5 Ways to Maintain Your Sign
If you’ve ever visited Las Vegas, then you’ve probably been to one of the city’s most famous attractions: the Strip. There are shows, casinos, shopping venues, and drinking establishments galore. But what exactly makes the view of the Las Vegas Strip so iconic? Indeed, it’s the storefronts and façades that give it that trademark glow.
But the Strip can only keep its fabulous glow if its signage is maintained properly. Can you imagine if you walked in front of one of the most famous casinos in the world, with its colorful, bursting fountains, and it just said “Bel agio”? Broken signage can be hugely detrimental to a brand impression, whether you’re a world-famous casino or a local mom-and-pop shop. Sign maintenance is for everyone. So have you looked at your sign with new eyes recently?
We’re talking about why it’s so critical to keep your signs in shape and the 5 ways to maintain your sign.
Data Talks: Why Maintain Your Signage?
It’s not just a good idea to maintain your sign in theory. A study done by Dr. James Kellaris of Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati found that signs have a much larger impact than you might expect*.
- You may risk missing business: 54% say they have failed to find a business due to poor signage. 64% reported that dimly lit signs made a sign difficult to read. A dark sign makes the business seem closed—at that time or for good.
- You could attract new business opportunities: 33% have been attracted to a store because of signage. To bring in new customers, an attractive sign is a necessity.
- You can make a positive impression: 38% say they make quality assumptions about a business based on their signs. What does your sign say about your quality?
- You could draw in younger generations: Those in the 18-24 age group report being drawn into businesses and making quality assumptions based on signs at higher levels than the general population.
A properly maintained sign can add tangible value to your business’s location. So what can you do to capture these benefits?
5 Ways to Maintain Your Sign
As with most things in life and business, a proactive approach is almost always better than a reactive one. For retailers in particular, the spring is a great time to prioritize maintenance so that your sign can look it’s best before foot traffic increases over the warm summer months.
These tips will help ensure your sign is a true brand asset and not a detraction. Clean, bright, polished signage communicates brand values and lets your customers know who you are, where you are, and what you value.
- Prioritize bright lighting. Be sure your signs have new lamps, tubes, or LEDs and look bright, fresh, and inviting.
- Upgrade to LEDs. If you haven’t already, it’s time to update those old incandescent and fluorescent bulbs with LED ones! LEDs last longer, reduce energy consumption, and improve brightness while lowering general maintenance costs.
- Order a sign wash. When your sign is exposed to the elements, all sorts of soot, dust, and bugs can grime up your sign and lend a dull, dingy look to your sign.
- Paint the sign. Sun exposure can fade even the highest quality exterior paints. Just like it brightens a room, a fresh coat of paint can refresh faded signage.
- Update your sign faces. Plastic, much like paint, can fade and discolor over years of sun exposure. Updating your faces is a low-cost way of updating your on-site branding, ensuring your sign looks polished and professional.
The spring is the perfect season to spruce up your signage! The wormer months mean more foot traffic
A Bonus Tip
To keep your sign and façade looking its best, set a weekly or monthly reminder to take 5 minutes to really look at them and be sure they continue to be your best on-site sales tool—attracting shoppers, impressing them with your image, and greeting them with something as meaningful as your brand is. Sign maintenance can be simple, but implementing these 5 ways to maintain your sign increases your sign ROI and helps ensure your business’s success in the long run.
*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.