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Outdoor business sign checklist: 4 ways to attract more customers

Published: 2 July 2018
Outdoor business sign checklist: 4 ways to attract more customers

Whether it's by the roadside, blazing at an outdoor event or screw-mounted to the wall of your building, there's something special about seeing your business sign unveiled to the world.

It's an accomplishment that sayswe've arrived! Or, here's some big news! Or come on in and take a look!

What you may not realise is how much of an influence outdoor signage has on the way potential customers feel about your business too.

Consumer research has shown that:

  • 70% believe signage reflects the quality of a company's products or services
  • over 50% of prospects are reluctant to enter a business with bad signage.

On top of that, the majority of businesses that improved their sign design and visibility found it had a direct impact on revenue.

So how do you create outdoor signs that capture attention and lure customers through the door? Keep these four things at top of mind as you design your sign.

Placement and size

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. What will they be doing when you want them to notice your sign? Walking past? Driving? On public transport? Running? In a crowd? Actively looking for your office, warehouse, shop, etc?

Consider the size, placement and illumination of your sign. Will your target audience have enough time to see it, recognise it and either come in to your business or grab your contact details from it?

Content and brevity

Your outdoor sign is a big call to action button. Sometimes that call is subtle. Other times, it's blatant and bold.

Either way, the content on the sign must be brief and to the point.

A catchy line can capture attention. Adding your logo or an image can often more memorable than a lot of words.

The best signs usually contain a few well-chosen words that slip into the psyche and stay there.

Font and readability

Short and sweet won't mean a lot of people can't read or recognise what you're trying to tell them.

Choose a font that's easy on both the eye and mind, as well as matching your overall brand philosophy. And consider the message being conveyed.

For example:

  • If you have a serious business, go for appropriately sober fonts.
  • If your brand is in a trendy or contemporary industry, think about splashing your content in light and fun fonts.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America tested 15 text and background combinations. Here are the results from easiest to hardest to read:

  1. black on yellow
  2. black on white
  3. yellow on black
  4. white on blue
  5. green on white
  6. blue on yellow
  7. white on green
  8. white on brown
  9. brown on yellow
  10. brown on white
  11. yellow on brown
  12. red on white
  13. yellow on red
  14. red on yellow
  15. white on red

This is one of the reasons our Snap brand colours are yellow and dark blue (close to black)

Colour and combinations

There is a lot of psychology at play when it comes to colours. The right colour, hue and shade have a way of catching attention and creating a mood in the mind of your audience.

Remember to use colour combinations that have a close connect with your brand's design philosophy and colour scheme.

For example, the green in Subway's logo conveys freshness, which is at the heart of the brand. Yellow makes it easy to spot and recognise from a distance.

While Baskin-Robbins use blue and pink to convey sweetness and fun.

 

Put these tips into action when planning and designing your outdoor business signs.

Not only will they help you create attractive signage that is readable, appealing to the eye and attention-grabbing, it can directly impact your sales.

If you need some expert help designing and printing outdoor business signs, talk to your local Snap Centre today.

Author:Snap Marketing
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