Ontario business

What can signs do for your business?

Signs perform three major communication functions for your business: they give information and direction, provide a format for street advertising, and build your image.

Signs give information about your business and direct people to your business location

Signs index the environment so people can find you. This is especially true for travellers, new members of your community, and impulse shoppers who may be on a journey to purchase a particular good or service which you sell. A primary source of customers for your business is the number of people who are new to your community or who may be just passing through. Your sign is the most effective way of reaching these potential customers.

Signs can compensate for poor location. If your business is located on a site which is not visible or in a building which does not correspond with the goods or services offered, your sign can overcome this disability. For example, most buildings are not built to conform to the design needs of any particular type of tenant. Without an effective sign, it is often impossible to determine what type of business is being conducted in a given building. In addition, when your site is located off a busy traffic artery or in an area which is not easily accessible, your sign can communicate to people who are passing on a busy street several blocks away. If you are located off a busy freeway but far from an exit, your sign becomes your main device for directing people to your business. High-rise signs are used when a business is located away from the routes potential customers normally use.

Signs are street advertising

Your sign provides an easily recognizable display format for the goods or services you are selling. Most businesses will find potential customers passing by on the street. The message conveyed by their sign reaches people who are close enough to make a purchase.

Street advertising also helps people to remember your business name and the products and services you sell. People tend to buy from businesses they know.

Signs can build an image for your business and help you identify with the market segment you are trying to reach.

Through materials and design, a sign can appeal to a given group of potential customers. For example, some firms attempt to capture the youth market, others are geared to senior citizens or unmarried single people and so forth. If you have a particular market segment that you wish to attract to your business, your sign can be an important means of bringing these people in.