The outdoor signage that resides on the exterior of your building plays a critical role in attracting new customers while promoting brand awareness.
Several issues can cause your outdoor sign to confuse and lead people to draw incorrect conclusions about your Raleigh business. There’s more to outdoor signage than just having the name of your company printed in big lettering. It should promote your brand and give potential customers a reason to set foot through your front doors. Most importantly, it should set your business apart from the competition through both branding and design. Read on to learn about the top five outdoor signage mistakes that your Raleigh business needs to avoid. These issues could be inadvertently causing people to not patronize your company for one of many different reasons.
Sun Damage and Weathered Signs
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Weather and sun damage can destroy an outdoor sign over time. The harsh UV rays will turn clear plastic yellow, and humidity will cause nuts, bolts, and other metal objects to rust. This can turn people away as it makes the business seem old, stale, and look like it’s on its last legs. For example, pretend that you own a restaurant, and your outdoor sign is visibly cracked in places and turning a dark yellow. What kind of impact do you think that will have on someone who’s driving by looking for a place to eat? They might feel that your food is as stale as your sign looks. Your outdoor sign is the first thing people see when they pull up to your business. Cracks, rust, and weather damage can cause them to think twice about stopping by. Granted, this is an unfair assumption to make—but people are people, and this situation happens more than most Raleigh businesses realize.
No Branding or Logo
Consider the signage that resides outside the front doors of two women’s clothing shops that sell the exact same type of clothes. One sign reads: “Women’s Clothing,” on a plain white generic background, and the other reads: “Jill’s Clothing Boutique,” along with a logo and tagline that reads: “Modern Fashion for the Modern Woman.” Which sign do you think will attract more customers? The generic-looking sign gives off the impression that they sell generic clothes while the other one speaks to their intended customer base. Far too many Raleigh companies neglect to add an image, brand logo, or tagline to their outdoor sign.
Refusing to Listen to Expert Advice
Let’s face it. Outdoor signage can cost a lot of money. This is due to the amount of labor and skill involved in designing and making an effective outdoor sign that will persuade people to enter your business while promoting your brand. Sign shops, such as AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh, have decades of experience and know-how to design and create the perfect outdoor sign. They’ve worked with countless businesses just like yours and know what works—and what doesn’t work when it comes to attracting new customers with an outdoor sign. If you’re in the market for a new outdoor sign, it will behoove you to pay close attention to what your sign shop experts are recommending. They want you to succeed and help you design and create a sign that will grace the front of your building for many years to come.
Ignoring the Latest in Technology
LED signs and UV-resistant inks and materials are just some of the many technological innovations on the market. Yes, they cost more than a traditional sign, but they will also set you apart from your competitors while providing immense value and longevity. Depending on what kind/type of sign that you opt for, you may have several customization options available such as lighting, materials, and mounting options that will make your sign stand out.
Adding Too Much Information
Nobody in this day and age has the time to stop and read a massive wall of text that appears on an outdoor sign. It should only display the most relevant information and skip over everything else. The main goal of your outdoor sign is to allow people to quickly glance at it and understand the message in a fraction of a second. You can accomplish this in part by adding a logo or image to your sign that will help reaffirm the text. It will also prevent confusion on the part of the reader.
Outdoor Signs in Raleigh
Deciding to replace or get a new outdoor sign is a big decision. Let the experts at AlphaGraphics of Raleigh help you design and create the most effective outdoor sign that will drive traffic through your front doors while at the same time promoting your brand to all who drive or walk by. To learn more about how AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh can help with your sign and marketing needs, you may
email us,
request a quote, or call us at
(919) 832-2828.