Signage has several purposes. It provides information, gives direction and promotes businesses. When your signage is well-designed, properly installed and in good condition it is an asset to your business. But when those elements aren’t in place, your signage can do more harm than good.
When your sign does more harm than good:
1) Unfortunate Wording
One of the main purposes of signage (especially signage that advertises sales and special events) is to draw people in and make them want to buy your stuff. Unfortunate wording can have the opposite effect.
If you can’t state something with complete certainty, it shouldn’t be on your sign. What kind of service and quality would you expect from this store? Maybe it would be really good. And maybe not.
Poor grammar is another turn off for customers. If you aren’t a master of the English language, get a second of third pair of eyes to look at your sign. If you see a grammatical error on a sign (of any type), that just shows that the owners didn’t care enough to take that extra step.
If English isn’t your first language, do not count on Google Translate to provide the correct words. Your design company can get the message you want out there the right way.
2) Outdated
Holiday signage is a great way to add a festive touch to the exterior of your shop. But when the holiday is over, the signage should come down. Immediately.
People will wonder if you still have Christmas signage up five weeks after the holiday, are you that far behind with your client orders, too?
3) Poorly Maintained
Signage isn’t meant to be a “set it and forget it” part of your store. It needs occasional repair. When signs are damaged, they should be fixed promptly.
If passersby see a poorly maintained sign, they will wonder about the quality of your product. If you saw two restaurants serving the same type of cuisine, would you choose the one with a broken sign, or one that cleanly, noticeably and professionally stands out?
In addition, digital signs go on the fritz every so often. If yours is frozen or otherwise not displaying properly, turn it off and call a sign company, like Forerunner Signs & Graphics, to fix it.
4) Aren’t Being Used to Their Full Potential
Businesses open and close all of the time. If the message marquee is blank, customers can assume it is closed. But what if you’re still open for business? Well, if you have a marquee on your sign, it should say something. Anything.
This business may still be open, they’ve just neglected their sign. Not only is this sign not being as effective as it could be if Subway were advertising specials; it’s actually doing harm by causing potential customers to wonder if they are closed.
5) Need to be Replaced
No sign lasts forever. Eventually old, worn signage must be replaced. If you leave signs up way past their prime, customers can get several impressions about your business:
You’re lazy. Otherwise you’d take down an obviously ruined sign.
You’re broke. Why else would you leave u
p a raggedy sign?
You’ve turned a blind eye. Can’t you see that your sign is faded and has holes in it?
6) Needs Installation Attention
Perhaps you weren’t as thorough with your sign installation as you should have been. Or maybe yesterday was really windy and one corner of your sign came loose. It doesn’t really matter why your sign came undone, it just matters how quickly you fix it. If you leave it like this, no one can read your message.
This business is “Now Accepting” something. New patients? Donations? Criticism about their sign? It’s impossible to tell.
If your sign is folded over or falling down, people won’t even be able to tell what the business is, let alone what you offer.
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you own—your customers have the following questions:
Is this business legitimate? Customers want to do business with companies that look like they’ve either been around for awhile, or will be. It’s ok if your business is new. But if
you just slap up a couple saggy banners on the front lawn, your business will have a temporary feel.
Is the business owner organized and professional? Customers don’t want to deal with haphazard, disorganized businesses. If you haven’t removed Christmas signage yet, now’s the time (well, the time was actually weeks ago, but better late than even later).
Does the business owner care about me as a customer? You don’t want to project the attitude that says “I don’t care what you think… just come in and spend your money here anyway.”
Does this business have a good reputation? A business that wants to protect its reputation begins by looking like a reputable business. A business that doesn’t care has worn-out, tattered signage.
Is this business equipped to handle my needs? If you don’t seem to have the time to repair or replace broken signage, you might not have the time to deal with your customers’ needs.
Your signage provides the first impression of your business to potential customers. Make sure it’s working for you… not against you. From concept to installation to long-term maintenance, you can depend on the experts at Forerunner Signs & Graphics to make sure your business signage does what it is supposed to do – draw people to your business and keep them coming back!
