Your clients and potential clients also have another advertising option available now. That is Pay Per Click search engine advertising. This newer media has some important qualities vs. other media. For example, the advertisement impressions are displayed in a unique context. Only someone who has searched on a given set of keywords will see the ad, so a higher percentage of the ad impressions have the potential to become clients.

TWO PAY PER CLICK SELLING POINTS

Here are the two primary pay per click selling points. First, people who search on a specific set of keywords tend to have something in mind. Though some people will conduct an internet query out of curiosity alone, most will search because they have something in mind. It is a compelling argument for search engine (Pay Per Click, or “PPC”) advertising. Second, the ad is shown only to people who have searched on those keywords, so the display of the ad is “selective.”

So how does signage (and signage impressions) compare? Here is an important point to consider: while pay per click searchers often have something in mind, there is also the quality of the search ad impression. How does a channel letter sign advertising impression compare to a Pay Per Click impression?

HOW DOES SIGNAGE COMPARE TO PAY PER CLICK?

Here is the critical difference: signage advertising impressions give the consumer the information they need to take action right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but right now.

For example, upon viewing a Home Depot channel letter sign, she may say to herself “I need to pick up that paint anyway. May as well do it now.”

A Pay Per Click ad impression does not have that ability. The information provided is targeted and actionable, yes, but not actionable right now. The pay per click impression may put you on the prospect’s list of potential vendors, but it is inferior to signage in the sense that immediate action is not possible. That is a critical advantage for signage advertising impressions. The viewer of an online pay per click ad may be 10 miles away from the business, but the viewer of a sign is in immediate purchasing proximity. That is a critical signage selling advantage.

SIGNAGE HAS A CRITICAL ADVANTAGE

So the “right now” nature of signage advertising impressions is an important selling point for you to emphasize. Signage is the only media that offers that critical advantage, and it does it with a far lower cost per impression. This is particularly true for impulse purchases, but is true for other business types as well.

So don’t let the local Pay Per Click argument get in the way of your excellent signage sales presentation. Your sign still has some important advantages. Both on a cost per thousand impression basis (CPM) or on a “consumer proximity” selling point. It works.

Those elements were:

* Keep it Simple

* Broadcast Your Biggest Benefit

* Customize Your Proposal

* Be Specific

* Put Emotion into Your Proposal

We received a post comment asking for an actual proposal that incorporates these important sales elements. Here it is – thumbnails of that proposal for channel letters is shown below, and you can also download a full size PDF file by clicking on the link below the page image.

Note the proposal includes all 5 of these selling points. Page 1 quickly broadcasts the primary signage benefit – more sales. Page 2 includes brief copy on the customer’s project objectives, and also small snapshots of your proposed sign installations. Page 3 touches on the main emotional benefit the client is seeking – greater business saleability in the future.

Click here to get a PDF of the entire proposal

We see too many signage sales proposals that are too factual, and do not include enough selling material. They look more like schematic diagrams than sales proposals.

Remember that your channel letter sign proposal needs to keep on selling after you have left the prospect’s location. You know that the prospect is typically reviewing multiple signage proposals, and incorporating these points can help to differentiate yours from the competition.

If your sign quotations tend to be on the higher priced side, one helpful selling point that can help is product (sign) quality. There are substantial quality differences among channel letter producers, as we discussed in our December 2011 post. Other signage types have quality differences as well – be sure to highlight specifically why your product is better.

Also, if your proposal includes a specific illumination configuration, be sure to state the rationale and advantages that will result. For example, here is an excellent post from Signdealz discussing why they used LED on a specific project:

LED illumination post – Signdealz

Use these good selling points to close more signage sales. If your competition sticks to the normal boilerplate schematic “this is how it will look” proposal, then your sales-oriented proposal will have a leg up and you will close more sales.

Maybe it was your pricing. Or maybe the customer already had a working relationship with another sign company. Or maybe the customer felt another signage vendor had more experience with their particular type of project.

That is a long list of maybes – but there is one more. You may have been outsold. Another sign company simply did a more effective job of selling their proposal.

So what can you do to make your signage sales proposal more effective?

Follow these 5 steps. Then you’ll close more proposals and increase your sales and cash flow. We’ll use a channel letter sign proposal as an example.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Make the purchase decision easy for your customer. How can you do that? By asking your customer to make only one decision.

Do not separate your channel letter proposal into different parts, each requiring a separate approval/signature. Why make separate proposals for the outdoor channel letters, indoor letters and also street signs? That is far too many decisions for your customer to make at once, and can seem overwhelming. It can lead to “I’ll think about it” instead of a signed contract.

Far better to combine the entire signage set into one package. Make your client’s entire decision an easy yes or no.

BROADCAST YOUR BIGGEST BENEFIT – LOUD AND PROUD

What is the most important single benefit of professional channel letter signs? MORE SALES. That is it. Not greater exposure, not top of mind awareness, not more impressions, not more foot traffic, not consistent branding and not more visibility. Those are all good secondary benefits, but they all come back to one primary result: more sales.

Isn’t that beautifully simple? Your proposal and presentation should always come back to that essential point. Whether your client is selling a product or service, higher sales are the critical benefit. Headline that across your title page and proposal – make no secret of the fact that your sign(s) will result in increased revenue.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROPOSAL

Let your client know you have listened to their individual needs. You know that a fast food restaurant proposal will be different than a proposal for a fine dining sit-down restaurant.

For example, your client may have mentioned to you that her business is heavily oriented to impulse purchases. Your customized proposal shows that you are fully aware of that, and have designed the signage package with that fact in mind. The sign locations, design, illumination and placement are all geared to a specific impulse business – hers.

BE SPECIFIC

Which of the two following sales arguments do you find more convincing?

1. This sign package will increase your sales.

2. Clients for whom we have installed similar sign packages in the past have experienced sales increases over 14%.

Obviously, argument #2 is best. Your client can easily visualize what a 14% sales jump will mean for their profit. That puts teeth into your proposal. You obviously can’t guarantee that your signs will result in that increase, but they can certainly help. Check our January 2011 post for more ideas on the economic value of new and additional signs.

PUT EMOTION INTO YOUR PROPOSAL

An old adage in the direct marketing business is that people buy things emotionally, and then justify them logically. What emotional rewards will your client receive from your channel letter package?

How about:

Peace of Mind – this is a huge emotional benefit for a typical business owner. How many owners stay awake at night from the stress of owning a business? Much of that stress comes from worrying about meeting payroll and paying bills. Higher and more consistent cash flow improve a business owner’s life dramatically.

Financial Independence – Another emotional benefit that comes from consistent cash flow and increased profit. How many owners are unwillingly married to their businesses? Your proposal is the one of the keys to ending that marriage – and speeding the owner to financial independence.

Greater Business Marketability  – Another feature you can help make possible – the ability for an owner to sell their business when the time comes. You know what makes that possible – consistent cash flow and high profitability. That comes from your signs.

Those are just a handful of the emotional benefits your signage package can offer. Which others can you visualize for a successful business owner?

Follow these 5 steps to an effective signage proposal, and close more sales.

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As a signage professional, you need to know the basics about the most common colors and their associations. Why? Because choosing the correct color(s) can have a substantial effect on your client’s sign effectiveness. Subsequently, that will affect the number of future sign referrals your client will send back to you. Your client’s sign effectiveness is too important to leave to chance.

And we don’t mean the simple color issues, like making the sign have good contrast to the client’s substrate. We mean the common psychological associations with basic sign colors, and how you can use that knowledge to help your clients with a more effective logo and sign. These principles carry over to all types of signage – not only channel letters.

Here are the basic color spectrum chart, and then a table listing some basic colors and their associations:

Color	Associations	Example Businesses
Blue	Overwhelming “favorite color” Not gender specific – appeals to both men and women Associated with calmness and stability Lower color wavelength – not good for signs targeting older adults – see our March 2011 post	Banks, financial companies, hospitals, insurance companies, retailers, medical, government
Green	Second only to blue as favorite color Associated with freshness, youth and purity Center of the visible color spectrum – “the color of balance” Insinuates presence of natural water	Garden stores, Nurseries, Spa, Lawn care products, Real estate, Grocery/food store, Construction, Golf
Red	Exciting active color – powerful Excellent for generating attention – a “grabber” color Associated with action and confidence Highest wavelength of any color Appears closer than it is – benefits signage in that respect	Warning signs, restaurants featuring meat dishes, fitness center, gym
Brown	Associated with stability, reliability and utility Connection with the earth “Solid” color	Legal practice, trail markers and directories, state parks, campgrounds
White	Total reflection Associated with purity, cleanliness and hygiene Heightened perception of space	Pharmaceutical companies, Financial companies

So, if your client is re-designing their steakhouse channel letters, which colors should they use? Clearly, red should be incorporated into the design even if it is not the primary sign color.

Outback Steakhouse - Note use of Red

With a common sign type like channel letters, it is too easy to think they are basically all the same. After all, a channel letter sign is just a metal can with illumination installed, right? Pretty much the same product from vendor to vendor.

Wrong.

Don’t be fooled. If you are serious about building a consistently profitable signage business, your signs need to last for years. Particularly electrical signage, which actually has some very real differences from vendor to vendor.

At Direct Sign Wholesale, we believe that a durable and high-performance electrical signage product is one of the keys to your future success as a sign company. Particularly when the sign is a “signature sign” like channel letters – a sign that has a strong day to day visibility presence at your client’s business location.

What is different about our product compared to the competition? Check this table:

When you want to be certain you are purchasing high quality channel letters, here are a few other points to check:

PROJECT SPECIFICATION

Does your vendor match the product specifications to the individual project requirements? For example, some channel letter vendors will use the same aluminum gauge regardless of the letter size. Not so at DSW. Larger letters receive a higher aluminum gauge that is sufficient to reliably handle the sign’s weight load.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE LED

Does your current vendor use constant current or constant voltage LED? You need to check on this one. Vibrant and dependable LED illumination can make or break a channel letter sign. Constant Current LED ensures matched and predictable luminous intensity from each LED module.

Constant Voltage LED can result in the sign’s illumination being unbalanced, and the LED brightness will vary by module. What will your channel letter client think about that? Will she come back to you next year to buy other signs?

LED STROKE DENSITY

Is your vendor installing an adequate number of LED modules to make the sign consistently bright? Another common way to cut corners is to install the absolute minimum concentration of LED strokes to light the sign face “adequately”.

However, does your customer really want a channel letter sign that lights “adequately?” We don’t practice that at Direct Sign Wholesale. We install the number of LED module strokes necessary to make your customer’s channel letters conspicuously and thoroughly bright.

HEAVY DUTY ACRYLIC

Acrylic is all the same, right? No. High quality acrylic is both colorfast and flexible – meaning it will hold its original color and shape for years despite harsh climate conditions, and also have sufficient flexibility to expand and contract as needed in changing climate conditions.  Low quality acrylic can warp and crack when exposed to an environment with substantial temperature fluctuation (like a hot summer followed by a freezing winter.)

At Direct Sign Wholesale, we use 3/16” colorfast acrylic. Some of our competitors use 1/8” imported acrylic. How will your customer’s channel letter sign look when the faces have faded and/or cracked?

ACRYLIC POLYURETHANE PAINT

Did your channel letter return or raceway require a custom paint color? If so, what kind of paint was used? Some of our competitors use latex house paint, which will crack, peel and fade over time. Insist on high grade acrylic polyurethane paint – this is what we use at DSW. That grade of paint will keep your customer’s channel letter sign looking excellent for years, and continue generating future referrals from your customer.

USER FRIENDLY HANGER BAR

Has your customer specified raceway mounting? If so, check to see if your vendor provides a raceway hangar bar, like the one pictured below. A hangar bar makes the channel letter sign installation much simpler. Without one, your installation company will actually have to get inside the raceway for installation, and that can lead to loose wiring (and a more difficult installation.)

Also, what material is used for the raceway and channel letter returns? We use strong, lightweight aluminum. Some other vendors use steel which can rust and is heavier to install.

PRODUCTION PROCESSES

Last, how is your channel letter sign produced? Are the manufacturing techniques consistent, lean and quality controlled? At Direct Sign Wholesale, we use the same procedures and personnel to assemble each sign. Our competition frequently has different personnel using different day to day production techniques, and the channel letter quality varies accordingly. We also do all of our assembly work here in the U.S. at our Colorado production facility – none of our assembly is sub-contracted.

WHAT IS THE POINT?

The point is that we are trying to help you prosper as a professional sign company  for the long run. Channel letters are often your customer’s “signature sign”, meaning their primary, “first look” business sign. Channel letters often make the difference as to whether a prospective customer will patronize a business location or pass it by. It is not the right sign to skimp on. Well-built letters are well worth your client’s time and investment – and will lead to future sales and referrals for you.

The Yellow Pages? Probably not. Many people no longer use that media.

More than likely, you type the business name into a search engine, like Google or Yahoo! Then you find out not only the phone number, but also other information– like a facility photo, customer reviews and other key information. Much more breadth of information than you would have received from a phone book.

So how about using that for your sign business? Whether you have a company web site or not, your business name needs to be visible when someone searches on your business name.

GOOGLE PLACE PAGE

For example, how can you help your business name get listed on the Google results page? Google is the leading search engine, and your business needs to be visible on it.

The answer is to set up a free Google “place page”. This is a cost-free business listing service from Google maps, and you should use it to promote your signage business.

GET YOUR SIGN BUSINESS LISTED – FREE

What are the steps to get this done?

First, search for your business name on Google, and find out if your business already has a places page (even if you have not yet set up your own place page, Google will sometimes set up a default page for you.) Do this by searching on your business name followed by your city or town name, like “Acme Signs Minneapolis.”

If you don’t see a place page listing for your business in the Google search results, then try your business name followed by your zip code, like “Acme Signs 55418.”

If you still don’t see a place page listing, then your business is probably not listed in Google Places and you need to create a new one. If Google has created a default place page for your business, you’ll want to edit it and add more information.

So go to this link and click “Get Started” under “Claim your business listing”: http://www.google.com/places

You’ll need a free Google account to add or edit your place page listing, so create that now if you don’t already have one. Then, go in and input your Google Place information. One tip – when Google wants to verify that you are the business owner by contacting you (either by mail or phone), select phone! The call comes in immediately and speeds along the setup process.

OPTIMIZE YOUR PLACE PAGE LISTING

Then, once you’ve set up your basic page, optimize your Google places listing. Fill in the types of sign products you carry, your business hours, phone number, etc. By the way, if you have both an 800 number and a local phone number (with a local area code prefix), I’d suggest using the local number. That is an additional signal to Google that your business is local.

POST YOUR SIGN PROJECT PHOTOS

Also, if you have photos of completed sign projects, post them! Use this free showcase to show your company capabilities. We have several photos of channel letters on the Direct Sign Wholesale place page, along with some other photos that Google pulled from our blog. You can also add videos.

The description field gives you another opportunity to describe the types of signage you provide, along with your company attributes. For example, you might say here “Dan’s Sign Company provides channel letter signs, monument signs, pole signs and pylon signs. We offer fast service, reasonable prices and professional installation.”

Then publish your place page. Once you do, you’ll see on your page that it is an “owner-verified listing”. That gives your place page more credibility, since anyone viewing it will know that you have gone in and placed your own company information. That is better than the default info that Google will create for you, and the viewer will know the listed information is accurate.

So use this excellent free promotional tool for your sign business. Using this tool does not guarantee your business name will appear on the search results page, but it helps. Put up your business sign on Google places.

This is easily done. It is possible for your client’s sign to have a distinctly different day/night appearance. And the key to that difference is perforated vinyl.

Each channel letter project involving vinyl is actually a “triple handshake” – the letter set’s day/night face color appearance is a function of:

• Illumination color
• Acrylic (letter face) color
• Vinyl color and type

It is this combination that determines the day/night face appearance. Obviously, the letter face’s appearance during the day will be the vinyl color, but the night face appearance can be substantially different.

BLACK DAY APPEARANCE/WHITE APPEARANCE AT NIGHT

Here is an example. Your client wants the letter faces to be black during the day, but white when illuminated at night.

Using this sign component combination:

• White LED
• White acrylic
• Dual-color black perforated vinyl

The channel letters will then have this day/night appearance:

Or, suppose your client would like their letter faces to be white during the day, and red at night. You would need to specify this letter component set:

• Red LED
• Red acrylic
• White perforated vinyl

That would give you this day/night letter appearance:

STANDARD CUT VINYL (NON-PERFORATED)

Standard cut vinyl (or “Graphic Film”, as 3M calls it) also gives you multiple ways to customize your client’s channel letter sign. The vinyl color selection is larger than it is for acrylic. Also, if you have a client that “wants to get as close as possible to this PMS color”, vinyl can help you to meet that client’s color preference. Check our vinyl color chart for details. Also, check the acrylic/vinyl configurations below.

REVEAL AND BORDER CHANNEL LETTER CONFIGURATIONS

Vinyl does not necessarily need to cover the entire letter face. You can further customize your client’s letter set appearance by using a Reveal configuration – that looks like this:

Another possibility is a Border configuration, where the vinyl is applied only to the letter face edge:

So remember your channel letter face colors are not restricted to the standard acrylics palette. A substantial list of vinyl colors are available to change the letter set appearance both during the day and at night. That flexibility can help you please a picky client and make the sign sale.

You may already know the old rule of thumb for calculating sign letter size: 1” of letter height for every 50’ of reading distance. But that equation assumes a controlled reading environment, like an Optician’s office. Signs are not typically situated in such a stable location. It is usually a busier and more chaotic environment, and often the sign will be read from a moving vehicle.

For determining optimum sign letter size, another factor to keep in mind is the aging of the population. Some people’s vision conditions become more acute with age. That decreased level of vision makes it all the more difficult for them to read a sign. Also, the signage environment has never been more competitive and complex than it is today. That means letters that are too small can kill your customer’s sign effectiveness. This applies to all letter types – not just channel letters.

So a better guideline is 1” of letter height for every 25’ of sign reading distance for maximum impact.* Maximum impact means not only easy readership in a busy signage environment – it also means a person who has read the sign has time to react to it and safely pull their vehicle over and drive into your client’s business location. So how do you figure out the “maximum impact” channel letter size when the sign will be typically be read from a moving vehicle?

Here is the professional way. First, get the following data:

* V = Average vehicle speed on the street where the sign will be located (use the speed limit, and change that speed to feet per second using the web site listed below)
* N = Number of words/symbols on your client’s sign
* DT = Decision time (use 4.2 seconds – see below)
* MT = Maneuver time (use 4.0 seconds)

Highway literature typically reports that once a sign has been read, drivers need between 4.2 and 7.0 seconds to make a decision to react to a sign, and an additional 4.0 to 4.5 seconds to safely maneuver their vehicle through traffic and stop (as a rule of thumb, use the lower end of both of these estimates.)

This web site has a free MPH to FPS calculation:
http://www.calculatorpro.com/miles-per-hour-to-feet-per-second-calculator

Here is your formula for the number of seconds necessary to read the sign, react to it and then pull the vehicle over: (N * .33) + DT + MT

For example, a 3 word sign would take a total of 9.19 seconds for an average driver to read the sign, make the decision to react to it and then maneuver their vehicle to stop (.99 + 4.0 + 4.2).

Here is your optimum reading distance formula: FPS * ((N * .33) + DT + MT) = optimum reading distance for maximum sign impact

And here is an example sign scenario:

* 25 MPH speed limit
* 3 sign words (3 words * .33 per word = .99 seconds for average reader to read the sign)

25 MPH speed = 36.67 feet per second (FPS)

Here is the calculation to find the optimum sign channel letters size:

36.67 * ((3 * .33) + 4.2 + 4.0)) = 336.99 feet optimum reading distance

336.99 feet/25 feet per inch of letter height = 13.48 inches letter size

So in this scenario, your client’s sign channel letters need to be about 13.5 inches tall for maximum impact.

Make this calculation a part of your sign sales proposal – you’ll probably be the only one who does. And use it to persuade your client that this is indeed the correct letter size to give his sign maximum impact. He will thank you for that later – and buy more signs from you in the future.

*Charles R. Taylor, Thomas A. Claus and Susan L. Claus, “On-Premise Signs as Storefront Marketing Devices and Systems”, 2005. Pg. 8.2.

The answer is to cover your bases in advance. This post outlines some smart steps to help speed your permit application approval.

FULL DISCLOSURE: This post does not necessarily cover all of the items needed to obtain a sign permit in your operating area. Different areas have different requirements, and either more or less information may be needed. Also, this post uses a wall mounted channel letter sign as an example – other sign types may have more or fewer permit requirements.

CHECK THE PROPERTY OWNER’S REQUIREMENTS

So, the city says your channel letter sign is fine as it is? Terrific. But what about the property owner? They may have a differing requirement. It is imperative to get any and all property owner sign requirements prior to approaching the city for a permit.

The smart strategy is to take your detailed diagram of what you have in mind and show it to the owner. Show them your details, colors, specifications, everything. If they approve of what you have in mind, then get a signed letter stating that they have reviewed your sign’s design and are OK with it. Some cities are now requiring a copy of this letter prior to reviewing a sign permit application.

Another item to find out from the property owner is how much space was originally allocated to your client’s sign. The final development plans will often have this information. Check that your initial design footprint does not exceed the space allocated to your client’s storefront.

GET A USE PERMIT

What else should you have in your bag of permit tricks? A use permit (also known as a “for use permit”.) This document states the city is aware of the business activity that will take place at your client’s location within that city zoning area, and is OK with it. This document is sometimes required to process a sign permit.

SETBACK

Another item you may need is the setback of your proposed sign site. A setback is the distance from the property line to the front of the building. This information can usually be supplied by the building owner or their authorized representative. The city may also have this information. The final development plan (or the FDP) is a public record document that will have this information.

LINEAR FRONTAGE

This is the straight horizontal width of the storefront. If your client intends to occupy more than one storefront (adjacent spaces), then you need to measure the distance of all the spaces your client will occupy.

SIGN ARTWORK AND DIAGRAMS

Take a copy of your detailed sign artwork, including all colors and dimensions. It may also be helpful to take a photo simulation of your proposed sign (If you have a JPEG image of the building, you can use our channel letter Sign Builder to produce a photo.)

Another helpful information item is an exploded sign diagram. Our channel letter cut sheet diagrams may be helpful.

SQUARE FOOTAGE CALCULATION

The next item you will need to calculate is the wall footprint of your channel letter sign. By a “wall footprint”, I mean the sign’s square footage on the wall. And here is the kicker – you must check with the city on how they measure sign square footage.

Some cities will measure sign square footage like this – a simple rectangle is outlined around the channel letter sign:

Channel Letter Square Footage Calculation

Total square footage = 120.02/12 (10ft.) * 28.75/12 (2.4 ft.) = 24 square feet

Other cities measure it like this, eliminating the “white space”:

Alternate Channel Letter Sign Square Footage Calculation

When that is the city’s method, separate the individual areas of the sign into boxes as the above example shows. That gives you this:

Final Channel Letter Square Foot Calculation

Then your square foot calculation is simple. It comes to:

2.4 + 2.7 + 1.9 + .4 + .6 + 3.9 + 6.2 = 18.1 square feet.

Other cities may have different methods of square foot measurement – these are just 2 examples. Always check on how your city calculates this number.

You may also want to use an outside sign permitting company. If you don’t have time to find out the details of how a given city does their permitting, these companies will assemble all of the details necessary for you to obtain a sign permit. Here is one vendor:

http://www.signcodeinc.com

APPROVAL FROM ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES

Here is another item to check on. Does a sign permit at this location require approval from more than one entity? There are locations that require approval from more than just the city.

For example, in some cities you must have approval from both the local “Architectural Planning Committee” and the city itself to receive a sign permit. And you must get the Architectural Planning Committee’s approval first – only after you have that approval in hand can you approach the city.

NIT CALCULATION

Last, find out if your city requires a NIT calculation (NIT is a measurement of the sign’s illuminance level, or light intensity.) Once again, your area may or may not require that – check to be sure. If needed, the NIT figure can be supplied by the sign’s manufacturer. If you made the sign yourself, check with the illumination manufacturer.

So your punch list of critical sign permit approval items is:

• Property owner sign requirements and original sign space allocation
• Signed letter of approval from property owner
• Use (or for use) permit (if necessary)
• Building setback
• Linear foot measurement of storefront
• Sign artwork and diagrams
• Sign square footage measurement (using calculation procedure supplied by city)
• Approval from other city/county entities (if necessary)
• NIT calculation (If necessary)

Completing this list gives you a good chance of fast permit approval. Half the battle is checking on which items are needed by the owner and city, and gathering those items as far in advance as possible.

But how do you combat “signage fatigue?” That is the tendency of a consumer to “tune out” a sign that they drive past each day. Once a consumer has seen and read a sign once, how do you persuade that consumer to look at the sign again? And again?

A clever design may help. But even an innovative design can experience signage fatigue when a consumer has been repeatedly exposed to it.

The answer lies in an advertising and copywriting principle. That principle is NEWS. People tend to read something new. Particularly if the new information has value to them.

So how can you incorporate news and new information into a sign? Make at least part of the sign changeable and updateable. Give part of the sign the capability to present useful new information presented in a user friendly and quickly accessible manner. That can help to generate repeated and ongoing sign exposures.

Here is a one approach that can help. Place a message center area on part of your client’s sign. A professional message center can definitely help with the signage fatigue issue.  A message center can have information as simple as the time of day, or have a much more elaborate set of information like news and headlines.

Another message center benefit is the capability to demonstrate a company’s community involvement. For example, if a local high school team has an important upcoming game, the message center can state the company’s support for the team.

The brightness of today’s LED technology can also make any sign stand out more than a sign without a message center.

Message centers can be integrated into many sign types. For example, this monument sign design includes a message center area with easily legible and useful information:

Hybrid signs (including  designs with channel letters) can also have message center elements. This monument sign has both channel letter signage and a small message area.

Pole signs can also incorporate message center elements:

So consider making part of your client’s sign easily changeable, and integrate a message area into your client’s sign. It can make the difference between signage fatigue and repeat viewings.