The importance of a good business sign tends to get underestimated. People make excuses as to why they do not need to have a sign for their business like people already know where they are located. As demonstrated by a California car wash, it is possible for you to get instant results without utilizing expensive marketing techniques like TV. While other marketing solutions give you the ability to get results quickly, the sales come at higher cost causing your ROI to drop.
As the car wash business owner shows, it is possible to make an increase in business simply by having a Signtronix LED sign in front of your business. This is important not just to get people to stop in to your business, but you will notice an increase in the amount of requests which are made for products or services that are mentioned on your LED sign. This is shown in the video from the California car wash where they increased sales just by mentioning a special on their sign.
The results the business location enjoyed simply by installing a Signtronix sign made it possible to stop other more costly kinds of advertising. They simply did not need to spend extra advertising dollars because the sign they had in front of the business is doing the job. Any advertising or marketing tool that can increase sales while decreasing costs will have a positive impact on your businesses bottom line. Adding a new Signtronix LED sign is one of the least expensive, most effective forms of advertising available today.
On premise signage is both effective and economical; it is a powerful marketing tool for making the most of advertising dollars to reach potential customers. Another way signs bring value to a business is by providing a good return on investment. Our first case study is Frenchy’s Bistro. It was a small store front restaurant on a busy street that looked like this; can you guess where it is? Well neither could their customers, they would literally drive right by. If you wanted friends to meet you for lunch at Frenchy’s, you would have to tell them the address and give them directions, but you knew that wouldn’t be enough. So the last thing you’d say is, it’s near the paint store.
Anyway, back to Frenchy’s, if you can find it, let me give you some help. Unfortunately, like many small business owners, Frenchy’s Bistro assumed their customers already knew where they were, and therefore felt they did not need a sign. In 1997, they had a yearly growth income just above $250,000, but they were only marginally profitable, worse, income had stabilized. A friend and patron convinced them to invest in a V shaped Signtronix sign for $6000.00, in comparison, the new sign, while small, was far more visible than the old one.
In the first year after the new sign was installed, Frenchy’s sales increased by 16%, in the second year with the new sign, sales jumped an additional 32%. Now mind you, Frenchy’s did nothing else to the business to attribute this increase, they didn’t do any extra advertising, they didn’t change the menu or add any specials, the only thing that changed was the Signtronix sign. In 2 years a sign costing $6000.00, led to almost $200,000 in additional revenue. Incidentally, while Frenchy’s was experiencing this new found success, one of its neighbors failed, can you guess which business it was? That’s right, the one next door, and the one with a sign that was barely visible.
So Frenchy’s expanded, but now that they understood the value of signage, and had experienced the impact it had on their bottom line, they added a larger Signtronix V sign and refinished the storefront to enhance their street presence even more. Following the expansion, Frenchy’s gross income increased 37%, and after a full year with the new larger V sign, Frenchy’s income had grown an additional 34%, for a total gross above $823,000. In 4 short years, they increased revenue 322%. They started with 25 feet of store frontage, virtually no sign and sales plateauing at $250,000.
Well this was obviously good for business, and added bonus was that it also benefited the city. Frenchy’s took an old eye sore of a building and transformed it into something cohesive and attractive, improving the community esthetic, oh, and there was all that additional tax revenue of course. It’s difficult to quantify the exact value of signage, but when a sign can increase revenue while cutting costs, it’s worth every penny and more.
Those are just a few examples of how the right use of signage can benefit business. The value of signage lies in its marketing ability. When a sign is viewed not just as a marker, but as a powerful marketing tool, its hidden potential is tapped, and its full value is realized. Not just for the business that owns it, but for the customers it communicates with and to the city where it’s located. Thank you
Our sign has been installed and has been up since November 26, 2005. As you can see from the photographs enclosed, it is quite an improvement to the front of our restaurant, as the signs being replaced were a bit tattered from the 40 years the sign had been on the building.
We have received some rave reviews from our regular customers, as they have returned and noticed with comments of “great sign,” “I like the new look,” “Nice improvement,” and “Your building looks newly painted,” to repeat a few.
We have had a few new customers notice the sign and patron our establishment as a result. I believe the patronage will increase as time progresses and the weather improves, which allows people to get out and travel more and we will have greater exposure as the sign has only been up 45 days. We are certainly anticipating future responses.
D.D. Rose
Ye Olde Fish House
Columbus, Indiana
Reader Comments: I was reading another Signtronix customer response and it seems like these signs really work for restaurants.
