Signage started out as merely a way to mark your business property and let the world know what you do. But with the growth of different types of signs and window signage, there is more you can do with it than ever before, especially in the skilled hands of the team at Technical Signs.
But what makes a good sign? The answer often lies in the use of some psychology.
Why signage works so well
Many types of advertising can be a little challenging – you don’t always catch people when they are interested in the product and therefore don’t respond as well to it. An advert for a new perfume in the middle of a crime series isn’t always going to catch people’s attention.
But signage within a business is always relevant and this is why it works so well. Someone comes into a perfume store and sees an advert for a well-known brand’s new product. They are much more likely to check it out as they are already in the mindset of perfume due to their presence in the shop.
Customer relevance
Customer relevant signage is something that can be fully utilised by all kinds of business. By advertising the right message at the right moment to the right person, you can dramatically increase sales.
If that perfume shop was advertising a new car engine cleaner, this wouldn’t be relevant to their audience and would be largely ignored. But that new perfume brand product is the right message at the right moment to people who are more likely to be interested.
Flexibility
While some signage is largely fixed, such as the signs above the door, other types of signage can be changed, and this flexibility is ideal. You can add a degree of personalisation by ensuring the right signs are in use for the kind of things your customers are looking for.
For example, once the summer holidays are done, Christmas themed advertising starts to creep in everywhere – because people are planning their Christmas shopping, events and plans. If you still had signage with a beach theme in October, this often would see out of place unless you were selling winter sun holidays!
Psychology to use in signs
In addition to be relevant and flexible, there are a few other points based in psychology to use in your signage.
- Design – The Stroop Effect is a test that helps you decide if your signage complements the message. For example, if you write the word blue in yellow letters, this causes a pause for people. That can be good or bad and understanding which is important.
- Messaging – Generally, signs should be simple with one focus. Studies show humans often have an attention span of seconds so grabbed and holding that attention is key. While this can be over-simplifying things, it does pay to go with a simple message to grab attention.
- Timing – Timing is a blend of medium and location – what the sign is and where it is located. You don’t want to repeat messages in too short of a time as people will get irritated by it. So, as someone moves through your business, what do they see and when? This will help in locating the signage in the right place.
