Good signage is proven to drive business. But will your sign be as effective in five years as it is now? Knowing when to make a change is key — and that’s where auditing business signage comes into play.

Auditing your business signage is important to make sure your brand stays up to date and is relevant with your customer base. Don’t let your signage fall behind because you weren’t able to see that it’s not performing as well as it used to. Your signage is an important part of the way your business functions, so making sure it stays up to date is key to keeping your business in the front of your audiences’ minds.

Not sure if auditing your business signage is something you should be doing right now? That might be the only motivation you need. Think about when you initially designed your sign, would you have chosen styles and common themes from five years prior? Probably not. Signage styles change just like fashion trends. Although maybe not as quickly, what businesses were chasing to engage audiences is not the same now as it was years ago. Unfortunately, just because your sign was effective in the past, doesn’t mean it still is today and you should be auditing your business signage to better understand how it’s performing.

How to Start Auditing Your Business Signage

Auditing your business signage is important in order to gauge how it’s bringing in new customers to your business. A good audit can show you what your sign’s strengths and weaknesses are, so you know where to improve. Figuring out what you’re doing right can also tell you what you can continue to implement into your business signage in the future.

The effectiveness and impact your sign has is the most important thing auditing your sign will tell you. Knowing how your sign is functioning will help you better understand your brand and enable you to make it stronger.

When auditing your sign, you should check for a few select things that will give you a window into what your sign is doing for your business. Start with the obvious — can people see your sign? Visibility is key for good sign performance, and if there’s something blocking people’s view, your message isn’t going to be delivered. The height of your sign can also impact visibility; if it’s too low people won’t notice it, and if it’s too high they might not be able to read it.

Take a look at the color of your sign. Is it vibrant and eye-catching, or is it faded and dull? Sign color makes a huge impact on the way people see and react to your signage. If your sign is looking a little old, it might be time to consider an upgrade.

Next, think about the message you would like your sign to communicate to your customers. Is it performing the way you want? Your sign should clearly tell people what you want them to do, whether it’s letting them know where your storefront is located or showing them the goal of your business, it should be clear, concise, and right where they can see it.

Does the sign match up to your current branding? Your brand should be consistent across all fronts, and if your sign is outdated, it’s going to be confusing for your customers. Studies show that the attractiveness of a sign directly correlates to how much time a visitor spends engaged with it. If your brand is well put together and expressed through your signage, your sign should be performing at its best.

During your signage audit, you should also take the time to make sure you’re adhering to all of the newest laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, to know that your signage is consistently up to date. You should also take a look at any of your community’s current codes or regulations to make sure your signage is within all of its zoning restrictions.

The last thing you should do when auditing your business signage is look at how you’re using your signs on your property. Are you doing everything possible with the space you have to effectively communicate your brand? Your message should be easy to understand, and your brand should be clear on all fronts. There might be areas that could be better utilized for your signage, and there might be some that are lacking that could benefit from having your brand present. It’s important to step back and take a look at everything you’re doing, sometimes literally.

Customers often decide to enter a store based solely on its sign, so auditing your business signage can help determine if you need to step it up to get customers in the door.

Regularly conducting a business signage audit will help save you a headache in the future. You won’t have to worry about severely underperforming signage or signs that are against local codes if you keep up to date with how it’s functioning for your business. Working with a local signage designer can help you stay on track with auditing your business signage, and they might even be able to take the task off your hands. They’ll be able to give you the best professional advice available in order to keep your sign performing the best it possibly can.

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.