Imaging walking up to an office of a professional you found on the internet. As you approach the building, you notice a shabby, run-down, faded set of letters proclaiming the name of the business you are about to engage. What kind of impression did that sign just make? Are you still certain about using that business’es services, or do you rethink your decision and go back to the internet? Chances are, you would go elsewhere.
On the flip side, successful businesses know just how vital a great-looking sign is. Notice how all the big-box companies have big signs: IKEA, Staples, Best Buy. McDonald’s reports that they spend an average of $40,000 per store on signage. That means that they have well over $1 billion invested in signs. It sounds like a big investment until you discover that they claim a return on signage of $600,000 per year per store!
Consistently, studies reveal that retail customers are drawn far more by the store’s sign than newspapers, radio and television combined. Meanwhile, signage proves to be the least expesive marketing investment you can make. Taken as a cost per 1000 viewings, a sign lasting seven years will cost about 25 cents. Meanwhile, television woudl cost about $13.00 per 1000 viewers. And yet, studies of those retail customers show that 45% were drawn by the sign, where only 1% were drawn by a television ad.
So when making that all-important sign investment, remember that your sign dollars will become the most important marketing investment you can make.