You run a business. Maybe it’s new and you’re looking to increase sales. Maybe it’s been successful, but sales are languishing. Maybe you’ve been in business for a long time, but you’re simply looking to update your signage. But no matter what situation you find yourself in, there are a few things you should know about signs before you invest your hard-earned money.

Simply put, there are a lot of mistakes businesses make when they acquire signs for themselves, and these mistakes aren’t always obvious until months later and you notice that sales are still down. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few tips every business owner should know before buying a new sign.

Know Your Intended “Customer Action”

The “STOP” sign is a classic example of a sign that knows exactly what it wants to accomplish. It’s big, it’s read, and the message is both direct and clear. When someone sees a stop sign, there’s no doubt which action they need to take.

When it comes to signage for your business, however, sometimes the steps to creating an ideal sign aren’t so clear. Do you want to look good, or is your sign more about bringing in more foot traffic? Is the sign for branding, or does it have a functional purpose like telling customers where to park?

Know your intended customer action before you purchase a sign, because thinking about things from the customer’s perspective will help you evaluate the efficacy of the sign simply by looking at it.

Make the Most Actionable Information Obvious

A common mistake with inferior signage “experts” is that they go for flashier designs without focusing on making the relevant information obvious. Too many signs place the important information in the “fine print” while taking up most of the signage space with a message that doesn’t do much to change a potential customer’s perspective.

Ever notice how real estate signage usually puts the phone number at the bottom in a larger font? This is because real estate agents know how to generate leads, and they know that people looking at the sign will be drawn to that phone number. If they were to bury the phone number in fine print, their signs would be far less effective.

The Logo Isn’t Very Valuable If No One Can Read Your Sign

Having a great, high-quality logo is fantastic; many of the world’s top companies have famous logos and excellent branding. But simply pushing your logo is not effective branding; you have to actually introduce your brand to people who might not know you.

A common mistake is to focus on a “cool logo” rather than get across any pertinent information the customer can use. So if your signage company insists on focusing on the logo and making information secondary, think about what you really want out of your sign, and what you need that sign to focus upon if you’re really going to get the right message across.

With these three tips in mind, you’ll have a far better idea of what you’re looking for when you ask a signage company to get started on your new sign. This will lead to less fuss and a far more efficient end-product.