and you see that foot traffic is picking up, then your sign is doing its job.

When it comes to telling customers both new and old to come on in and shop at your business, few advertising strategies are as effective as investing in some good old fashioned outdoor signage. There are dozens of benefits to investing in a high-quality sign. You know that the sign you choose is important and you’ve decided you need one. The real difficulty is landing on what kind of sign would make the most sense for your business and particular location. If you’ve been wracking your brain trying to decide what kind of sign you should invest in, fear not. Here is a list of some of the more popular types that are sure to help you narrow down your choices. Remember, keep in mind where your business is located. There may be rules about what kind of signage you’re able to put up.

Increase your Sales with Outdoor LED Signs

What’s the goal of anything you invest in as it relates to your business? The goal is to make more money, of course. Sure, you probably have an emotional connection with your business, too. You’ve poured a lot of time and effort into it, so you have a personal stake in its success. But, at the end of the day, if a business isn’t making a lot of money, it’s hard to justify keeping. That’s where marketing comes in.

A business owner with a brick and mortar location can almost feel like an anachronism in this day and age. “You mean you’re not an ecommerce business that does drop shipping? How strange.” While the tech sector would have you believe we’re all plugged in with an ethernet cable all day waiting for everything from clothes to groceries to just appear at our door step after using an app, we all know that isn’t true. People still need and want to go to the stores. The fact that so many stores exist and are continually popping up is proof of that. If anything, competition has never been fiercer when it comes to growing your customer base.

Business owners and marketers often have strong opinions, if not clashes, when it comes to the question of what advertising and marketing looks like now. It’s hard to make blanket statements, but generally speaking you’ll probably find business owners touting the benefits of the tried and true methods of traditional advertising while marketers will have white papers evangelizing for all things digital. This sets the stage for arguments involving ROI, buyer personas, and “things that actually work.” It can all get very ugly.

Marketing as an industry is in a weird place currently. By its very nature, it’s an industry that is obsessed with the latest and greatest. This usually takes the form of technology. There is always some new tool to use, some new metric to be aware of, and some must have trending topic, like “big data,” that you need to engage with.