11 Things To Consider When Purchasing A Sign For Your Business
A basic sign displays your business name but a well-executed sign can serve as an advertisement around the clock and return endless return on the investment. Here are 11 advantages to ponder when making this crucial decision toward your ever-important first impression.
1) Location, Direction, Execution
Whether you’ve positioned your business for convenience, visibility, or both, that’s only half the battle. This is the time to put yourself in the customer’s shoes--literally! Take a walk or a drive around your location. What do people see? What direction do they come from? Are you located directly beside a road or far removed? Questions like these can give you insight on sign placement, prominence, height and style. For example, you can choose whether your sign is fastened to your building or entirely freestanding, such as a prestigious monument sign boldly occupying the lawn. The options are vast—and if you do the research, you’ll discover that there’s a perfect sign package for your business.
2) LED or neon?
If you decide to go electric with your signage (often a wise choice), think about the function. Are you seeking a look that’s clean or one that’s full of character? While LED is prominent in today’s market, neon, not surprisingly, has a timeless appeal. And while both options have their own advantages, LED (short for Light Emitting Diodes) is better suited for a professional look, such as on medical buildings or shopping centers, while neon tends to boast distinctness. In 2014, both forms are perfectly acceptable and malleable to your needs. At their finest, LED signs can present bold, modern, attractive motion displays, while neon can be impeccably handcrafted into a sign that carries an appeal of its own.
3) Message Centers
If you like the option, a sign can become an attractive digital landscape holding vast information. Electronic Message Centers, or EMCs, can hold attention longer, assist in your branding and help you further sell your product or essence. If you’re a bank, for example, a message center can rotate information ranging from home loan rates to recent deeds in the community. All businesses have relevant information—or attractive tidbits—that they can share. Fun facts, local time and temperature, community announcements, special offers, calls to action or otherwise, it’s a great way to harness traffic and engage passersby—rather than waste the opportunity.
4) Outdoor, indoor, or both?
Obviously, outdoor signs are used for marketing purposes or to direct visitors. They can appear on rooftops, awnings and walls; on the sides of buildings or vehicles, or hanging as banners. Think in three dimensions when it comes choosing a sign’s execution. A wise decision will pay off much better. But what about when the customer enters your business? That’s when indoor signage does the work. Whether hung from ceilings or attached to walls, signs can indicate a reception area, sell a product or direct customers where to go.
5) Channel Letters
A great way to boldly present your company name, this standard approach makes each letter of a name stand alone to form a greater whole. Several major businesses use channel lettering to not only enhance visibility, but ensure a sign that’s dependable and well protected as it’s often encased in sheet metal and lit from within. Channel letters, for instance, can be seen high up on hospitals or above the doors of department stores and other businesses who want to prominently display their name.
6) Iconic signs
In the hands of an expert sign company like Signworks, you will pursue a completely unique and ambitious presentation. Several businesses who go big and bold with their signage will effectively convert their sign into a much-talked-about and recognizable landmark. After all, everybody knows that local restaurant with the 15-foot neon sign, occupying its territory of a city like a flagship. A towering, totally original sign will blaze itself into the memory of all who see it.
7) Consider your regional weather and topography
Is your building hidden in shadows or tucked beneath trees—or is it prominently displayed under the sun? And when pondering outdoor signage options, you should choose one that can weather the worst of local storms. A banner will get whipped around by wind, but a sign professionally researched and installed will last a lifetime.
8) And speaking of weather, let’s talk materials
There’s a wealth of sign materials to choose from. Signs can be built with rust-resistant aluminum sheet metal. They can be as straightforward as adhesive vinyl or as eye-catching as neon. Other materials commonly used for lettering include metal, wood, plastic and foamcore. Lettering can also be engraved. There’s also a breadth of substrate options, which serve as the backing for lettering. Materials used for backing include plastic, paper, cloth, vinyl, wood, glass, foamcore and aluminum. Always inquire about optimum durability when considering the materials for your sign. Warranties may also be available—just ask.
9) Zoning issues, city overlay, setbacks and law
Cities often have specific regulations about what type of signs you can erect outside your business. An expert sign company will be familiar with local regulations as well as any variance that can be made to current codes. Good sign companies know how to manufacture a flawless sign—but great sign companies have the staff and expertise to deal with the city directly.
10) Always avoid the low bidder
It’s simple: you won’t get what you need with the low bid. So many companies tend to offer a low price and, as a result, under-deliver. As a business owner, it’s smart to get several bids, but it’s even smarter to scrutinize the low bid option. Underneath the facade, they’re likely to build and install a sign faster, but more poorly. Remember, your sign immediately reflects upon your business and it should be just as presentable to customers as your best salesperson. In a service-driven industry, a top sign company will openly answer your questions to explain their bid and avoid hiding unnecessary costs.
11) Common sense is king
Stand outside your business and think about what will set you apart from the rest. Look upon it as if you’re customer. Observe fellow businesses in town, including direct competitors. Notice how many of them blend in but more importantly, notice the ones who stand out. They did their signage right—because they did their research and hired the proper sign company.
The beauty of choosing great signage is that it feels exciting—not like a chore. After all, the result of a beautifully placed, beautifully designed sign is a spectacle that draws more people to your door while bolstering your pride of running a business.
signworksomaha.com | (402) 346-5447
POSTED IN: Neon, Message Center, Interior, Channel, What Makes Us Work
