Now is the perfect time of year to evaluate what you currently have for business signs and graphics and think about if you need some new additions or if what you have is due for some updating. Signs don’t last forever. Sometimes it’s wear and tear, and sometimes it’s business changes that require updating existing signage.
Your business signs are your “silent salespeople” – they work 24 hours a day, 365 days per year for your business. So it’s definitely important to make sure they are correct and put forward the best image possible for your business!
Signs, especially outdoor signs, get a lot of wear. Even the best made ones get damaged. From weather, to vandalism, to just being handled, signs can end up looking worse for wear, or have worn out or are missing parts. Your signs send a message about your business. If you are too lazy to take care of your sign, are you too lazy to take good care of your customers? An attractive, tidy sign will draw in customers, whereas a broken down sign with missing letters or damage may drive them away.
A lot of things may go in to making a sign ineffective – size, placement, colors, surroundings. But one thing that definitely impacts a sign’s effectiveness is when it’s been around forever. What happens when we look at something too often? It begins to lose its appeal and its effectiveness. When we see the same image over and over again, eventually our mind basically doesn’t even see it anymore. If people have looked at your business sign for decades, chances are they no longer notice it. It’s probably time for an update or a whole new sign. Try a new material, a new shape, a new location – give ‘em something fresh and different to look at!
If your business sign isn’t attracting the customers you think it should, then it’s definitely time for a change. Purchasing a new sign is a one-time investment in your business and advertising, relatively inexpensive compared to other forms of advertising.
To draw more attention, and therefore people, to your business, you’ll want to update your sign so it’s more eye-catching. Make it larger if possible, and expand the size of the text to make it very easy to read. If you and your sign company feel the sign is large enough, try choosing more vibrant colors or engaging graphics. Also consider your target audience and what appeals to them. Then you can craft a targeted sign and message that will appeal directly to your consumer.
It can depend on the type of business, but if your company’s sign looks very outdated compared to the signs around it, people may start to think of your business as out of date also. You don’t want potential customers to think you are stuck in the past or not offering the most modern type of service. While “vintage” and “retro” are in right now, you can pick up those looks without having something that looks faded and worn out. Maybe you just need an updated version of your original sign that has become a classic but is looking a little tired.
Your signage is very much an immediate and powerful expression of your brand. Exterior signs are the first thing that a customer sees before they even enter and begin to learn more about your business. Your signs represent your business. This is why it’s so important to make sure that signs are in line with company branding of a business so there is no confusion for customers.
Part of your business branding are visual elements that should be recognizable and set you apart from your competition. Colors, fonts, logos and graphics are examples of how we create a strong brand visually. It’s important that business signs make use of these brand features, and that they are in line with the rest of their branding.
Companies often change and evolve. What is very important is that all the visual elements change along with the company in order for the brand messaging to stay consistent. If your business has changed and your company’s sign is no longer representative of your branding as a whole, than it’s definitely time to update it.
Looking for a new or updated company sign? Please CONTACT US! We can help from design to installation – using your brand graphics or our design team can help with that as well!