Of all the ways businesses have marketed themselves over the years, signs are the most ancient form of self-promotion.
Dating back to the most ancient civilizations on the planet, merchants have used signs to advertise what they had to offer the public.
If you are looking for some signage Perth (Kingman Visual is one such dealer – www.kingmanvisual.com.au), you owe it to yourself to research what factors you should consider before investing your hard-earned money on this necessary expense.
Signage can be effective in building up your business because…
1) People will know that you exist
You can have a clothing boutique with the freshest styles to hit Western Australia, but nobody will even know unless you have a sign advertising your presence.
Even if you have placed ads in the media telling people where you are located, they will have a difficult time finding you if your sign fails to stand out.
Of even greater concern is walk-in traffic. If you do not have a memorable sign on the front of your business, it will fail to grab the attention of passersby, which will cost you more sales than you would ever want to admit.
2) They help build your brand
An effective sign not only captures the attention of people out on the street, but it also shapes their perception of what your store is all about.
Certain colors, fonts, and illustrations convey different messages and emotions to those viewing your sign.
If you are in the business of selling lingerie, red and pink are highly effective colors to use due to their association with passion and romance, while those selling business suits would do well to feature black and blue on their signage, as they symbolize power and wisdom respectively.
3) They can trigger customers into making purchases
Signs can do much more than announce your presence and shape the perception of your business in the minds of the public – they can also create a desire for the products that you sell.
Using sandwich board signs, you can use persuasive language to induce people to make a reflexive purchase.
Statements like ‘ Feeling droopy? Stop in for a coffee on your way to work!’ or ‘ The lotto is at $70 million dollars this week – is it finally your turn?’ is often the only trigger people need to buy something they never knew they wanted … until you suggested it to them.
4) They market promotions and sales
Ordered a few too many crates of LED flashlights? Get rid of them by advertising a flash sale using outdoor signage.
Anytime you are looking to stimulate demand, putting a sign out on the sidewalk with a unique selling proposition that stands out from the competition will get interested customers into your store. In addition, pairing this strategy with well placed point of purchase displays
Furthermore, not all customers out on the street will have the opportunity to see your weekly flyer. A sign will let the casual passerby know that the best shoe sale of the quarter is going off at your shop … THIS WEEKEND ONLY!
5) They communicate other important information to customers
Closing early for a staff party? Taking over a store from another management team? Putting up effective signs is key to maintaining/building good long-term customer relationships in these cases and others.
In the former scenario, by letting people when you will be deviating from your usual hours, they won’t be caught off-guard when your store is closed unusually early.
In the latter case, those that were turned off by the behavior of the old owners may be inclined to give the business a second chance now that there are new people in charge.
By keeping the lines of communication open, confusion and misunderstanding can be averted, helping you build your business over the long term.