Have you ever been driving on a freeway in the middle of nowhere and realized you’re running low on gas? An inevitable panic runs through your body, and you wonder if you’ll make it to the next exit or get stuck on the side of the road. Suddenly, you see this beacon of hope…a glowing yellow Shell gas station sign in the distance, and your body relaxes. This is the power of signage!
What is the purpose of signage for a business?
Signs provide a variety of purposes for businesses, including sharing information with the customer, spreading brand awareness, or simply trying to create engagement with their target audience. Specifically, a company’s sign may very well be the first impression a potential customer may see as representing the company. Below, we’ll discuss more ways you can impact your customer experience by utilizing signage in your business.
Signage Spreads the Word
Retail signage comes in all kinds of variations. This could include light-up signs outside a building, digital signage, interior signage, or other options. But at its core, signage is a form of communication. Business owners can use signs to communicate essential information to their shoppers, whatever that message may be! The most obvious example would be communicating with customers through in-store signage about special sales pricing. However, the type of signs business owners use needs to be more recognized. More people than ever are paying closer attention to how and where they choose to spend their hard-earned dollars. So, providing shoppers with as much information as possible helps them maneuver stores and supply them with the necessary information to make well-informed decisions.
The Importance of Brand Identity
Creating well-designed signage that matches but enhances the store’s brand image and helps create a welcoming and cohesive experience for the customers. Branding signage is an extension of the company’s values and personality. Concepts like color theory and type fonts are tools graphic designers use to portray the identity you want the public to associate with your brand. This goes for physical in-store signs or any digital signage created on your company’s behalf. As mentioned before, first impressions are critical to a business because you only get one. So, having a professional help your business create a persona for your brand or re-brand has several advantages regarding the overarching brand message and impression.
In-store Promotions
In-store promotion signage can be more than just informational; it has the potential to help increase sales of a business! Purposeful, eye-catching promotional sales designs can attract people from the street to enter stores they otherwise may not have. This signage also helps reach the target customer your business is searching for. Without retail signage, you could be losing out on a market of customers you aren’t even aware of. Promotional signage doesn’t only appeal to potential shoppers but also to faithful customers. Marketing sales can also help create buzz and excitement for those shoppers who are devoted and loyal to your brand. For example, a clothing store puts a sales sign in the window informing shoppers of an upcoming sale. This entices devoted customers to come in during that time and make purchases of your goods or services.
Help Customers Find Their Way
Wayfinding signage is crucial to the customer experience. Wayfinding is often a visual aid designed to help customers find their way through the store. An example of this would be signs above the aisles in a grocery store listing the aisle number and a few essential items you can find. In retail stores, you may also see big yellow clearance signs pointing you in the direction of the clearance section. This type of signage is meant to guide you to the area of the store the business owners want you to go to most. During the holidays, many retail companies like to utilize this type of store signage to direct the flow of traffic amid peak busy seasons. This is an attempt to calm the chaos that can quickly ensue and keep the atmosphere comfortable for customers when they otherwise wouldn’t have this instruction.
Wayfinding is also a great tool to adapt to the needs of your customers with disabilities. These shoppers are often overlooked because they likely don’t make up much of your customer base. But this doesn’t mean their needs don’t matter! Having in-store signage that provides them with access to amenities like wheelchair-accessible restroom stalls, elevators, push-open doors, or simply adding information about more accessible routes. These are all small but impactful changes that aid in creating a welcoming and more comfortable environment for these shoppers that are often overlooked or a second thought.
Adding to the Aesthetic Experience
Think of your store signage as an extension of your brand identity. Any signage created should match or at least complement the existing aesthetic. This creates a cohesive design that customers come to expect when they think of your brand. Additionally, this can help enhance the atmosphere and make it more inviting and welcoming to each customer!
Adding a Personal Touch to Signage
Adding a personal touch to your store signage is a great way to interact with your shoppers. This can be done with physical signs in-store or something more high-tech like digital signage. For example, with digital signage, you can showcase a video of how a product works. That’s something that regular interior signage can’t do! Personalization can also take the form of recommendations on which product to purchase or how to use said product. Ultimately, this special touch will make your customers feel like you care about their experience.
Igniting Customer Engagement with Signage
Customer engagement is a massive tool business owners can use to boost their business for the better. Customer engagement provides an opportunity to gain the shoppers’ trust, ideally leading to maintaining customer interest. Additionally, it allows customers to give feedback, build confidence, and ultimately increase their satisfaction if they genuinely feel heard by the company. So, how does this apply to signage? Digital signage comes into play heavily in this strategy. It will depend on your type of business, but things like interactive displays or kiosks that allow consumers to choose from options or even customize an order get them in the door and permit them to spend time interacting with employees. When it comes to increasing sales, every minute they spend connecting with a part of your business creates a chance to make a positive customer experience, regardless of whether they spend money on your goods or services.
Who Does DaNite Sign Co Make Signage For?
Simply put, our store makes signage for any company within Columbus, Ohio, and surrounding areas. Some industries we’ve helped span anywhere from medical companies, churches, educational systems, non-profits, and financial institutions. We are committed to serving a role in making our local community better and brighter with our effective signage and a positive customer experience!
What Type of Signage Do We Make?
We create various store signage as we’ve been perfecting our visual merchandising skills for 70 years! Below, you’ll find a quick breakdown of the type of store signage we provide for our customers.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED) Signs
Our LED signs are popular options for local businesses mainly because LED is a step up from the older neon sign versions. They take significantly less energy to run than a neon sign, but you can still achieve the neon look and style without the high energy bill! They are also less expensive to maintain than our other digital signage offerings.
Mounted Signs
Wall-mounted signage is self-explanatory, but you may need to learn the types of mounted signs we can create for you. These can range from an in-store mounted sign, a marquee sign that you often see associated with movie and play theaters, outdoor backlit signs, and even parapet signs on high-rise buildings in downtown Columbus!
Vinyl Signage
Vinyl signs are often used on a business’s doors, windows, and walls. Think of the Cricut machine your crafty family member has but on a much larger and more customizable scale! Most frequently, these signs advertise information like a store’s name, hours of business, a greeting to shoppers, or a graphic design that can be associated with the business logo. Still, we are known to add vinyl to cars as well!
Channel Letters
Channel letter signage is most frequently used to display a company name. For example, think of the Bob Evans logo. We create a sign using individual letters, thus the name. Like our other sign offerings, these can be customized to reflect your brand image.
Interior Signage
Interior signage can encompass the qualities of our other types of signs. A few examples would be wall-mounted interior signage or an interior sign that is projected or made of vinyl. In-store wayfinding signs are also an attempt to improve the customer experience through this medium.
Awning Signs
Awnings come in many different variations. The awnings we craft often have company names, logos, or address numbers on them. However, it’s not uncommon for us to make awnings purely to bring a little of the company’s aesthetics to the outside of their building.
Printed Signs
Our printed banner signs typically display the most artfully designed we create. Print allows for a much broader spectrum of options for graphics and photos to be included. During graduation season in May, you’ll frequently see signs with student photos and their high school mascots or logos in the front yard to celebrate their achievement! Or, from a more commercial standpoint, you may see temporary banners for the grand openings of new stores around town.
Solar Signage
Solar-powered signs are less utilized than our other creations but still play a role in many industries we serve. Solar signs are one of our most energy-efficient options, as they use the sun’s power to illuminate your lit-up signs.
Freestanding
You have several types if your company is in the market for a freestanding sign. In the past, we’ve manufactured pole signs, changeable copy signs, and monument signs. These are versions of freestanding outdoor signs with pros and cons depending on your company’s needs.
Projected Signage
Projecting signage is signs that protrude rather than being linear and flat. The marquee signs we discussed earlier would also be considered projected signs. After 70 years in the signage business, we consider ourselves the “pro” in projected signs!
Electronic Signage
We love creating digital signage because we’ve found it flexible for our clients. If you’ve ever been to your community bank, whether they display the time or the weather, you’re bound to have seen our digital signage. This is also a great way for stores to expand their marketing skills. Digital signage can reach a more extensive potential client base than they would otherwise by displaying promotions or sales in this manner.