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OUTDOOR SIGNAGE TIPS TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS

MAY 10, 2019| SpeedPro Chicago Loop

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Branding, Printing

It’s simple, right? Create the most engaging, unique, distinguishable and on-brand representations of your business, print them on a sign and watch as passers-by are drawn into your store like bees to honey.

Sure, it sounds easy enough on paper. Yet the mere presence of an outdoor sign shouldn’t be confused with the power of an outdoor sign — especially in a buzzing brick and mortar market like downtown Chicago. Signage designed for Surface Impact™ is vital to connecting with target consumers and shaping brand recall and retention.

How can you better attract customers with your outdoor signage? More goes into designing successful outdoor signs than you might think.

 

WHAT GOES INTO EYE-CATCHING OUTDOOR SIGNAGE?

There is no single, magic formula generating universally successful outdoor signage ideas.

There is, however, a way to guarantee a more strategic framework when creating your outdoor signs. Conceiving out-of-home advertisements, such as signage, using this formula helps revitalize a sign’s purpose and impact. Designed for both form and function, outdoor signs are likely to create strong impressions within target consumers’ minds, planting lead-generating seeds that gradually sprout into loyalty.

Attracting customers with outdoor signage is made more successful — and more strategic — with the following guiding questions:

 

1. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR BUSINESS?

This concept is often referred to as your unique selling proposition (USP). Yes, businesses with clear USPs know what they’re selling and who they’re selling to. But their self-awareness goes one step further, clarifying what problems they simplify or issues they solve for consumers — plus how they solve them better than anyone else. In short, your USP denotes what your business stands for. Once you understand your USP, you understand your business’ purpose. You now have a lighthouse guiding your outdoor signage decisions.

 

2. TRANSLATE YOUR PURPOSE INTO ONE SENTENCE

Create your company’s elevator pitch, a one-to-two sentence explanation of your identity inspired by your USP. Use as few words as possible, concentrating less on perfection or sounding like the best and more on impact and authenticity. Play around with as many drafts as it takes. Again, you’re focusing on purposefulness, on what your organization stands for and seeks to put out into the world — not on grandiose claims or false, salesy slogans.

 

3. TRANSLATE THAT SENTENCE INTO AN IMAGE

This might seem hard at first. But remember, outdoor signs are still visual media. It’s important to complement any verbal messages with graphic ones, rounding out authentic identity representations. Plus, stating in words who you are and what you’re about only sticks to a certain point. Creating an image that complements your company identity gives it an icon to attach your words to. Sign graphics are also likely to become intertwined with your very brand. Just think of Starbucks’ siren, Nike’s swoosh and Apple’s, well, apple. These pictures have become so synonymous with their parent brands, consumers recognize them independent of any words or descriptions.

 

4. PICK AN EMOTIONALLY RELEVANT COLOR SCHEME

Decades of research have gone into understanding color psychology, the science of how certain colors elicit specific reactions within viewers. Businesses harness color psychology to pick branded color schemes, selecting colors and shades that trigger a set of emotions they want to be instantaneously and even subconsciously associated with. From playful to authoritative, contemporary to classic, youthful to mature, luxe to price-conscious, colors help convey your company’s “personality” — and therefore your USP.

 

5. PICK A LEGIBLE FONT

In the end, your sign still needs to be read. Even the most sublime, eye-catching and noticeable outdoor signage design only goes so far if passers-by can’t make out what it’s saying. Round out your sign strategy by adopting a branded font — one that is clear, legible and on-par with your brand’s overall personality.

Congratulations! You’ve mastered the basic understanding behind hyper-strategic, visually compelling, conversion-happy outdoor business signage. Continue to learn even more tips and tricks to create your best signs yet.

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