A business sign represents the face of a business. Businesses spend significant amounts of time and money on their signage strategy. The right sign can generate new revenue from new customers while further securing existing customers and strengthening customer loyalty.
However, businesses routinely make mistakes when it comes to business signage. Thus, we have compiled the following list of the ten most common mistakes businesses make with their sign.
Legibility
A business sign may not be clear enough to read for a number of reasons. The letters or words on the sign may be too small or too close together. These legibility issues make it difficult for customers to perceive the business’s message. If a passerby can’t read your sign, it won’t be effective.
Information
A business sign may have issues regarding the information presented on it. An outdoor sign may present too much information, making it difficult to read before passing.
Or, a business sign may not present enough information, leaving the target audience confused about the sign’s message. Information on a business sign may also contain unclear, irrelevant, or incorrect information.
Installation
A business may have a sign installed incorrectly in an effort to save money or time. Some businesses may use unknowledgeable contractors to install the sign. These installation mistakes can lead to hazardous situations whereby the sign falls or malfunctions, bringing potential harm to bystanders. To advertise your business and get your message across, a sign needs to be securely installed.
Maintenance
Even after a business installs a sign, it’s important to conduct maintenance on the sign then. However, businesses often fail to maintain their signs altogether, infrequently, or incorrectly. Inadequate sign maintenance increases signage wear, breakdown, and malfunctions.
Branding
A business may inconsistently convey its brand message, logo, or slogan on a sign, which can confuse customers. For example, a business may use different colors or position its brand slogan differently on its sign than it does on other marketing materials (e.g., online, television, etc.).
Size
Another common mistake businesses make with their signs relates to size. Depending on where the business places the sign, the sign may be too large (e.g., it’s on a sidewalk and people have to back up to read it). On the other hand, the sign may be too small. If a sign is on the side of the interstate, you don’t want people to have to squint to see it.
Timing
Sometimes businesses erect signs to advertise an upcoming event or limited-time product offering. However, businesses often miss the appropriate window of time to most effectively communicate their messages.
A business may erect a sign advertising an upcoming event but wait until a week before the event to post the sign. On the other hand, a business may post a sign to advertise its rolling out of a product for a limited period of time but decide to do so too long in advance before the limited-time product becomes available.
Messaging
Have you ever read a sign and thought, “Huh?” This is an example of a sign design issue. Businesses often try to convey too much with the messages in their signs and end up leaving customers confused as to what the message actually is. Businesses may also convey a message on their signs that, in lieu of the advertisement’s purpose, becomes irrelevant.
Price
Businesses often overpay when buying signs or having a third party install and maintain their signs. This results in the business not seeing a profitable return on its investment once the advertising campaign has concluded.
On the other hand, businesses tend to underpay when buying a sign itself or having a third party install and maintain the sign. The result is a poor quality sign that quickly fades, breaks, or malfunctions.
Durability
Finally, durability is the most common factor in mistakes businesses make with their sign. Businesses often purchase or use low-quality materials for their signs because they don’t know better or in an effort to save money. When you use subpar materials and installation techniques, the sign will not be able to withstand inclement weather, wear and tear, and erosion. As a result, the sign can prematurely fade, break, or become illegible.
Contact Us
You can avoid these common sign mistakes by working with an experienced design and manufacturing signs company. Get in touch with the MetroCenter Signworks team online or call us at (615) 649-5003 to discuss your business sign needs.