If you’re in business and have a physical location, it’s vital you have a strategic approach to driving customers through your door. With so much focus on online advertising media such as Facebook, Google Ads, and other platforms, it’s largely forgotten that bricks and motor stores can still use traditional means to promote their business.
One such method that is so frequently overlooked is signage. Although adding custom signs to your business may not seem like an innovative idea, not implementing this basic marketing method can have detrimental effects on your business.
Here are 5 key reasons you can’t overlook signs for your business.
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1. You can capture passing traffic
Signage, such as signage for restaurants, is an effective way of encouraging those walking past your location to stop and come inside. Generally, there will be two types of people who pass your premises: those who are aware of your business and those who are not. Your signage effectively has the same result for each type of person (ie. it gets them into your store) but for two different reasons.
For the people who have not heard of your business, you are actively promoting it to them, showing them you exist and potentially gaining a brand new customer. For those who have heard of your business, you’re reminding them you exist. You see, people need to see your brand or offer several times before they act, so giving them a sign on their way past may just be the push they need to take action.
2. It’s the silent salesperson
Your signage effectively sells all the time. It takes no breaks. It doesn’t take sick days. And it sticks it out during the holidays. Your business’ signage is the best salesperson you’ll ever have because it constantly reminds people of your brand or tells people about your special offers. It works 24/7 to keep you top of your customers’ minds.
3. It’s cost-effective advertising
Generally speaking, signage is one of the most cost-effective advertising methods you can use. While there may be a sizable initial outlay, once your signage is up, there are no real ongoing costs.
Unlike pay per click advertising or the monthly costs of search engine optimization, your cost per view technically decreases each time somebody looks at your sign! Providing you opt for a good quality sign, you’ll get years of advertising from a single one-off investment.
4. It connects online with offline
It can’t be denied that businesses must have an online presence these days, but for businesses with physical locations, it’s important to blend that with your offline presence too.
If someone has been exposed to your business online, you need a way for them to make the jump from the digital world to the real world. So many people shop online because it’s easy, so you must ensure that you make shopping at your physical store just as easy. Business signage acts as a guiding light to your location, which is vital when you’re trying to prove that customers are better off coming down to your store than buying goods and services online.
Think about it, if you saw an ad online for a moving sale and there were no moving sale banners at or near the house you arrived at, would you bother getting out of your car or would you go to the one down the street that did have signage?
5. It puts you above your competition
If there are a high density of businesses in your industry in a similar location, your signage can make or break you. It can be the reason customers choose your business over the others… or it can be the reason they choose the others over you.
For that reason, it’s not only important to have signage, but it’s crucial to have great signage. If the signs outside your business look old and run down, or they just don’t look professional, it can be as detrimental to your business as not having signage at all!
6. Repeat Business
It’s important to understand that signage isn’t just an important visual component of your external marketing too. Once your customers are inside, you want to make sure you do everything you can to encourage them to come back again.
Repeat customers are your best customers, so you must display signage detailing promotions or showing them why they should connect with you online.
The Bottom Line
It’s really simple! Make sure your business has professional signage which reflects your business and gives customers a reason to come in. Whether it’s vinyl window signage, A-frame boards or flags and banners, you can’t afford to not have it!
