Every business needs to understand the value of its sign and storefront.  Signage is far more than a simple marker indicating the location of a business: it is the means by which a business begins a conversation that can lead to transactions with members of the public.  It begins the process of branding or indexing the business into the community’s awareness.

When a business does not sufficiently recognize that its signage is speech, it tends to under-utilize what is a significant asset.  That asset—the sign—is almost always the least expensive, most effective form of advertising available.  In many cases, due to the lack of an advertising budget or insufficiency of other advertising to reach customers, it is the only form available.

Whether the sign provides motorists with directions to a business, showing them what the business will look like when they see it, acting as a point of interest in and of itself, reinforcing other advertising, or persuading specific purchases, it is without a doubt doing so more efficiently and at a lower cost than any other advertising or marketing medium available to the small business.

 

Charles R. Taylor, Claus & Claus. On-Premise Signs as Storefront Marketing Devices and Systems. U.S. Small Business Administration. Washington, DC. 2005.