Blog
Facilities
Channel Letters: The Innovation Your Business Is Missing
You run a small business and have tried everything to make your store more visible to your customers and the larger community. You sell an excellent product, have loyal customers, and have a great reputation, but it is not enough. To grow your business, try increasing your storefront’s visibility using channel letters. Channel letters may not be a new innovation, but they are an important one many businesses are missing. Choosing not to publicly advertise your business can lead to a loss in sales revenue. Here are three reasons why channel letters are so important to gaining new customers and retaining the ones you have. Word-of-Mouth Means Nothing If Customers Can't Find You Every business owner knows the power of word-of-mouth marketing. It is very effective in creating loyal customers that you might not have otherwise. If a customer is very satisfied with their shopping experience, they will tell everyone. If you do not have the means to market or advertise your business outside your town or city, word-of-mouth is essential to bringing in new customers from the next city or province over. However, even if you have a great rapport with customers all over the GTA, for instance, this rapport will not translate into increased sales is they cannot locate your store. Channel letters are essential for customers to find your business. If you are located on a busy street, customers may not be able to read all the store signs while driving the speed limit. Having your store promoted in large letters is therefore necessary if you want potential customers to find you. If they cannot, they will go to your closest competitor. Channel Letters Look Great At Night Channel letters are a great way to advertise at night for free. When customers are driving by, your channel letters will reflect against their headlights. Your storefront will be lit up all the way down the block as the cars pass by. If you were to have a different store sign, like one made of wood or metal, it would not have the same reflective properties as channel letters, especially if it is painted. Only channel letters can ensure that visitors and customers can see your business at nighttime. Your store will become a “landmark” to them, especially if your competitors do not have channel letters of their own. As the local neighborhood “landmark,” your store will instantaneously become a popular meeting place for potential customers out at night, like joggers, drivers, and dog walkers. The more likely a prospective customer can see your store at night, the more likely they will return during daytime hours if they want to shop with you. However, if you do not install channel letters, you might miss out on this amazing opportunity to grow your sales and gain new customers. Channel Letters Boost Brand Appeal Even if your competitors or other local businesses have channel letters, you will still benefit from installing some of your own. Whether during the day or night, channel letters will make your store more visible to everyone walking or driving by. This visibility, combined with your business’s quality of service and the goods and services you offer, will ensure that you gain new customers who might not have otherwise known of your store’s existence or location....
read moreImprove Your Sign Design with a Great Logo
No matter what business you are in, the size of your store, or how many years you have been operating, your logo is more than just a representative picture of your business. It is a symbol of everything you and your business represent, and has the ability to elevate your business to symbolize your entire industry, if done right. Like Apple Computers’ half-eaten apple decal, your logo should be a symbol for your industry. Here are five great steps to creating a timeless and appealing logo for great sign design. Keep Your Sign Design Simple Since customers will only glance at your logo or a few seconds, you need to make each and every second count. If your customers are confused when looking at your logo, you will need to improve your sign design. Simple logos are easier to recognize and remember, two customer reactions that will help ensure they keep coming back to your store year after year. Your Logo Should be Versatile If your logo is too narrowly focused, it may harm your future attempts at expanding your business. If, for instance, you own a plumbing supply store but you want to expand and offer everyday household products as well, a logo that looks like a leaky pipe will no longer be representative of your business. If your logo however, was a smiling anthropomorphic house, customers would know your store specializes in household goods of all kinds. Make sure your logo is representative of your business and avoid unnecessary sign design renovations. Look at Your Competition's Sign Design Visit your competitors’ business and put yourself in the mindset of a customer. Ask yourself if you can understand their sign design, and whether it is objectively better than yours. If it is, you will need to make some alterations to ensure customers are able to have the same experience you did, but at your store. Take notes of businesses that you are not in competition with, and learn from their successes and mistakes as well. Every mistake is a lesson in disguise that you can apply to your own business. Consider Whether an Abstract Logo Is Better Sometimes, businesses have sign designs and logos that do not directly correlate with the goods and services they offer. After all, the Starbucks mermaid has nothing to do with coffee. And yet, this logo is effective because it is abstract and easy to remember. Every other coffee company has a logo with a mug on it, or coffee beans, or some other coffee-related item. Starbucks, however, has separated themselves from their competition with their unique logo, and become a recognizable leader in the coffee retail industry. Maybe your logo would benefit too if it was more abstract, like Starbucks’ is. Analyze Your Business, Not Your Customers Your customer demographics will change over time. This happens to most businesses. It may be a gradual process, or it may be very quick. Ultimately, your customer base today may not be a representative sample of your customer base in ten years. If your own a shoe store and the majority of your customers are children, it may not be worthwhile replacing your logo with a child-friendly icon if, in ten years, you find more adults shop at your store than children. Having a logo...
read moreSignage Is the Key to a Great Shopping Experience
The first impression new customers get of your store, beyond seeing your online profile or website, is the signage. Imperfect or damaged signage can instantly ruin their shopping experience, and can lose you a loyal customer. This is why it is important to make sure your signage looks great all year round, no matter what you sell. A loyal customer can have great financial implications for your business. Even if you own a dollar store, for instance, a loyal customer that purchases multiple items several days of the week can be a better asset than a customer that comes in once or twice a month on the way back home from Walmart. This is why a great shopping experience matters, and why your signage is very important. Your Signage Informs Customers After looking at your signage for a few seconds, customers and visitors should be able to understand your business and what goods and services you are offering. If they cannot do this, you need to update your signage. You may need to move your signs to a more visible location so customers with poor eyesight can see them. You may need to add additional information to your signage like a better and more informative slogan or logo. You may need to add a website so customers can research your business more thoroughly and visit in the future. Therefore, the first step to creating great signage is to make sure it is informative and educational for your in-store visitors and customers. Maintain Your Signage's Appearance An informative sign that tells your customers what they need to know about your business is an important first step, but it is not the last one. Your signage can be very informative but, if it looks bad, your customers may not think you value your business, or them, enough to care. If your signs are looking old and the paint is peeling, or there is structural damage like worn edges and patched holes, you should consider replacing your signage. Your signage is a customer’s first impression of your business. If it looks shoddy, they will feel your business is the same and you may lose sales to your competitors. Update Your Look Every Few Years Your signage may look great but, if it is not timeless, it will look outdated and boring after a few years. Updating your signage will grab your customers’ attention as they see the changes you have made to modernize your business. This can be a simple design change like a new border, or an updated logo, or even new colors that are in fashion now. There is no right way or wrong way to update and modernize your signage, but it is an important step to ensure your customers continue to enjoy their shopping experience with you. Network with Great Signage After owning and operating a business, you tend to view the customer experience differently than before. You are more aware of the passion each owner infuses in their business, and the difficulties of each and every challenge they undertake, because you have experienced them as well. Signage is no different. When you update your signage and show customers just how much you care for them, your business allies and competitors take notice as well. Even if you...
read moreCustomers Will Love Your Signs This St. Valentine’s Day
Love is in the air and it is infectious. From person to person, and between loved ones and their families, St. Valentine’s Day is a time to cherish those who are close to us. Small businesses run and operate like a large family, as customers and the staff form lifelong connections. Show your love for your customers this St. Valentine’s Day by replacing your aged and outdated signs. They will appreciate the efforts, especially when shopping for gifts for their spouses. Here, in more detail, are four reasons why your customers will love your updated signs this St. Valentine’s Day. A Constant Commitment to Your Business When customers shop at their favorite stores, especially when these new businesses are just starting out, they feel a personal connection to the staff there. You and your customers are truly like family, helping each other achieve your goals together. After all, they could easily go to a competitor instead, if they chose to. Instead, they shop at your store because they value you and your business, and they want to keep shopping with you. Return the love this St. Valentine’s Day and show your customers some love with updated signs to mark the occasion. A Cost-Effective Way to Say Thank You Updating your signs does not have to be an expensive affair. The cost of updating or renovating a sign depends on many factors like the type of sign, its size, and the type of renovation you want. Obviously, completely replacing your signs will cost more than re-painting your existing signs. In this instance, the cost will depend on your plans for your signs. However, you do not need to completely update your signs for customers to notice them. As long as your signs are not structurally damaged in any way, a fresh coat of paint or gloss can make them look just like new! This is a great option for small businesses that do not typically have large advertising or renovation budgets but still want their customers to know they are appreciated. Ensure Your Signs Can Be Seen This is probably the most important point when determining how effective your signs will be at attracting your customers’ attention. Your sign may look fabulous but no one will know if it is located in a dark corner of your store or under an awning outside your store. Your signs must be placed in a visible area where they are not competing with other objects for customers’ attention. This is key, because you may have great signs but, unless customers’ can see them, they will not know just how great they are. The Added Benefit of St. Valentine's Day St. Valentine’s Day may be the Holiday of Love, but it is just one of many holidays your customers will experience throughout the year. In the weeks leading up to any holiday, businesses experience increased sales revenue as a result. Customers want to buy your goods and services to mark the occasion, and will flock to your store to do so. Renovating your signs in the beginning of the year also ensures they are looking their best throughout the year. You will no longer have to worry about their appearance in the Spring, Summer, or Fall seasons. To increase the “wow” factor customers experience...
read moreTwo Reasons Neon Pylon Signs Will Brighten Your Winter
Winter has arrived and, as the days grow colder and the night becomes darker earlier, the city lights glow brightly. If you do not have a neon pylon sign advertising your store to your local community, you are wasting a precious advantage that other businesses are using to their fullest benefit. Pylon signs are a great way to advertise during the winter and year-round. Not just useful for their presence and visibility, pylon signs are affordable and provide a great means to advertise your business. In more detail, here are two great reasons to purchase and install a neon pylon sign today. The Advertising Benefits Winter Brings If you own or operate a small business during the wintertime, you will greatly benefit from purchasing and installing a pylon sign. Firstly, pylon signs have a tremendously positive effect on advertising because the days become darker quicker. This is a great way to advertise in a competitive market, especially if your competitors do not own pylon signs of their own. Your signs will now shine bright over twelve hours at a time, advertising your business and location to many potential pedestrians and drivers going by. Secondly, pylon signs specifically offer advertising benefits.. If your pylon sign is neon, you can keep it powered on for years, or keep it on intermittently to extend its life. Even if you only turn your neon pylon sign on when it gets dark outside, it is a great way to advertise in the dim conditions. Pylon signs also help people like joggers and drivers navigate at night. Every light source matters and is memorable when exercising or working in the dark. The brightness of neon signage will not only serve as a direction marker and landmark to potential visitors and customers, but it will also help advertise, even if through word-of-mouth. You may find new customers who heard of your store due to the benefit it had for their family and friends driving by. Visibility is key to making a positive lasting impression on customers and pylon signs get them in the door. Pylon Signs Are Versatile, Just Like the Changing Weather Neon pylon signs are very versatile and can be useful year-round, not just in the wintertime. They can be useful for a variety of businesses, regardless of your needs. They last for years, are very bright and capable of grabbing customers’ attention, and can be ordered in an array of colors. You can even change the neon light tubes to reflect current and future events. You could change the colors to white and blue for Hanukkah, red and green for Christmas, or red and white for Canada Day. Since they do not need to be maintained much, neon pylon signs are perfect for small business owners and operators who are very busy running their company. Pylon signs’ size and shape are also a great benefit to their versatility. They range in shape and size from large to enormous, and can span your storefront or parking lot, bathing the street in their glow at all hours of the night. Night-time drivers will certainly appreciate and remember your store. When these lucky drivers talk to their families and friends about their routes, they will mention your store. You may find a customer in your store...
read moreFour Ways to Improve Your Signage Today!
Signage is a very important renovation you can make to your small business. It is also one of the most affordable. Having a pristine and beautiful outdoor sign will do wonders for your advertising and sales potential. Whether you use them in all sorts of weather conditions, or only during the busiest sales seasons of the year, outdoor signs are very helpful when used efficiently. There are several things you must do to use your signage effectively: you need to maintain its appearance, use traditionally acceptable fonts and formats, make it customer-friendly and accessible, and update it every few years. In greater detail, here are these four ways to improve your outdoor signage for your small business. Maintain its Appearance Simply ordering outdoor signage and installing it is not enough. You must maintain it as well, and replace it when needed. If paint is starting to peel, it needs a fresh coat. If your signage is out-dated, it needs to be updated. Maintaining your outdoor signage is vital to maximizing its effectiveness in improving the impression your business has in the community. Think in the Long-Term New trends may be the boon of the advertising industry but they do little to help established businesses that use traditional signage. To get the most value from your outdoor signage and not have to change them every time a fad does, think long-term. Use classic styles that will withstand change so you only need to replace your signage when you want to, instead of being forced to. New trends are pervasive and may not be distinguishable yet from established ones. As such, it is better to keep your outdoor signage simple for maximum effectiveness. Use solid colors, simple fonts that are easy to read, and simple shapes like rectangles and circles. May your signage as appealing as possible to as many people as possible. Unless you can pinpoint a specific demographic as your customer base, you need to appeal to the masses. Spend Money to Make Money Depending on the location of your business, the weather may or may not adversely affect it. Harsh weather conditions like the rain can make latex paint bubble or and strong sunlight can bleach your signs. Sooner or later, you will need to replace your outdoor signage. You should replace or upgrade deteriorating outdoor signage before your customers notice. Once they do and bring it to your attention, it is too late. Your customers may have already formed the impression you do not notice the little defects about your business that they do. This can lower your standing and it gives the impression you do not care enough about your business to fix it. Get a head start and fix issues like this before they occur. Pictures Speak Louder than Words A customer is a customer is a customer. You have probably heard this phrase before. With increasing immigration occurring every day and customers getting older, it is important to understand that your business is successful because it serves a local or national need. However, if potential customers cannot read your outdoor signage, you need to accommodate them if you want to make sales. Inserting a picture or logo on your outdoor signs can be very helpful to in-store visitors and potential customers who, for whatever...
read moreWinter: The Best Time to Update Your Storefront Sign
As a small business owner and operator, you care greatly about your professional profile and reputation. Your standing in the community means a lot and can influence your sales and revenue streams year-round. One of the best, simplest ways to increase and improve the impressions customers and visitors have regarding your business is to renovate with new storefront signs. Small renovations, like replacing your storefront signs, can have a huge positive effect. Strategically, the best time to renovate is during the winter, when people’s shopping patterns depend greatly on the weather conditions. Ordering new storefront signs this winter will ensure your business increases its local visibility to pedestrians on the street, and your customers when they visit your store. Storefront Signs Increase Visibility Depending on where you live in Ontario, the weather outside is either mild or intense. No matter whether you are waiting for the snow to fall, or waiting for it to go away, it is well-known that the weather influences individuals’ shopping patterns. For instance, more ice cream is sold during the summer, and more coats are sold during the fall and winter. Regardless of your inventory, you will need to compensate for the changing shopping patterns, as long as you are operating your small business in the winter. You may experience a slight decrease in revenue and sales until the holiday season picks up again before St. Valentine’s Day, and storefront signs are a great way to do just that. Storefront signs, whether placed prominently in your display window, above the door, or hanging on the wall serve several purposes, which can increase sales. Firstly, they are a great way to increase the ability for visitors and customers to see your store. This is a basic necessity that many small businesses do not fulfill. Having an old, scratched storefront sign, with peeling paint, will off-put a potential customer because they will feel you are not committed to your business’s vitality and do not care about your customers. Secondly, a new storefront sign, especially during a slower season, is a great way to improve your local profile and increase the possibility of sales. You can test the effectiveness of such small renovations like signage without potentially sacrificing your customer base. If your storefront sign does not attract new and old customers, you can always change it before the spring starts. More Attentive Customers Due to the weather, your customer base will be more attentive when they visit your store during the slow winter season, unless you operate a winter-themed business. Smaller crowds and a quieter atmosphere will allow your customers to relax and really experience everything your store has to offer, including your new storefront signs. Any changes or renovations you make during slower sales periods will be recognized more, which is great for getting feedback from customers. Since the bulk of your annual revenue is not at stake until your sales increase during the spring or summer, you can afford to make your mistakes now. Using their feedback, you can continually make improvements to your store, which can increase your profile dramatically if done right. For instance, if you run a coffee shop, you can purchase small indoor storefront signs that advertise an “unofficial” customer favorite, add new suggestions to the official menu, or name...
read moreWinter Is Coming: Three Reasons to Renovate Your Signs Before Summer
Signs can get damaged over time due to weather conditions. The winter can be a challenging time for most customers to visit your store. There are many weather conditions that can inconvenience your customers, and they may delay or skip purchasing your items for a closer competitor. Bad weather, cold snaps, and spending their vacation time with family, all consume their time. However, wintertime can be one of the best times during the year to improve your store. Renovations, no matter how small, will be worth their price when the spring and summer come, even if you just update your store’s signs. Here are three reasons why. Renovation Is a Long-Term Process Anyone who has done or supervised renovations in the past knows they are not short-term processes. Updating your signs, a room, or your entire store, is a long process that may take years to realize to perfection. As a small business owner, you also know it is best to make small renovations at a time, to avoid negatively affecting your business and revenue, instead of closing your store for weeks or months and renovating the entire store at once. A great renovation to start with, or even redo, no matter where you are in the renovation process, is your signage. Your signs are a small, yet important, part of your business that gets daily exposure from visitors and customers. Renovate them today and reap the rewards and benefits for years to come. It's Easier to Renovate Signs with Smaller Crowds Besides the winter holiday shopping season and New Year, most people do not have a reason to go gift shopping unless a birthday, a friend’s party, or Valentine’s Day comes up. As a small business owner and operator, you are probably used to this dip in projected revenue by now, as your sales come from your most dedicated customers until the spring. However, this quiet shopping season also provides much opportunity to plan for the year ahead. Use this quieter time when your store is not as busy to renovate, starting with your store signs. Once the summer comes, you may not have the time or ability to plan and coordinate any minor or major renovations. Signs are a great renovation to make in the wintertime, and their value lasts for years to come. It is also much easier to hang signs when you have fewer visitors and customers, which reduces the chance of injury or accident when hanging them. Once the spring and summer come, your customer base will be pleased to see all the hard work and dedication you have invested in your store. Over-prepare for Success The winter is the best time to renovate your store because the weather is harsher and more demanding. This may seem counter intuitive but, if your renovations can last the winter, they can definitely last year round. This may not be accurate the other way around. Even a renovation as simple and affordable as replacing your store signs can be much more challenging in the summertime, where crowds make installation more difficult than it needs to be, and the weather conditions may ruin your signs when it becomes colder. Signs must be done correctly and be durable because they are one of the first impressions customers will have...
read moreThree Ways to Improve Your Outdoor Signs and Stand Out
Almost every business in operation has outdoor signs. However, not every business owner knows how to capitalize on their storefront signage as fully as possibly, resulting in the possibility of lost future sales potential. Here are three ways to take advantage of your outdoor signs and attract more customers to your business. Place Your Outdoor Signs in Well-Lit Areas This is a no-brainer. Your outdoor signs should be placed in a well-lit area so customers can see your business advertising. However, this is not good just for the night-time, as many business owners believe. There may be times during the day when customers have visibility issues with your outdoor signs. If your business is located in an area that gets foggy or humid weather, customers and pedestrians may have trouble seeing your outdoor signs. Other issues to consider are street events, attractions, and construction. If your signage is blocked, customers will not see it and you will lose potential business. However, such intrusive activities are unlikely to cause you issues if your sign is well-lit, due to public safety ordinances. If an event organizer, for instance, blocks out streetlights for a parade and someone gets hurt because they could not see where they were walking and walked into a wall, that is the fault of the event organizer if the accident is linked to the blocked streetlight. While this is an exaggerated example, increase your sales potential and customer base by placing your outdoor signs in well-lit areas. Renovate Your Signs Whenever Necessary Understanding that your outdoor signs are customers’ first impressions of your business is not enough. If an issue arises with your signage, whether structural or cosmetic, you should fix it as soon as possible. Not doing so will signal to pedestrians that you do not care about your professional image, or their business. In addition, your outdoor signs should change with the current trends to attract customers. Trends are not just based on popular culture though. If you change your business in some way, for instance transforming a sports pub into a fine dining establishment, your outdoor signs need to reflect your change in business strategy. Not doing so will deceive customers, even if it is an honest mistake, and you may lose current customers. As well, potential customers interested in fine dining may not know to eat at your restaurant because they think it is still a sports pub. Your signage reflects your business identity and it must be accurate if your business is to gain new customers and increase sales revenue. A Unique Outdoor Sign Draws Attention Having unique outdoor signs will help you stand out from your competition and attract customers, as long as you are careful not to go beyond the stylistic boundaries of your signage. Returning to the food industry, if you own a bakery that sells cakes in the shape of children’s toys, an outdoor sign in the shape of a racing car cake is a good idea to attract customers. However, a 3-dimensional racing car cake sign in the middle of the street is not, because it will impede pedestrian traffic and people can get hurt if they walk into it. This is a tort lawsuit waiting to happen, and bakeries already have enough tortes to worry about (pun...
read moreTop Four Reasons Neon Signs Are Great for Day Owls Too
While neon signs are great for night owls, they are also incredibly beneficial to day owls and businesses during the day as well. It might seem counter-intuitive to run your neon sign during daylight hours but you will derive many benefits from doing so. Here are the top four reasons why neon signs are great for businesses with daytime operating hours. An Essential Nostalgic Piece of Americana The neon sign is a classic staple of the 1980s club, complete with a brick wall behind it. Not just an iconic image in the bar and comedy scene anymore, neon signs can be found anywhere and are essential for their nostalgic factor. Your customers will love entering your store and reliving precious memories, associating your stores and wares with them. Neon signs are still very popular in, but not confined to, service industries because of their practical use and nature. Neon signs are cheap to run, last a long time, and a simple design that oozes utility and beauty in one package. When deciding on a store sign design, choose a neon sign and stand out from your competition. Neon Signs Benefit the Visually-Impaired Not all of your customers have perfect eyesight, but not all are blind either. Many customers, depending on their genetics and age, will have varying eyesight impediments that may impact whether or not they see your signs. With a brightly-shining neon sign, you can rest assured customers that are visually impaired can still see your sign and take advantage of your sales or in-store promotions. As well, you will be able to gain new customers that might not have otherwise shopped at your store. Happy customers become loyal, lifelong customers. Doing everything you can to make your customers’ shopping experiences more satisfying goes a long way, and your sales will increase as a result. Even if you prefer traditional signage, having one neon sign at your storefront will allow you and your customers to reap the benefits of it. A Great Way to Advertise and Inform Neon signs are not just a pretty medium to advertise your business to customers. They also serve to inform them of your business before they enter your store. Usually, business owners will incorporate their logo or a related image into their neon sign, and create an iconic sign in the process. “Vegas Vic,” for instance, the large neon sign in the shape of a cowboy outside the Pioneer Club in Las Vegas, is an iconic sign that advertises as well as informs pedestrians who see it. Even if you did not know the Pioneer Club was a casino, imagining a neon cowboy sign will remind you of Las Vegas. This is effective and informative advertising using neon signage. Your business should do likewise. Implement this strategy with your own neon sign. If you own a bookstore, for example, you could order a neon sign in the shape of a book, closed or splayed open, and situate your company name inside it. Even if your name is not related to books, like “Donovan’s,” your customers will remember the neon book sign and instantly recall what your store sold. Great for Low-Visibility Weather Even during the day, weather is not always optimal. Mornings can be foggy, the humidity might affect your far-sightedness, and...
read more