It’s your opportunity to create a first impression.
The brain processes image 60,000 times faster than words. A child recognizes the face of its mother long before understanding the word “Mommy.” Because 93% of all communication is visual, it is essential that the first thing your potential customers see is a logo and sign that conveys a strong message about your company.
To someone who’s never entered your storefront before, your signage says absolutely everything about your business. It is based on this information that a customer will decide whether to explore further or turn around and walk out the door.
When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later. Give your consumers a sign to remember you by!
It builds recognition.
Starbucks. Target. Lowe’s. McDonald’s. Best Buy. 76. If you saw these logos on a building while driving down the street today, you would immediately know what products and services are available to you as a customer. These companies have carefully maintained their branding and built recognition around their respective logos and slogans. Say you’re driving back from a trip and realize you’re critically low on gas. In the distance, you see a familiar blue and red chevron design. What do you do? You pull in and get gas! The common logo of a reputable gas station called you over because you as a consumer recognize a quality brand that you know offers something you need in the moment.
McDonald’s is the 7th most recognizable logo in the world. To keep on consumers excited, the first thing McDonald’s installs at any new location, even before construction begins, is a sign.
It attracts impulse sales and reaches new customers.
Sure, your regulars know exactly where your business is located. However, in this mobile society, there are likely many people passing by your business every day, completely unaware of your existence. Without a quality sign, you are just another building to them. How can you communicate your offerings to these passersby in the mere seconds it takes them to drive past you?
A well-kept sign will attract drivers’ attention and quickly send a message about who you are and what you provide. While they may not need your services right away, they’re more likely to remember you and where you’re located when you flaunt your branding in a noticeable way.
Researchers at UC Berkeley analyzed 30,000 purchases made by 4,200 customers among 14 cities. They found that, among major shopping trips, 68% of those purchases were unplanned, and 54% on smaller shopping trips. Signs are a great way to attract buyers who may not have originally intended to visit your location. In fact, the addition of a second on-premise sign has been proven to increase annual sales by 4.75%!
It caters to a mobile society.
Because most consumers spend an average of 70% of the day away from home, the most effective form of advertising exists outdoors, reaching vast amounts of people no matter how they consume their media. Billboards, vehicle graphics, movie theater trailers, and other out of home ads are proven methods of advertising that have high reach. The option that lasts the longest, however, is a sign that directs your new customers right to your door.
It’s cost effective.
A billboard advertisement, newspaper ad, or TV commercial is a monthly expense that will disappear as soon as you stop paying for it. Your business sign, if manufactured and taken care of properly, will last over a decade and only requires a one-time purchase. With other methods of outdoor advertising averaging $0.82 per 1000 exposures, an on-premise sign only averages $0.13 per 1000 exposures, making it by far the most cost-effective form of advertising.