On-premise signs are your most effective and efficient means of commercial communication because they are inexpensive, available, practical, easy to use, always on the job, and directly oriented to the trade area of your business. You're incorporating your logo (see Your Logo Is Your Brand) into the lowest-cost venue… which you own or rent anyway.
Your sign is an integral part of your ad program along with the other ad platforms such as TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, directories, sponsorships, and billboards. I measure four basic criteria to judge the effectiveness of any medium: (1) Coverage of the trade area; (2) Repetition of a message; (3) Readership of a message; and (4) Cost per thousand exposures of a message. Two other criteria important for the small business owner are (5) Availability; and (6) Ease of use. Let's see how signs measure to the above criteria.
1.Signs are oriented to your trade area. Signs do not waste your resources by requiring your to pay for wasted advertising coverage. The people who see your sign are the people who live in your trade area.
2.Signs are always on the job repeating your message to potential customers. Your on-premise sign communicates to potential customers twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, week after week, month after month, year after year. Every time people pass your business establishment they see your sign. The mere repetition of the message will help them remember your business. I put two iconic business signs at the top of the article, not because they each serve breakfast. (Who saw that trend coming?)Because of repetition, you know the logos and what they represent without having to be told in the lettering. That's the power of repeating your brand.
3.Nearly everyone reads signs. Signs are practical to use for nearly everyone is used to looking at signs and using signs, even small children. Studies have shown that people do read and remember what is on signs. When special items are displayed, sales increase for these particular items within the store.
4.Signs are inexpensive. When compared to the cost of advertising in some other media, the on-premise sign is very inexpensive. Unless your trade area encompasses an entire city or region, where you must rely upon broad based media coverage, there is no better advertising dollar value than your on-premise sign.
As for the final two criteria, availability and ease of use… that's why you use Your Minuteman. A business with no sign is a sign of no business.
Image by Scott Stevens, used with permission
