Business Signage Guide: 7 Tips for Choosing Great Store Signs
If you want your store to stand out, choosing the best signage is key. That said, here are 7 tips for choosing eye-catching store signs.
People are after products less and less in modern markets. Instead, they’re after experiences and often choose to shop with the people that give them that.
In a recent study, 76 percent of people said they only choose to shop with a place based on its store signs.
All that does is place more importance on your brand. It’s no longer just a way to stand out against the crowd. It’s a part of the experience you offer customers – a crucial part of whether they will choose to shop with you.
That means you must constantly refine your brand to be both attractive for your customers while standing out. It must maintain the loyalty of your established clientele while bringing out new people. That makes it a careful, delicate balance.
Your store signs are just the first part of that experience. It’s the part that must be balanced the most carefully.
Keep reading to make sure your business signs make for a great experience, for everyone!
1.Have a Theme and Stick to It.
Since your sign is just the first brush a customer has with your overall experience, it needs to be on theme. If the sign differentiates from the rest of your store’s experience, it’ll drive away people.
So make sure that the color palette matches with everything else. If you prefer a light-colored, rustic interior then you need to have a light-colored, rustic sign. Shops that embrace a minimalist design inside their stores, similar to Apple, should follow suit with their signs. Just put a logo outside in simple colors and nothing else.
Whatever you choose to do, it needs to be in accordance with your theme. Otherwise, your sign will not pull people in. It’ll start driving people away as they start feeling cheated out of a shopping experience.
2.Know the Type – Digital, Pole, or On the Building.
Before starting on your sign, you need to be aware of where your market is. Chances are, it is online. Digital marketing campaigns have become the norm, and your signs need to follow suit.
That means designing signs for a variety of different online platforms. Signs for Instagram are not the same as the ones for Reddit. They reach different audiences, different kinds of people looking for different experiences. You have to tailor your image around them.
The same applies to physical signs. You should make your signs appealing to people in your town. Know what people are interested in around you – get involved with your community. Additionally, why not try investing in digital signage since it will draw a lot of attention from people, and who knows, they will become interested in your business.
3.For Physical Store Signs, Select the Material.
When you go to purchase a physical business sign, you should know what you want beforehand. While you don’t need an exact idea of the design if your shop has an in-house designer, you should at least know the material. It can make or break your overall theme.
For example, taverns and coffee houses with a rustic theme may want to consider a wood sign. It helps to set an old-timey experience and can be reminiscent of old-timey storefronts.
However, more professional businesses may consider a simple logo etched onto a window. Your brand can also be spread by sewing patches onto employee uniforms, or onto marketing materials. Companies could even look into getting a tarmac sign to hang over the wall, which will surely draw eyes.
4.Go Local for Long-Term Partnerships.
When considering where to get your sign made, you should consider shopping local. It helps you establish yourself as a staunch supporter of your community, which feeds back into your business. It also can lead to a long-term partnership between the store.
Local businesses are unlike larger businesses which just view clients as customers. Instead, smaller businesses treat you like a valued member of a family. They tend to work closely with you and stay up to date on local trends. That means they’ll be good to have in hand when it comes time to update your brand.
5.Go Commercial for Quick and Effective Store Signs.
However, you may not always have the time to work with a local business. They can be slow with their work, and that can eat into your bottom line. Sometimes, it’s better to go with a company like DCI Signs and Awnings.
These companies handle many clients at once, and hardly any of them leave disappointed. Larger companies have tried-and-true methods for handling their clients’ needs. They often have in-house designers and consultants to help you with your needs.
All you need to do is contact them, and tell them what you want. While they may not work as closely as a local business, they will deliver faster and quicker.
6.Know How Your Sign Will be Used.
You should know far beforehand whether your sign will be a permanent fixture or not. You should also notify the company you commission to make it about how you plan to use it.
This is because there are differences between permanent signs and temporary ones. While permanent ones need to balance blending in and standing out at the same time, temporary ones can go in either direction.
They can blend in for maintaining customer loyalty during sales. They can also stand out for events. And if you plan to go to an event, be sure to contact a company to help you set up. It can make or break your success at it.
7.Be Flexible, Leave Room for the Future.
Finally, your sign’s design should leave room for the future. You don’t want to design something that can’t change, because it has to. Your market is always changing, and you need to change with it.
That means you should identify a flexible, subtle aspect of your brand that can be used in a variety of ways. Apple has its apple, which has gone through many iterations throughout the years. But it has always been recognizable. Model your brand off it.
Store Signs Make Your First Impression.
At the end of the day, your sign is what makes the rest of your business. It tells customers what to expect what they walk in. If they walk in expecting a minimalist store but are confronted with a warehouse-design, they won’t return.
So make sure you stay true to your own theme, but also update it as the years past. Nobody wants to go to a company stuck in the past. Update your store signs, and you update yourself.
But you need to know how to update your theme, first. You need to be aware of the trends in your market. And there is no better way to do that than by staying informed and reading up on your industry. We post on all kinds of industries, so there is no better place to stay informed than right here.
Keep reading, and you’ll know when it’s time to update.
