5 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic to Your Business
Your sign is one of your brand’s most important assets. Think of it like a salesperson. It is a brand advocate, helping people locate your business and communicating your brand values. So having a well-designed sign and then keeping up with maintenance and repairs on it are critical to the visibility and success of your location. Hopefully, you’ve invested in a sign already and are reaping some of the benefits. But have you evaluated your sign recently? We’ve outlined 5 ways to maintain and update your sign to increase foot traffic to your business.
Why Be Proactive in Sign Maintenance?
Of course, we can all understand why it would be important to perform repairs on a sign that had a light out or had been damaged in a storm. But performing regular, proactive maintenance on your sign can increase your sign’s value and overall site efficacy in the long run.
Poor, outdated, or damaged signage can have a significant impact on your business. But you don’t have to take our word for it. We’ll let the data* speak for itself.
- You risk missing business. 54% of the study participants say they have failed to find a business due to poor signage and 64% reported that dimly lit signs made the sign difficult to read. A dark or dim sign makes the business seem closed, either at that particular moment in time or even for good.
- Updated signage brings new business opportunities. 33% of study participants say a store attracted them because of its signage. To entice new customers, an attractive sign is a necessity.
- Your sign makes a statement about the quality of your business. 38% of study participants say they make quality assumptions about a business based on their signs. What does your sign say about your quality?
- Attract customers in the next generation. Those in the 18-24 age group, compared to the general population, report being drawn into businesses and making quality assumptions based on signs at higher levels.
It’s obvious that your sign has a significant impact on your business’s location. So what can you do to improve your sign? We’re covering 5 ways to help your sign stand out, from low-budget fixes to high-end updates.
*Data from Kellaris, 100,000 Shoppers Can’t Be Wrong; and Kellaris, Viewing Signs through the Eyes of the Beholders; available at the Sign Research Foundation.
5 Ways to Improve Your Sign & Boost Foot Traffic
- Get Bright Lighting: be sure your signs have new lamps, tubes, or LEDs and look bright and inviting. This is especially important for retail locations during busy seasons, like the holidays. Everyone else is trying to attract the same foot traffic that you are—you have to keep your sign at the top of its game to help your location stand out.
- Upgrade to LEDs: LEDs are certainly more commonly used in signs nowadays, but if you don’t have them yet, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon! You can reduce energy consumption and improve brightness while reducing maintenance costs with an upgrade to LEDs.
- Order a Sign Wash: This is certainly an economical way to breathe a little life back into your sign. Soot, dust, bugs, and all other manner of outdoor elements can contribute to a dingy look and decreased brightness. Facilities located in high-pollution areas should implement this particularly.
- Paint the Sign: Just like a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a room, a fresh coat can give your sign the perfect refresh. A vibrant and glossy finish lends an upscale look and is also a more cost-effective approach to updating your sign.
- Update Your Faces: Unfortunately, plastic and paint fade and discolor over time. A small investment in new faces provides a bright new look and could easily align with a brand redesign.
And One More Thing…
We recommend you set a weekly or monthly reminder to take 5 minutes to really look at your signs and be sure they continue to be your best sales tool—attracting shoppers, impressing them with your image, and greeting them with something as bright as your smile. As long-time signage experts, we’re confident that these tips will help you increase foot traffic to your business.
Sign maintenance doesn’t have to be a chore. Consistency provides long-term benefits to those willing to invest in signage.