3 tips for buying a business sign

Are you opening a business or looking to revamp the signs for your existing one? Bad signage can cost you time and money. Here are three things to consider before making the big purchase.

Signage helps your business stand out, it identifies your brand and the services you offer. Having a poorly designed sign can make you lose out on important business opportunities and cost you more when you decide to finally replace your ineffective sign. Getting it done properly the first time around will help you save time and money in the long run.

Your first consideration will be your sign’s location.

• Are you buying a sign for a storefront?
• Is a promotional sign for trade shows?
• Will it be outdoors or indoors?

This is important because you will choose the materials and finish based on whether or not your sign will be constant contact with the elements or not.

Determine the messaging

Location is also important to help you determine the messaging.

• In what context will a person encounter your sign?
• Do they just need to know your store’s name or is more information necessary?

If you’re getting a promotional sign for your store window, you may not even want to mention your store’s name, but simply emphasize the offer and its benefit to the customer.

How will the sign’s location implicitly reveal or not reveal information to a customer? Be precise and don’t clutter up a sign with obvious information. However, remember that what seems obvious to a return customer may not seem so obvious to a first time customer.

Your sign will be communicating information to a potential client. So, what is the value proposition you are making, or what is the promise being made to your client?

• People are bombarded with information everywhere they go, so you need to keep your messaging short and concise.
• Communicate the essential information of your service or product offer.
• Too much information can turn your client away or distract them from your key purpose.

If you know who your customers are and what they expect from you, you’ll have a better idea of the style that will help you connect with them  best.

• You want to keep a style that is consistent with your branding and in touch with your customer base.

Most businesses will get help with this, as keeping a consistent style and tone can be difficult in terms of visual identity and language tone. If you can’t get professional help, ask your friends to give you feedback on what they understand from your sign and branding. Sometimes just getting some outside perspective can lead you in a better direction.