An eye-catching and well-placed sign is an essential for any good store. After all, it marks out what your store is and why your customers should be interested in it. Oftentimes, a customer’s decision on whether or not they want to enter a store in the first place will be determined within five seconds of seeing the displays immediately outside the building. If they dislike what they see, then they will look elsewhere, even if they know you stock items or provide services they’d like to buy. Therefore, you need to get your sign right the first time around.
So if you’ve sunk a significant investment into a recently purchased sign, you need to make sure you know what not to do with it.
Set It Up Incorrectly
Quite obvious, we know, but you’d be surprised how often a sign can be ruined because the person setting it up accidentally used the wrong screws or didn’t align it properly. Make sure you examine the sign and understand exactly how it is supposed to be displayed. A-frame signs are easy enough to set up. However, overhead signs that are mounted on the wall above the entrance will require careful installation. Use only the right tools for the job, and read up carefully on how the sign affixes to the wall. Make sure that you know exactly where to put everything too, down to the last screw. If ever in doubt, consult the company you bought the sign from and see if they can offer any advice, or recommend a professional to do it for you.
Leave Older, Worn-Out Signs
It is quite tragic, but it is far easier to ruin a good display than improve a poor one. While you may have purchased a shiny new sign, if the rest of your shop’s external display is still beaten and old, it will not do anything to help. If anything, the miss-match of new and old may turn away customers even faster than a display that’s universally unkempt. Moreover, all it takes is for one tattered banner, or one dying shrub to spoil the effect of your store’s façade.
If you are going to get a new sign, go all out. Repaint any painted surfaces, replace any dead plants, refit any broken windows, and repair any damaged sections of wall, pavement or roofing. Doing so will immediately make your shop look refresh and inviting, and is well worth the investment. It also means your sign can work to its full potential.
Leave it to its Fate
Once you’ve bought your sign, make sure you take good care of it. You do not need to check it every day, but you should ensure there is no damage every week or two. At the very least, you should check on it after particularly bad weather for damage, including heavy rain or snow.
Doing so will significantly improve your sign’s lifespan, and will also help keep it looking inviting even long after it has been set up. If it is damaged, get it repaired. If it is beyond repair, get it replaced. Do not leave a broken-down sign to advertize your business. Customers will look on that as a statement of the shop itself. Remember: your sign is your store’s face.
Leave Signs Out During Bad Weather
If you are expecting an unusually severe storm, it is a good idea to remove your signs and bring them indoors. Not only does this protect your signs, but it also protects other people. They cannot be smacked in the face with a flying sign, or have one smash through their car’s windshield if they are locked away within your building after all. If a sign cannot be removed because it is fixed to a wall or the floor, do your best to secure it. Cover them with a tarp, tie them down to secure fittings such as concrete pillars or fences, and make sure there are no pieces that could come flying off.
If you are expecting something a little less serious, like heavy rain or snow, bring them in as well if they are vulnerable to it. Otherwise, they should be okay to be left out, but you should check them for any wear or tear afterward.
The writer, Christian Mills, runs his own small business and writes on the side to help other business owners not make critical mistakes that could cost them in the long run. For getting signs for his storefronts, he highly recommends going to www.qualitysigndesigner.com to create custom orders to fit whatever you need. You can learn more about Christian on Google+.
