What your Signs Say About You Behind Your Back

We all know the purpose of signs, right? To tell people a message – to perhaps point them towards a point of interest. That is the purpose and when done well, that is exactly what they do as one of the most cost effective marketing methods.

However, there are times when your sign may not be saying what you think it does – here is how you can test what your signs say to your customers.

(Bad) Sign Language

Of course, the most commonly shared signs on social media are those which have obvious mistakes. On the lighter side, mixing up their, there and they’re will likely not affect you too badly, a misspelled word, an innuendo or an unfortunate typo can cause you to go “bad-viral” which is when your signs are pointed at for their (or is that there?) mistake! It can be embarrassing and even cause offense where none was intended. Be sure to check and double-check your draft before giving the final go ahead for printing and avoid any of these issues.

Dirty Signs

At best, the customer might just think that the sign is old and possibly not applicable any more (still not good), but at worst, it might give the impression that you do not care, that you lack attention to detail or even that the store has closed down. Make sure your signs are washable and ensure you clean them regularly to avoid any misunderstanding or bad impressions being inferred.

Broken and Torn Signs

These can often give the worst impression. For a start, they are unlikely to be noticed in a positive way. In addition, it gives a subconscious signal to your customers that quality is not very important to your business – a quality focused business would surely have durable signs or replace damaged ones. The solution is to ensure you buy quality products which are suitable for their purpose and location.

Good Humor or Just not Funny

If you are planning to have a humorous sign or display a message to make people smile, ensure that it actually is humorous. Not everyone has as good (or as bad) a sense of humor as you do. Check with other people and get their opinion. Make sure the joke is not too cryptic and be sure that you are happy to see that joke displayed every day for the foreseeable future. If you think you may tire of the joke, then perhaps it isn’t as funny as it needs to be.

At Colorado Canopies…

We know good signs. If you need to replace dirty, damaged or broken signs, ask us about durable replacements that will last. If you want an opinion on your sign design, ask us. And of course, if you want to test a joke on us, we are open to that too and our service always comes with a smile – even if it is not funny!