Sigh. What About Signage?
I've invested a good chunk of my time on the importance of signage to small business owners. Eight months on writing a book, and nine more months on developing a website. I'm invested in this, which is why you've gotten to read a multitude of posts from me on the subject.
One feature in both book & website is the idea that a well-designed, well-constructed sign is a fantastic marketing device for a business. A sign should not be some afterthought - a random appendage thrown together at the last minute.
Recently I read an article titled "Good Marketing Begins After Sale is Made," which holds out the thought that effective marketing should be about repeating a consistent message, "from the way your receptionist answers the phone to what your business card looks like," and that, "in these difficult economic times, we must be communicating on every front."
Which I agree with, wholeheartedly. I held out a glimmer of hope that its author would also touch upon signage as yet another marketing channel where a company's message could be emphasized to potential consumers.
Sigh. He did not.
Instead, I will say it here again: signs work for a business every hour of every day, and that, for most retail and service operations, it's a more cost-effective means of marketing than TV, radio, Yellow Pages, or print. It is a space as geometric as any 1/4 page ad, and requires the need for a concise expression of a business message as important as any radio script or website home page.
It is part of the marketing mix, and I'll keep harping on that until it becomes a common feature in articles on small business marketing.
One feature in both book & website is the idea that a well-designed, well-constructed sign is a fantastic marketing device for a business. A sign should not be some afterthought - a random appendage thrown together at the last minute.
Recently I read an article titled "Good Marketing Begins After Sale is Made," which holds out the thought that effective marketing should be about repeating a consistent message, "from the way your receptionist answers the phone to what your business card looks like," and that, "in these difficult economic times, we must be communicating on every front."
Which I agree with, wholeheartedly. I held out a glimmer of hope that its author would also touch upon signage as yet another marketing channel where a company's message could be emphasized to potential consumers.
Sigh. He did not.
Instead, I will say it here again: signs work for a business every hour of every day, and that, for most retail and service operations, it's a more cost-effective means of marketing than TV, radio, Yellow Pages, or print. It is a space as geometric as any 1/4 page ad, and requires the need for a concise expression of a business message as important as any radio script or website home page.
It is part of the marketing mix, and I'll keep harping on that until it becomes a common feature in articles on small business marketing.
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