The choosing of a business sign can be a tricky thing, indeed. This kind of decision may not seem all that important. It can be one of the things that make or break a business. You see, your sign is the first point of interaction between your business and its potential customers. As such, it has to make a good first impression. With that in mind, here are the 5 things you need to know when choosing a sign for your business.
1. Who Is My Audience When Choosing A Sign?
Starting off the 5 things you need to know when choosing a sign for your business. You should know that most businesses have a “target audience.” This is simply the type of person who is most likely to purchase your products or services. For instance, if you are running a dog grooming business, your primary audience would have to be dog owners. More specifically, your audience would consist of those dog owners that can afford regular grooming visits.
The above is just an example of how you can determine who your target audience is and how you can appeal to them. In the case above, you would want to present images of happy, well-groomed dogs and happy dog owners. You will want to make sure that any canines that appear in the ad are 100% clean and well-groomed. Any deficiency will reflect poorly on your business.
This brings us to another point in 5 things you need to know when choosing a sign for your business: Be prepared for criticism and scrutiny. Potential customers are likely to look at all the details of your ad, and anything that doesn’t fit will be noticed. Thanks to the internet, you can bet that those little mistakes will be talked about publicly.
2. What Does My Sign Need To Communicate?
You need to be careful about the amount of information that goes on your sign. You might have a lot of information that you want to convey, but you should remember that the average person has a very short attention span. Besides, no one wants to read a short novel’s worth of text when looking at a business sign.
Instead of trying to tell your customers everything, concentrate on the most important information. That would include the name of your business, the services you offer, and maybe a company logo and/or catchphrase. Either way, you want to be careful that you don’t fill the whole sign with a massive wall of text that no one wants to read. Include only the information that the client actually needs!
3. How Large And How High Should I Make My Sign?
This question will mostly be determined by your location. In some locations, you will mainly be attempting to attract customers from a close distance. In some other locations, you will be trying to attract customers from many yards or even several miles away. It all depends on where you are and where your customers are.
For instance, super-tall pylon signs are often seen next to the highway, because they are some of the tallest and largest signs you can buy. They aren’t cheap by any means, but they are essential for those who want to do business next to a major roadway. For businesses that cater to travelers (like hotels, motels, auto repair shops, and restaurants), this is even more important.
Now, imagine if someone installed a 100-foot-tall pylon sign in the middle of a busy downtown area. This is not an area where you need to pull business from the highway, as there are plenty of customers in the immediate area. Thus, you can make do with a much smaller sign, and it should be lower to the ground.
4. How Long Do I Want This Sign To Last?
This is basically a question of durability. You need to think about how tough the sign should be, and how long you expect it to last. If you are making signs to promote a temporary event (like a sale or other promotion), it would be wasteful to make that sign out of the finest premium-grade materials. Since that would be a special-use sign, the materials could be a little less durable, and a little bit cheaper as a result.
Conversely, signs that are meant to be permanent should be made of the most durable materials. You should avoid steel cabinets, even if they are very well-coated. Eventually, that enameling will wear off and you will be left with an ugly, rusty mess. Aluminum is the preferred material, although steel might be necessary for certain structural aspects (like support poles, etc.).
You should also think about the prevailing weather conditions in your area, as these will play a big role in the durability and longevity of your sign. For instance, areas that see a lot of rain might want to apply a coating of clear polyurethane on their signs.
5. Am I In Compliance With All The Rules?
Whether we agree with it or not, most jurisdictions have rules and regulations about signage. Most of these are intended to prevent excess business signs from becoming a public nuisance. Sometimes, these laws are intended to keep business signs from obstructing the view of important landmarks. Whatever the reasons, these rules have to be followed in order to avoid the need for expensive corrective work.
Any sign company should have a thorough understanding of their local signage laws, as most of them employ an attorney for this purpose. Thus, as long as you choose a reputable sign company, you shouldn’t have too many issues with this question.
Conclusion
Of course, this brief article cannot cover all of the things that must be considered when buying a new business sign. We have simply tried to give you the five most important questions so that you can make an informed decision. Once these questions have been answered, you can call Tupp Signs at 1-866-324-7446 to find out what comes next. If you have enjoyed this article, we invite you to receive more like it by filling out the contact form below.