Why Your Current Signage May Not be Getting the Results You Want

If running a business was just about selling your product and service and nothing else, it would be so much easier. In a perfect world, you are an expert on what you sell. No one knows more about it than you do, and that would come through. With this formidable knowledge alone, customers would be banging down the doors to spend their hard earned money on your awesome product. That would be pretty great right? But, as any business owner knows the day to day operations don’t really resemble that.

Dealing with the marketing aspect of your business can be time consuming. The biggest question is always “Am I getting the results I want for all of the money I’m spending on this?” ROI is always the primary concern when it comes to marketing of any kind. Marketing, as we know, encompasses many different disciplines now. We often focus on the digital side of things with the rise of smartphones and the like, but the good old fashioned art of attracting eyeballs on the street is still so important.

Which brings us to the discussion of using outdoor displays and signage. Fixtures like channel letters or outdoor LED displays and signs are often worthwhile investments. Now your immediate reaction might be “Hold on a second. I already have a sign outside my store and those LED displays are expensive.” That’s fair. However, two points need to be made. The first is, outdoor LED displays can be had for less than you think if you partner with the right company. Secondly, how is your current signage performing? If you’re not seeing the return on your investment you were hoping for, here are some of the possible reasons.

It’s not visible enough

FedEx did a study on the use of outdoor signs in general and there are some really interesting statistics that came out of it regarding customer behavior in relation to a business’ signs. We’ll reference them across these points.

It should come as no surprise that visibility plays a big part in the effectiveness of your signage. This is generally one of the big success points when it comes to channel letters or an outdoor LED display if your business calls for one. They’re big, bold, and they attract the eyes of passerby. When asked, both customers and business owners themselves said legibility was the most important aspect of a sign. So, if your design is flat, the lettering is too thin or small, or it’s obscured, you’re letting money walk away.

The quality isn’t up to par

The signs you use say a lot about your business. You may even go so far as to say they are the “face” of your business considering they are the first thing someone usually notices about your storefront. This is a double edged sword, as you can imagine. If you lead with your best foot forward, the rewards are pretty great. Alternatively, if your signage is of a low quality, customers will have negative reactions to it. About half of people surveyed said they wouldn’t actually go into a store with a sign that was perceived as low quality. What one may consider low quality is subjective, but one definite attribute mentioned was misspelled words.

Misspelled words and we can assume poor color choices, illegible fonts, and a general unprofessional appearance would all deter people from doing business with you.

The branding isn’t strong

Having an established identify is critical. We hear about the importance of branding all the time. This is especially true if your business has multiple locations. 38% of companies surveyed with multiple locations said their signage was a key part of their branding and identify. Businesses with one location said that their signage was the most important part of making their businesses stand out and identifiable to customers.

Speaking of customers, a whopping 68% of them felt that a business’ signage is actually a reliable indicator of the quality of their products or services. Your sign says a lot about your brand. The difficulty here is it could be saying a lot about your brand without customers even stepping foot in your store if they are put off by your signage. If you’re just trying to get established in a competitive industry, you could be needlessly hindering your growth with signage that doesn’t properly reflect what you believe your company is about.

Conclusion

Small and mid-sized businesses only have so much money to invest in their signage. At Signdealz, we understand that. That’s why we always try to do right by our customers by offering high quality signs at a fair price. More importantly, we want to work with you to bring your creative vision to life so your business can grow. Contact us today. If you aren’t seeing the results you expect from your current signage or you’re on the fence about purchasing a sign, we’d like to help.