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Signs and your business

Have you considered the impact that your sign has on your business? Find out what signs do for your business, and how to use them to your advantage.

What is a sign?

You can use your business sign as an effective way to communicate who you are, what you do and what you are selling. People see your sign as they walk and drive by — it is the first impression that they have of your business.

It's hard to say just how much signs influence people, but be certain that they are a powerful communication medium. Signs convey their message without having to first grab someone's attention.

A sign is the most direct form of visual communication. In fact, so many people use signs without a second thought that it's easy to overlook their importance. When you can't talk to people directly in a given location, you tack up signs: wet paint, beware of dog, entrance, garage sale, and so on.

What can signs do for your business? ↑ top of page

Signs perform four major communication functions for your business:

• Build your business image
• Give information
• Provide a format for street advertising
• Provide directions

Signs build your business image

Your sign advertises the goods or services you are selling and should be part of your branding and marketing strategy. It helps people remember your business name and the products and services you sell. People tend to buy from businesses they know, so use your sign to build an image and reach your interested market segment or audience.

Through materials and design, a sign can appeal to a given group of potential customers. For example, some businesses attempt to capture the youth market; others are geared to senior citizens or single people, and so forth. If you wish to attract a particular market segment to your business, your sign can be an important means of bringing these people in.

Signs give information

For potential new customers, it is important that your sign gives them a good sense of what your business is selling. This is especially important if the name of your business doesn't tell people what you sell. You may need a tagline or an image to highlight what your business offers.

You should also think about what other information to include on your sign. For example:

• Is your business address clearly visible from the street or should you add that to your sign to help people who are trying to find the address?
• Should you include your telephone number or your website, so that people who do not have time to stop can still look you up or contact you?
• Do you want to include information on current promotions or sales to attract people?

These decisions will impact the format and size of the sign, and are important considerations before starting with the design.

Signs are street advertising

Signs grab people as they are walking or driving by. This is especially true for travellers, new members of your community, and shoppers who may be out to buy particular goods or services that you sell. Potential customers include people who are new to your community or who are just passing through — your sign is the most effective way to reach them.

Signs provide directions

Signs are especially helpful if your business is not in a high traffic area. For example, if you are located inside a building with multiple tenants, you will need a sign outside the building to attract foot traffic into your business. Also, if your business is on a quiet street or is difficult to get to, you can place a sign at a busier location or intersection to direct people your way. Let's say you are near a busy highway, yet far from an exit, your sign becomes your main device for directing people to your business. High-rise signs are used when a business is located away from the routes that potential customers normally use.

Signs and their advantages ↑ top of page

On-premise signs are effective and efficient, because they are affordable, available, practical, easy to use, always on the job and directly oriented to the trade area of your business. In short, signs are effective.

Your sign is a vital part of your advertising program, along with the other forms of commercial communication tools such as the Internet, television, radio, newspapers, magazines and billboards. There are four basic criteria used to judge the effectiveness of these advertising media:

• Are you reaching people across your trade area (for example, the geographic region that your customers live in)?
• Is your message being repeated frequently enough to be heard?
• Is your message easy to read and understand?
• What is the cost per thousand exposures of a message?

Two other criteria that are important for the small business owner are availability and ease of use.

Let's see how signs measure up to the above criteria.

• Signs are oriented to your trade area. You save money by focusing your coverage — people who see your sign are the people who live in your area.
• Signs are always on the job repeating your message to potential customers twenty-four hours a day. Every time people pass by your business, they see your sign. Seeing the message repeated over and over again will help them to remember your business.
• Signs are practical, because nearly everyone is used to looking at them and using them, even small children. Studies have shown that people do read and remember what is on signs. This is true even with indoor signage. For example, when special items are displayed, their sales increase.
• Signs are inexpensive. When compared to the cost of advertising in other media, the on-premise sign is very affordable. Unless your trade area covers an entire city or region, where you must rely upon broadbased media coverage, there is no better advertising dollar value than your sign.
• Signs are available to each and every shop owner. There is no need to schedule the use of your sign; it is available whenever you need it and to be used however you please.
• Signs are easy to use. You need no special skill or resource to operate a sign, once it has been installed. If it is a lit sign, all you need to do is flip the switch, though that may not even be necessary with timing equipment.

Checklist for ordering a business sign ↑ top of page

Before you choose a sign for your business, there are several things you need to consider. A sign company in your area can help you with the answers to some of these questions.

Who are your customers?

Potential customers for your business are people who live in your trade area. Generally, most of your customers are from the immediate area, within one to two kilometres of your business location. Trade areas come in many shapes and sizes, depending upon the business type. Trade areas may also vary according to the season.

Conducting market research is also critical in determining who your potential customers are.

How will your sign communicate with customers?

In order to communicate effectively, a sign must be noticeable and readable.

• A sign must be noticeable. After a while, a sign becomes part of the landscape. It loses some of its ability to attract attention. If you periodically change some small design element, your sign can continue to attract interest. You can include a clock or display current temperature, or you can use rotating and moving parts to maintain interest in your commercial message. Displaying the time and temperature also provides a nice public service.
• A sign must be readable. A sign needs to be large enough to read. You need to know how far a person is from your business, when they first see your sign, and the real speed of traffic on your street. With this information, a competent sign company can use a formula to calculate the necessary size for your design and build you an effective sign.

What are you trying to say?

Decide on a message that is clear and simple. Focus on key words. Choose one or two words that describe your business — clever or strange names may only attract certain persons, rather than appealing to your whole target market.

Be brief. The cleaner and clearer the message, the more impact it has. Lists or unclear names or symbols confuse rather than communicate.

What image are you trying to create?

The design of your sign is very important; it tells people a lot about your business. Stark simple design and materials may suggest discount prices and no frills. Elegant and expensive sign materials may suggest luxury goods and services. Two basic design elements are important when ordering a sign:

• Physical elements of sign design – These include size, placement, materials and structure. The size of the sign is important. A sign should go with its surroundings. A sign that is either too big or too small will not communicate your message effectively. The number of signs in the surrounding area is also important. Too many signs compete with one another and reduce the effectiveness of your message. The materials used for your sign determine its appearance and performance. For example, you can find many differences in the cost, appearance, colour, durability, flexibility and reaction to extreme weather conditions in types of plastic. The structure of a sign also adds to its effectiveness.
• Graphic elements of sign design – Graphic elements of design include layout of the message, colours, lettering, shape, symbolism, harmony, and daytime versus night-time lighting conditions.

Legibility is a test of good sign design; if it's well designed, it will be easy to read. Legibility means that the letters or characters on the sign are distinct from one another. Some colour combinations of background and letters make it easier to read your sign, while others make it harder to read. To test your sign's legibility, drive past your business and see if you can read it from a distance. Look at it both day and night. Some signs are difficult to read because of illumination problems, such as glare from street lights, signs on nearby businesses or shadows from nearby buildings. A well-designed sign blends with the environment, has a message impact and is easy to see.

How much should your sign cost?

You should consider several factors when deciding on the cost of your on-premise sign, but remember that a sign is an investment. Your sign is one of the most permanent parts of your business and is exposed to weather and constant use. The average life of signs varies from five to eleven years, depending on type of materials used, construction and other factors. Find out how many years of service to expect from your sign. It pays to buy quality materials, if you intend to use the sign over a period of years.

• Maintenance costs – You must maintain your sign. It affects the image people have of you and your business. Some types of signs are practically maintenance free, while others need more attention. Figure out how often you will need to repaint or revarnish your sign. Find out how to replace burnt out bulbs or tubes in your sign. Ask your insurance company what happens if the wind blows your sign down and someone gets hurt.
• Energy consumption – You can now buy energy-efficient lights and save money without sacrificing effect. Ask about energy-saving bulbs and internal materials.
• Owning or leasing – You can often lease a sign for a given period of time from a company who will maintain it for you. This may save you money, if you have a new business, especially if there is any chance that you might change your logo or business name in the first few years of operation. Statistics show that if a small business fails, it will happen within the first three years of operation. Leasing a sign during this period of time might help you to save some of the initial capital you will need for operating expenses.
• Custom or standard – Mass produced standard signs usually cost less than those that are custom-made. Many standard units are designed to allow for creativity and individuality. Some standard signs use high-quality materials and are relatively maintenance free.

Signs communicate in a shared environment

Be sensitive to the effect your message has on others; since you share the space with others, consider their rights and feelings — after all, they are potential customers too!

Regulations

Consider city or town planning goals and regulations when you order a sign. Some types of signs may not be allowed in your community. Find out what the local regulations are before you discuss your sign with a sign designer. Most sign companies are aware of the regulations in any given community and can guide you in selecting a sign that conforms to the law. Besides municipal bylaws, there may be provincial laws governing highway signage.

You can find out if there are any sign permits required in your municipality by using our permits and licences search:

• Permits and licences
  
  http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/126/155/
  Find out what permits and licences your business may need from the federal, provincial and municipal governments using our search tool.

Don’t be afraid to update ↑ top of page

A sign costs money, but being seen as out of date or having a run-down looking sign can hurt your business. Be sure to evaluate your sign's effectiveness, style and maintenance needs regularly.