Custom Signs Are Good for Business

A sign gives people a sense of what a business is about and becomes an important part of the company's brand. A sign does much more than convey the name of the business, but gives a sense of it, as well. If you think of popular signs it's easy to see what they can do.

McDonald's, for instance, has a sign that's easily recognizable even if you remove their name from it. The Golden Arches stand alone and help everyone realize that the sign is a McDonald's sign. That sign is very different from a sign for an insurance business, or a tax business like H&R Block. The McDonald's sign is brightly colored and uniquely shaped and the other's signs are typically one color or two, and very plain. The signs evoke a very different feeling when you see them, with McDonald's being whimsical and fun and the other signs leaving you with more serious feeling.

These major companies understand the importance of the sign and the importance of choosing one correctly. In fact, corporations study the effects that different shapes, colors and designs have on people. They choose their sign colors and designs carefully to attract customers to their businesses.

Signs are an Inexpensive Method of Advertising

An effective sign helps pull potential customers in off the street. While a sign that doesn't do its job can keep people who might otherwise come in from entering your business. If McDonald's, Chuck E. Cheese or amusement parks had signs that were squares in black and white, kids seeing them wouldn't be prompted to turn to their parents and ask to go in.

These signs give a clear indication of what the customer should expect. They give people a sense of the business philosophy and atmosphere. If the signs can be seen from the highway, it's all the better because about 40 million people travel on these roads each year and if they can see the sign, that's a huge potential customer base you're reaching.

And even very small businesses can benefit from a well-designed, easily visible sign. Some businesses even suffer without a sign. Fast food outlets always have brightly colored and tall, easily visible signs because they know that 80% of their customers are attracted by those signs. Hotels and gas stations rely on their signs for up to half of their business. And even small travel agencies say that a full third of their customers come in because of their well-placed signs.

Signs are wonderful advertising that costs one time instead of the ongoing fee you would pay for other forms of ads. A good sign that can stand up to all sorts of weather offers free advertising for years to come.

Signs Help Businesses Succeed

Businesses make very detailed plans before they get off the ground and typically have very tight budgets to work with, especially in the beginning. Business owners consider costs from everything from cash registers to insurance. It's a mistake not to factor in the cost of a good sign when planning for business expenses. Because a sign can bring in so much business and do so much for business, it should be a part of every business plan to help advertise the company's products and services around the clock.

Many companies would get tons of business if they stopped advertising today. McDonald's is a prime example of this. If they never put out another commercial, print ad or Internet ad they would still get loads of customers just based on people knowing the company already. Yet this company spends millions to advertise. That just goes to show how important advertising is. They know if they stopped advertising they would still get plenty of customers, but still only a small percentage of those they bring in with ads and signs each day.

People who go to a business and see a sign that's eye-catching and well-designed are more likely to come back to that business because of the memory of that sign. It serves as a small sort of branding and helps them remember the company. That makes a sign very important when companies are considering advertising budgets and promotion.