There’s an old saying that goes, “a business with no sign is a sign of no business.” If you’ve spoken about getting a custom outdoor business sign lately, then you’ve probably heard this said before.
Your business sign is the first point of communication for many of your potential customers or clients. Getting it done right is essential, especially when many other forms of advertising aren’t viable for a new startup business.
Custom Outdoor Business Sign vs. Other Advertising Options
For that matter, most startups (or most small businesses) can’t afford to drop over a million dollars per minute on advertising during the Superbowl to draw attention to their business.
Therefore, it cannot be overstated how important it is to put plenty of thought into creating your custom outdoor business sign before spending money or signing a lease. Choosing the right sign is a critical factor of success for many businesses, especially for consumer-oriented ones.
Whether you’re a startup or you’ve decided to change your business’s location, you must have a detailed thought process and, more importantly, an adequate budget for your custom outdoor business sign.
Your signage company should also be experienced in installing and manufacturing the type of sign you’re thinking of installing. Also, be sure to ask them if they’re aware of the local sign code. If they already know it, then the process of creating your sign can be sped up because they can eliminate any options that your city, town, or even landlord would reject.
If you aren’t sure yet what kind of sign you want, then a sign company like Midtown Signs is an excellent place to start and learn about various signs. We have a wealth of information on our website as well as a beautiful showroom with many samples. We also have experience in handling sign permitting in Kansas City and several other cities and towns around the area.
Now let’s talk about things to consider when creating an outdoor sign to promote your business.
What to Consider When Choosing an Outdoor Business Sign
There are many important factors to consider. Here are a few of them:
If the road you’re on is busy, then consider what speed the cars are driving by on. If they’re fast, then you’ll need bigger lettering that’s readable to catch their attention.
Is your business located in a busy area with a lot of foot traffic (for instance, downtown or the mall)? If so, then you might be able to utilize a smaller sign or a sign with different colors.
Speaking of color, color has a significant impact on the readability of the sign. There must be enough contrast between the lettering/graphics and the background to make it readable.
How Does Your Sign Look at Night?
Speaking of readability, how can people read your sign at night? Do you have a plan for lighting up your sign at night?
For instance, are you on a well-lit main road, well-lit parking lot, or located inside of a mall with good lighting? Or maybe you’re in the unfortunate situation of having little or no exterior lighting nearby – such as a business condominium or side business.
Consider that you might have to create some external lighting for your signs or incorporate lighting into your custom outdoor business sign. You can do this with an internally lit sign. This type of sign can include a lightbox or channel letters to create more visibility at night.
Discuss With Your Landlord What Kind of Signs are Allowed
It’s possible that your landlord or location won’t let you have the kind of signage you want. In certain areas, illuminated signs may not be allowed, and certain city ordinances might prohibit very specific things. Seek out your local building department to find out what’s allowed in the desired location.
In some situations, landlords will require certain things or only give you an onsite directory for your outdoor business sign. Be sure to have a chat with them about the different options available to you.
Find the Most Visible Location on Your Premises
You should also find the best possible location for your sign. Think about if you want something like a street-side sign (post and panel sign, or monument style) or a pylon style lightbox sign. Also, consider the space. Will the sign fit in the parking lot or on the lawn? Is there enough setback from the road for the sign that you want?
And if you’re considering putting your sign onto the building, then be sure that you understand the building’s structure and if it’ll accommodate the kind of sign you want. Then you need to know how you’ll bring electricity from the building to the sign itself. In some states, electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician, and separate permits are necessary for this part of the installation.
Understanding the Sign Permit Process
The next step you or your sign company needs to take is checking with the local building department to see how long the permit process will take and what steps are necessary to obtain it.
These days, several towns and cities are allowing applications for permits to be made online. Some do a mix of both online and personal, while others only allow applications to be made in person.
Check with them first to see how much time it will take to get the permit you need. You will need to plan in advance to get the necessary permits so that you can get your sign made and installed before you schedule your business to open.
An experienced sign company like Midtown Signs can assist you with the permit process. We can help you with the most difficult parts of the process and are happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Midtown Signs can assist you in the following ways:
· Permit review
· Planning with mockups
· Calculations
· We can pull permits or help you pull permits. In contractor lingo, pulling means arranging. The one who pulls/arranges the permit is the one who is considered to be the contractor in the eyes of the city.