You can offer the best services or the best products, but if you can’t get people to actually come into your business, it will be all for naught.

So if you want prospective customers to walk through your doors, you need to make a strong first impression, and one of the best ways to do that is with compelling outdoor business signage.

Studies have shown that more than half of consumers believe poor signage discourages them from entering a place of business. Yet, many businesses don’t focus on creating optimal business signage that attracts customers.

Is your outdoor business signage persuading people to come into your business, or is it turning them away? If the answer is the latter, it’s time for a change.

Here are some tips to make your outdoor business signage attractive, engaging, and captivating.

Readability

The best signs are eye-catching and bold, with unique graphics and colors that pop. Utilize borders to draw attention to the text and contrasting colors to call out important information. Be sure to use a highly-legible font (no cursive) that can be easily read, whether someone is walking or driving by. And, of course, the font should be large enough to read. For more information, check out the United States Sign Council’s Sign Legibility Rules Of Thumb.

Location

Location can truly be everything when it comes to your business signage. A strategically-placed sign provides superior visibility both from afar (think highway drivers) and from close proximity (think passersby on Main Street). When both aims can’t be accomplished by a single piece of signage, a more comprehensive signage approach combining a pylon sign with other forms of signage such as wayfinding and store front signs may be warranted. Potential obstacles — such as trees, telephone poles and signage for neighboring businesses, must also be taken into consideration when determining your sign location.

Size

Size matters in the case of signage for business. Ideally, your sign’s degree of readability will cater to both the nearsighted and farsighted segments of the population by being large enough to be read from distance, yet simple and clear enough to be read from close-up. In general, bigger is better for business signage. Just be sure to work within your local zoning laws and secure approval for the maximum signage size your particular municipality allows.

Lighting

Don’t let darkness descend upon your business. Proper illumination can mean the difference between 12 and 24 hours of daily visibility for your outdoor business sign. Additionally, with the advent of LED as an increasingly affordable illumination alternative, an increasing number of our customers are investing in an LED retrofit solution and reaping the returns. LED lighting provides a host of benefits ranging from reduced energy expenses to lower maintenance costs to better performance with regards to brightness. And modern timer systems enable you to control exactly when your lighting turns on and off.

Quality

Business signage represents an investment that can pay a return many times over when done right. For this reason, quality should not be compromised. High quality signage companies regularly fabricate a sign for a customer, implementing a manufacturing process that relies upon the highest-quality materials available. This ensures your business sign features the durability to last decades, as well as an exemption from most regular maintenance needs.

Wow Factor

Ultimately, many businesses will optimize the location, size, lighting and quality associated with their business signage. Where you can truly convert your brand into a more impactful statement, however, is by making your sign stand out from the crowd. A digital signage design sporting some pizazz will induce prospective customers to take notice. Find a signage design partner and channel your creative side. Refurbishing and illuminating a vintage sign, suspending your iconic company logo within the sky atop a pylon sign or installing an electronic message center complete with clever messaging represent just a few of the many ways your sign can become the talk of the town.

At Brady Signs, we’re a third-generation family business that’s served as a premier provider of business signage solutions throughout the North Central Ohio region and beyond for nearly 50 years.

Want to learn how we can convert your brand into a statement using our eye-catching signage for business? We’re here to talk.