In a world where businesses are moving increasingly online, you might be wondering if it’s worth investing in physical signage for your company in 2022. Business signs have their pros and cons, and it all comes down to the type of business that you run and what you want to achieve with the signs when it comes to whether or not this is a worthwhile investment to make. In an era where most content has gone digital and most ads are targeted to different audiences online, an eye-catching and memorable physical sign can be one of the best ways your business can stand out. In the competition for customer attention, a sign is much more than just a block of text at the entrance of your store or slogans on your vehicle. Here are some of the main reasons why physical signs can still work for your small business, even in the digital age.
Location
For some brick and mortar businesses, a sign is an important part of the company since it will guide customers to your place of business and make it easier for you to attract the attention of new customers. If your business is in a physical location that is not obvious immediately to customers, such as in a corner of the high street or tucked away somewhere that has a lower footfall compared to the rest of the area, placing a sign with directions in the busier areas can make a huge difference when it comes to the number of customers that discover and visit your business. To get started with designing this type of sign, check out the sign design basics from Signman. Signman offer a range of signage and vehicle branding services to help your business stand out and achieve brand consistency.
Competition
Signage can be an important part of making your business more competitive. While most advertising these days is done online, there can be a lot of power in a sign on the side of the road or in the town centre that grabs that attention of passers-by and generates interest in your business. One of the main issues with only advertising your business online is that users will need to be looking for something relevant to your business in order to stumble across it. On the other hand, when using physical signage, you can spark an interest in your business in customers who may not have even been thinking about anything related to your brand at the time or remind them of something that causes them to want to learn more about what you offer.
Create an Online-Offline Connection
Despite the digital age and many business marketing strategies now having moved online, this doesn’t mean that your physical signage cannot still play a part. Many business owners may wonder if there is any point to having physical signs if customers don’t have time to stop, and the answer is yes, there is. If you run a brick and mortar business but also operate online, either with a website or an e-commerce store, adding your website address to your signage is a good way to raise more awareness of your online presence and provide an alternative option to people who might walk past and be interested in your business but do not have time to stop. To make it even easier, you could even think about adding a QR code to your sign.
Increase Brand Awareness
Since today, physical signs are often used to direct customers to websites and social media pages along with encouraging them to visit brick and mortar businesses in person, the use of physical signage can also be an ideal way to boost brand awareness. When your signs are consistent with the branding that you use online, there will be no confusion among customers who have visited your website as it will be clear that they are at the right place. Along with this, you can add photos of your physical location to your website and social media, to create more consistency across different channels.
Provide Further Information
Sometimes, it is not always obvious what a business does when you simply walk past the location. Without the correct signage, customers that are looking for a business like yours might not even realise that they’re right in front of one, and you could end up losing custom to your competitors. By providing clear signage, you know that customers can easily find out what your business offers just from being nearby it, making sure that you don’t miss out on the custom that they can provide.
While digital marketing is the biggest buzz for business right now, there are still plenty of reasons why it is always worth investing in the old-fashioned physical sign. Physical signs can improve brand awareness, create a good impression on customers and create a connection between your online and offline channels.