Signs, graphics help identify business locations, products

When it comes to establishing a business image, businesses of all sizes often overlook the effectiveness and affordability of signs and graphics in a business climate where costs for everything from office space to health care coverage seem to be on the rise, according to FastSigns.
John Durbin, owner of FastSigns at 610-B E. Battlefield, said in a news release that signs and graphics can be used to meet many business needs, including helping customers to identify a company’s location and reinforcing its image.
“Signs help the consumer remember the business location and the products or services that are offered. They also help prompt a purchase, build brand equity and influence consumers’ purchase decisions or habits,” Durbin said.
Drawing from research in “The Signage Sourcebook,” Durbin said that when signs and graphics are evaluated on the number of impressions they create compared to their cost, they are an affordable option. According to research in the book, the value of business signage can far exceed the actual construction cost for the sign.
Durbin offered an example: Assume that a permanent sign costs $2,000 to build and install, and it is located outside a company’s headquarters on a busy road where 5,000 cars travel every day. If there are
21 working days in the average month,
the sign will create 105,000 impres-
sions each month, or 1.26 million impressions a year. Divide the $2,000 cost of the sign by 1.26 million annual impressions, which comes to $1.58.
“It’s tough to name other forms of advertising that create a comparable number of impressions for (a similar) cost,” Durbin said.
According to “The Signage Sourcebook,” on-premised or place-based signage is the most cost-effective and efficient form of advertising to potential customers. Small, independent businesses generally rely on signs to attract customers. For those merchants, the book noted, signs are the most effective type of advertising. On-premises signage also is one of the only ways to capture impulse sales, the book said.