How To Make Your Signs Work All Year

Ensure Your Signs Work For You and Add Value To Your Bottom Line

If you own or run a small- or medium-sized business, chances are you’re hard at work day in, day out, throughout the year. For many, the concept of a ‘day off’ is probably alien, and holidays can be few and far between if you’re dedicated to making your company a success, especially early on, when building a brand and forging a reputation can consume every waking minute. When you’re so hard at work, you need all the help you can get, which is why your signage ought to be made to work just as hard throughout the year.

Signage is an integral part of any business premises, whether you own a small café, run a bar or restaurant, operate a gym or are the owner of a retail shop or store. Signage is one of the most powerful promotional and advertising tools your company has in its arsenal, and done well, it does far more than simply announce your company’s name and logo to the world. Your signs can reflect your brand and help shape a lasting impression in the minds of potential customers, increasing footfall and showing that you take pride in your work.

Keeping Up Appearances

The signage outside your business premises really can be made to work hard. It’s prime advertising space, after all, visible to all passersby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 52 weeks of the year. There’s no point it being there, however, if it’s not a positive reflection of your company. On every high street, in every town, village and city, you’ll find signage which not only makes a shop or restaurant an eyesore, but which also gives the impression there’s a lack of interest in appearances, which can only translate into a lack of interest in services. Faulty illuminations, missing or faded lettering, grubby or poorly-kept signs – these all suggest to customers that what lies within the establishment will be just as disappointing as the external appearance.

For signage to work all year round, it has to be not only well designed and well fitted, but well-maintained come rain or shine. Finding a company which can install powerful signage and also provide a year-round maintenance service to keep it looking in tip-top condition is crucial if you’re to keep up appearances.

Autumn and Winter Time Signage

During the colder, darker months towards the end of the year, well maintained signage can be a real blessing to a business. Far from being a ‘dead’ period for retailers and those in the hospitality and leisure industries, the autumn and winter can be a very busy time of year. Between Halloween, Bonfire Night, the build up to Christmas and New Year and the seasonal sales, this is often a period when competition on the High Street is fierce, and encouraging customers to choose your business over those of your rivals becomes more important than ever.

The weather may be unpleasant and people may be a little deterred from venturing out, but that’s when quality signage comes into its own. A well-illuminated, well-maintained sign acts as a beacon to passersby, encouraging them through the door, or at least persuading them to pause and examine your window display, your menu or your list of offers. The welcoming façade of your premises can make a major difference to the number of customers you attract, which is more important than ever during those post-Christmas months when footfall tends to tail off.

While this might not seem like the most logical time of year to carry out maintenance work to your signage, ensuring it is all in working order and looking immaculate is as important now as during the sunnier months of the year, if not more so. Bad weather can damage signs, leaving them not only looking a little worse for wear but potentially dangerous to you and your customers. Good sign maintenance companies are undeterred by a little rain and wind, so keeping your signage safe and sparkling is straightforward over the autumn and winter.

Spring and Summer Time Signage

With the better weather comes higher footfall on the High Street, and all eyes are on you. Spring can provide a wonderful opportunity to make a fresh start, so if you’ve been thinking about a little rebranding or just a deep spring clean, then now is a good time to have new signage installed. Sprucing up the front of your premises in anticipation of the better weather can give a real boost to how you feel and see your business, and how customers see it. Spring can be a time for transformations, and people notice change. New signage now can renew or generate interest in your business, and it could be the pick-me-up you need after a quiet couple of months.

Summer again provides plenty of opportunities, and your signage needs to be working as hard now as it did throughout the autumn and winter. With more people than ever choosing to remain within the UK for their holidays, you may find there’s an increase in the number of people passing by, who are unfamiliar with your brand and what you do. Depending on where your business is located and how likely the area is to attract tourists or holidaymakers, clear signage which announces your presence and encourages those one-off customers to take a closer look could help secure some all-important impulse buys.

How Can We Help?

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we’ve spent many years working with businesses across East Sussex to not only design and install bespoke and beautiful signage, but to keep it looking it’s best all year round. With tailored maintenance packages built around your individual requirements, we can help you keep your signs as stand-out and sparkling as the day they were first fitted. For more information on how we can make your signage work harder for you year-round, simply get in touch with our expert team today on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

Organisations change all the time, so their signage should too.

Change is good. We live in an age where nothing stands still, and while some of us might feel a sense of dread when things are shaken up, there can be no doubt that the only way companies move forward is by embracing change. Being pushed out of our comfort zones by change is one of the only ways both businesses and we as individuals learn, adapt and improve, and a change – as the old adage goes – can be as good as a rest.

As organisations are always looking to change and improve their workplace practices and cultures, their brand image also needs to keep up with the alterations they make. Revolutionising and building your business is a rather futile exercise, if the people you’re selling to still hold onto the outdated vision of the ‘old you’. If the improvements you make go unnoticed and if you don’t spread the word, then your customers and clients won’t be able to see the benefits of getting on board with your organisation. Probably the most important and visible way of announcing the internal changes to your business is through the outside of your business. That’s why, if change is to work, considering a shake-up of your signage to attract some attention could be vital in the next chapter of your company’s story.

Change shouldn’t be scary

Everyone likes stability, but change doesn’t have to be a scary thing and, done well, the two are not incompatible. Companies have to adapt all the time, whether that’s overhauling an old-fashioned process which no longer works, implementing a few role changes in a department which is no longer functioning at its best, or embracing new technologies designed to improve particular systems.

If companies cannot be open to change, there is always a danger of stagnation. Sometimes individuals can simply be too close, too far into an organisation to see that there is a problem, and it takes someone coming in from the outside – a new member of staff or an expert specially drafted in – to point out that they’ve become stuck in a rut. If sales figures are on a downward spiral or targets are not being met, there’s no other option but change.

Tinkering about the edges

Of course, if a company is going to implement changes which are meaningful and lasting, then there is no point in simply tinkering about the edges. The whole point of the exercise and upheaval has to be to improve things in the long-term, so whatever goods, products or services a company is offering, just tweaking minor things is not going to make a tangible difference to sales figures or footfall.

If customers are going to see a real difference and be tempted back into a bar, restaurant, shop, gym or other establishment which has become tired and stuck in a rut, then they need to be blown away by the impact of the changes which are being made. Simply updating the signature dish, adding a single new line of beauty products or offering a week-long discount on membership fees isn’t going to cut the mustard in such a competitive High Street market.

Big changes inside your premises call for big changes outside. Having made the decision to change and shake things up a bit, you need to announce that to the world – and that’s where upgrading your signs comes in.

How new signage can help

Customers and clients notice change when they see it on the streets they’re so familiar with, especially when it’s change for the better. If they’ve passed your premises day in, day out on the long commute to work or whilst running the kids to school, then they’ve probably stopped noticing you altogether. After all, familiarity breeds indifference, and they see just the same old, same old thing.

If, however, you decide to spruce up your shopfront and introduce improved and bolder signage, then the people who might have once simply passed you by will see something’s different and they may be more tempted to pause at your window display or stop to look at your menu. Seeing a difference, and noticing a change for the better can only encourage more footfall and give your business the boost it so definitely deserves.

In these difficult times for companies in all sectors, rebranding through improved signs announces your new, more confident and more efficient business to the world. While it might seem like an expensive investment on the back of all the other changes you’ve been making, high quality new signs really will pay dividends in the long run. Signs act as a round-the-clock advertisement for your company, and properly designed, installed and maintained, they are the most powerful branding tool you have available.

If you have invested time, money and effort in implementing difficult changes beyond the double doors at the front of your premises, then it makes sound business sense to announce that change to the world. You’ve done all the hard work inside, so make the outside reflect that.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we’ve dedicated years to crafting the most beautiful and enduring signage solutions for companies across the region, and are the go-to people when it comes to rebranding and upgrading all your external and internal signs. Our team of skilled designers and professional, highly-qualified sign fitters are always on hand to help you make the changes you need to keep your business going from strength to strength. For more information about the services we can offer you, simply get in touch today.

Renew your image in 2017, with the help of new signage

January is the month of reinvention. The New Year celebrations usher in a phase of good intentions, when we promise ourselves a period of self-improvement and transformation. Determined to shed the excess Christmas pounds, exercise more, drink less, learn a new skill, we all put our best foot forward at the beginning of the year, and hope we have the willpower to make and maintain those big changes to our personal lives.

But there’s no reason the positive thinking and good intentions should stop with our personal lives – January could also be the month when you implement some resolutions and revolutions for your business too. Setting yourself some ambitious goals now could see you reaping the rewards further down the line in 2017, and giving your business a bolder, stronger brand image could be just the thing you need to succeed in the challenging months to come.

There may be trouble ahead…

Last year’s vote to leave the European Union certainly threw the United Kingdom into a period of significant uncertainty. While some argue that it will open up new opportunities, others fear things will become more difficult as the country renegotiates trade deals and finds its footing outside the EU. With the timetable for leaving the union still up in the air, leading figures in the banking, retail, hospitality and manufacturing industries have all predicted that 2017 looks set to be a very bumpy ride for many businesses, up and down the country.

As the year began, some major players on the British High Street were warning that slower than expected sales could spell trouble ahead, with many people curbing their spending habits since the financial downturn of a decade ago, and the economy only slowly recovering. All this means that competition between businesses with a High Street presence is fiercer than ever. Whether you own or manage a shop, pub, restaurant, gym or independent cinema, this year you’ll need to pull out all the stops if you’re to stay ahead of the game and clinch those much needed sales.

A much needed boost

One of the most practical and cost effective things you can do to revamp your image in 2017 is to invest in new, high quality signage for your business premises. If the signs you have above your door are a few years old, chances are they are looking a little past their best and in need of some TLC to inject a new lease of life into your shop front. While renewing your image might seem like an expensive or frivolous pursuit at a time when we’re all feeling the pinch, a new sign is very much the gift which keeps on giving.

New signage is the very best form of advertising, and a bold, well designed sign which stands out from a distance can drive trade your way more successfully than any media marketing campaign. Signs do so much more than inform those passing by of your company name – they give out a very clear message about your brand, about what you can offer and about how you, as the business owner, view the work you do.

A well crafted sign which is well lit and kept in tip top condition demonstrates that you take an interest in how the world sees your business, while a run-down sign with missing lettering is an instant turn-off for potential customers. A pleasant and attractive façade promises a pleasant and attractive interior beyond the sliding doors, which is far more likely to make people stop and take notice of your window display or menu. When you consider the wide choice consumers have and the variety of options open to them, ensuring you are the business they choose out of a long line of stores and cafes is often all about how you appear from the outside, and first impressions matter. We all have short attention spans and we all make snap judgments, so the more eye-catching and the stronger your image, the more chance you have of grabbing that passing trade.

The best time for change

You should treat renewing your image as a little spring cleaning, ahead of the better weather. Imagine the impact a new sign could have, with your business name, logo and colours suddenly making the front of your premises that little bit bolder and more vibrant, despite the gloomy winter weather. A new shop sign is a wise investment when you consider the benefits – this is standout advertising which is working for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year.

We all know that 2017 is going to be a tough year, but when things look set to challenge us, the best thing we can do is take a proactive stance and not bury our heads in the sand. The fiercer the competition and the harder the market, the more need there is to reinvent your business and strengthen your image.

Here at the Sussex Sign Company, we have many years’ experience designing, fitting and maintaining the highest quality signs and way-finding systems available. We appreciate how hard things can be for business owners, which is why we do everything we can to work with you to find tailor-made solutions for all your signage needs. To revamp your image in 2017, simply get in touch with our friendly, highly skilled team today, and together we can drive your business forward to better things.

Brighten Up The Winter Months With An Illuminated Sign

Illuminated Signage

We are now well and truly in the depths of the bleak midwinter, when the evenings draw in early, the cold begins to get us all down and the weather is often as miserable as that post-Christmas feeling. It’s little wonder that when the January blues strike, most of simply bury our heads under the duvet and let our thoughts begin to turn towards holidays in the sun or taking solace in a little comfort eating or retail therapy.

This can, however, also be a time for fresh starts and reinvention. The New Year offers a new start, and with it a rush of good intentions and resolutions to improve on some aspect of our lives, be it a health kick after the guilt of overindulging in mince pies or starting that DIY project that has been put off for months. In our working lives as well as our personal ones, seizing that sudden flurry of motivation can be a fantastic way to counter the dreariness of the winter months and inject a little life back into proceedings.

Whether you own a small boutique shop or a large restaurant, this time of year can seem relatively quiet after the Christmas rush, so it’s an ideal time to act on those good intentions and give your business premises a little attention. Competition for trade is always a challenge, but never more so than when footfall on the High Street is low and the wintry weather is putting customers off venturing much further than the local supermarket.

One of the quickest, most effective and long-lasting things you can do to improve your chances of boosting trade during this quiet patch is sprucing up the front of your store with new signage. People notice change, and it catches everyone’s eyes when something they pass on a daily basis on the way to work or on the school run is suddenly given a makeover. By investing in illuminated signage in particular, you could banish the winter blues and give your business a new lease of life.

Why Illuminated Signage?

What could be more inviting to the chilly High Street shopper than a warm and inviting shop front? Whether it’s a shop, restaurant, bar or any other business premises, a well lit sign and an attractive building façade are a welcoming sight when the mercury has plummeted and the rain is coming down in sheets. There’s far more to good signage than simply having your name spelled out correctly and your company logo pinned above the door. Illuminated signage has multiple benefits, especially at this time of year, making it a wise investment for any business owner.

Because the light begins to fade around mid-afternoon over the winter months, illuminated signage not only looks attractive but also plays a major role in ensuring casual passersby still notice you and potential customers can still find you. Having your name in lights above the entrance makes you more visible and more attractive, and the bolder, brighter and more beautiful your signage, the more likely you are to get people through the door. It’s a simple truth that people are more likely to stop on impulse, whatever the weather, if they see a shop or restaurant front which appeals to them.

A well-lit sign is, therefore, a permanent and prominent marketing tool. Acting as a beacon and announcing your presence to the world, your signage can be a powerful and effective piece of branding which it’s difficult for people to overlook – a strong design featuring your company name, colours and logo sticks in the mind and is remembered long afterwards, almost certainly giving you the edge over the competition.

A Pre-spring Clean

New signage is a belated Christmas present which your premises will thank you for, and despite the weather, this is the perfect time of year for having new signage installed. In fact, it’s arguably because of the weather that this is the ideal time.

Strong winds and driving rain can wreak havoc with old or poorly maintained signage, getting beneath the lettering, wearing away at fixings and generally causing it to look unclean and unsightly, not to mention the health and safety risks involved in elevated signage falling into disrepair. Investing in quality new signs might seem like a significant outlay at a time when passing trade has dwindled, but it will pay you back and be worth more than its weight in gold in the long-term.

Think of installing a new illuminated sign as a spot of spring cleaning, ahead of the better weather. If you’ve been delaying those odd-jobs around your business premises, then now’s the time to capitalise on the New Year good intentions, while things are slow in other respects and you have the time to give your shop front the TLC it so deserves.

Get That Glowing Feeling

If the weather’s getting you down and the post-Christmas lull is starting to take its toll, now’s the time to act. Not only will an illuminated sign help make your shop front more attractive despite the gloomy weather, it might even see you getting more customers through the door and more of those all-important January sales.

To find out more about how illuminated signage could benefit your business, speak to the experts at the Sussex Sign Company using our contact form or give us a call on 01273 417057. We have been providing beautiful, bespoke illuminated signs to businesses in East Sussex for many years, and with the highest quality workmanship and a wealth of knowledge, we can design, install and help you maintain your brand new signs.

Signage The Christmas Gift Which Keeps on Giving

We have already entered one of the busiest periods in the shopping calendar, with Christmas and New Year meaning bargain hunters everywhere have braved the cold and gloomy weather to grab those stocking fillers and fill their fridges for the celebrations. While retailers and restaurant or pub owners are probably already rushed off their feet, there’s one more job you should add to your to-do list and it could just be the one which helps you maximise sales over the festive period – installing new signage.

Competition in the retail and hospitality sectors can be incredibly fierce over the Christmas period, with everyone trying to outdo their neighbours with discounts, special offers and diversity of stock. It’s a critical time for making up if sales have been poor throughout the rest of the year, giving a much-needed boost to the balance books as the year draws to a close. Capturing your fair share of the Christmas market is, therefore, a big priority over the coming days and weeks, and new signage could be just the thing you need to catch the eyes of the Christmas crowds and pull in new customers.

Sussex and London: Shopping Destinations of Choice

It goes without saying that the capital is the number one destination for shoppers at this time of year, drawing in people not only from across the United Kingdom but around the world. While the wealthy fly in to stock up at Hamleys and Harrods, the majority of us will be spending our money in supermarkets, high street stores, big retail outlets and smaller independent shops. This year, spending is expected to bounce back to a level not seen since the financial crash of 2007, so it could well be a very merry Christmas indeed for the nation’s shopkeepers.

Oxford Street is, of course, one of the most popular shopping spots, but all across the capital shops, restaurants and bars will be hearing the tills ringing out in the Christmas period. Beyond the densely packed streets of Zone 1, there are countless London boroughs where you’ll find not only the big name high street chains, but slightly more unusual independent stores.

Sussex, too, has become something of a retail destination in recent years. Ideally situated within handy reach of the capital, savvy shoppers wishing to escape the worst of the crowds and find something a little different are increasingly drawn to nearby Eastbourne, Brighton and Chichester, which are all just a short train hop away. Smaller, more quirky stores located in picturesque towns such as Lewes, Rye and Arundel also pull in shoppers on the search for that elusive perfect present, as do the festive markets.

For shop owners, restaurant managers or pub landlords across Sussex and London, ensuring your premises are looking at their best can make a big difference to the footfall you get through your door at this time of year. People are automatically drawn to the most attractive, best-looking outlets, so a dreary shop window or a shabby façade can easily drive much needed custom straight into the arms of a local competitor.

Add Signage To Your Christmas List This Year

Whether you’re based in Sussex or London signage should be top of your Christmas list. It may seem like just one more thing to get done when you’re already rushed off your feet, but the benefits of installing new signage are immediate and impressive.

Customers really do like to see attractive shops fronts and are more likely to venture inside if they can see that the outside of your premises is well-kept and appealing. Getting people to pause and examine your window display or cast an eye over your menu is half the battle when it comes to clinching those all-important Christmas sales, and a bold, beautiful and eye-catching sign can be seen from quite a distance and may well lure customers over.

A high quality sign speaks volumes about your business and about you. Nobody wants to go through the doors of a shop or restaurant where the sign above the door is missing letters or looks grubby and unloved, but a well-lit and well-maintained sign has exactly the opposite effect and offers encouragement. At this time of year in particular, when the weather might be dark and gloomy, the warming glow of a good sign is a welcoming invitation to the casual passerby and certainly helps your business stand out.

Choosing The Right Signage For Your Business

Getting your signage right is key, and done well it becomes the gift which just keeps on giving. Signage is an incredibly powerful marketing tool which is both prominent and permanent, advertising your business round the clock simply by being so visible. Good signage does more than just put your name above the door – it’s a prime piece of branding, so must be bold and memorable, perhaps including your company’s logo or colours.

When it comes to Sussex and London signage, the Sussex Sign Company is the market leading provider of high quality, bespoke signs. We work all across the county of Sussex, as well as serving all London boroughs, so wherever you are, we’re on hand to help. With many years’ experience in this field, we are able to work with you to design, manufacture, install and help you maintain your signage, offering innovative solutions to all your signage needs. For more information about the services we provide, or to get advice on the best signage for your business, simply get in touch with our expert team today on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

New Year, New You: How Fresh Signage Could Boost Your Gym or Trampoline Park’s Profile

Signage for Gym’s and Trampoline Parks

It’s the time of year when many of us begin to turn our thoughts from all the Christmas over-indulgence, to contemplate a new fitness regime for the New Year. As soon as the mince pies are all safely out the way, the list of New Year’s resolutions suddenly begins to look very challenging indeed. Lots of people want to shed the festivity-induced extra pounds and get back on the treadmill, either for the short-term fix, or with an eye on a more long-term healthy living overhaul. With so many different gyms and trampoline parks out there, all offering New Year deals to lure in the guilty, how do you make sure yours stands out from the crowd and attracts those all-important new members?

One of the best ways is through new gym signage, or treating your trampoline park to a façade facelift. This is a time of year when we all hope for transformations of one sort or another, so it’s the ideal time to look to the future and make things happen. Signage should be a critical part of your New Year, new look premises, so consider this a late Christmas present to your business and see the positive effects a new sign can bring.

Good resolutions

We all know how difficult it can be to keep New Year’s resolutions, but investing in new gym signage shouldn’t be a chore. With so many people on the lookout for a membership bargain, the competition between gyms can be fierce at this time of year and anything you can do to raise your profile can only help in the battle to attract new customers.

People inevitably notice when things change, particularly if it’s for the better. If someone walks past your gym and sees a change in your signs, they’re more likely to stop and investigate further. Just by being an eye-catching and noticeable alteration to their regular walk to the station or drive to the supermarket, you’ve already won half the battle by attracting their attention.

Thanks to the surge in interest for trampoline parks, this time of year is also going to be busy if you own or manage one of these. As more people look for fun ways of burning off the Christmas excess, making sure you build your brand identity and promote it in time for the New Year rush could be the very thing to put some spring back into your business.

The benefits of good signage

Installing new gym signage or a new sign for your trampoline park really could see you reap the rewards in fairly short order. Your signage is your brand identity, the first thing people will notice when they pass your premises. It acts as an introduction to you and your company, and it’s therefore important that you make a good first impression or you run the risk of putting potential customers off for good.

Well presented and well maintained signage not only makes your gym or trampoline park more visible to the casual passerby, it also says that you take pride in your company and the services you offer. It takes just seconds for people to reach a judgment on whether they’re interested or not in your brand, so it’s important you make a positive impact before they have a chance to move on. Well looked-after signs say you care about what you do, that you take your work seriously and have a lot to offer your clients. Good signage bodes well for what lies beyond the double doors, and people are more likely to be tempted in, whereas they will be wary that poorly maintained or shabby signage is likely to lead them to disappointment.

Good signage also has an added advantage at this time of year, when the gloomy winter months seem to make the high street feel cold and uninviting. With poor weather and the usual January blues likely to be affecting quite a few of the people who pass your gym front, a well-lit and attractive sign is like a big, warm welcome invitation to come in out of the cold. Everyone can feel cheered by a well-presented business premises in their neighbourhood – it elevates the tone of the area and can elevate the spirits at the same time – just the thing you need when the rain-lashed streets make everyone feel like shutting themselves indoors and comfort eating.

New year, new look

This really is the perfect time of year to revamp your gym or trampoline park, because it’s probably also your busiest. How well presented your premises are really could impact on how much of the post-Christmas market you can capture – whether they’re impulse exercisers or long-haul gym goers.

Investing in new gym signage or sprucing up the signs you already have are one late Christmas present your business will thank you for. There’s nothing like the start of a new year to concentrate the mind and fill you with good intentions, so if you act on them now, you could see the rewards before too long. A new year and a new look could be just the tonic you need to get you through the coming winter months, so set aside some time to think about the designs you want and make sure you stick to this resolution, even if the rest fall by the wayside.

Here at the Sussex Sign Company we have many years’ experience in crafting bespoke and beautiful signage, so you can rest assured that we’ll help you find the perfect signage solution to give your premises a new look for the New Year. We can’t promise those well-intentioned new customers will stick around until after January, but we can help you get them through the door. For more information on how we can help, simply get in touch with our expert team today.

For more information contact us on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

How good signage could boost Christmas sales for businesses in the Capital

Great signage in London

Christmas is always the busiest time of year for retailers, and with only a handful of shopping days left until the big day, clinching those all-important Christmas sales is crucial. Retail analysts are predicting that spending on Christmas this year will be at the highest it has been since the financial crash of 2007, which means retailers everywhere will be hoping for a major boost to profits during the festive period. Restaurants and hotels, too, see bookings spike around the middle of December, thanks to office Christmas parties and people travelling to visit relatives for family get-togethers.

While bargain hunters might have snapped up some deals during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, when it comes to Christmas shopping, the vast majority of us still like to do things the old-fashioned way. Online sales might have increased and the Amazon effect might have made things harder for smaller independent shops, but at this time of year most people still like to brave the crowds and see and feel the goods they are buying. The same holds true for restaurants. People naturally look to online reviews to gauge how good an establishment is, but just as often, you’ll find people have paused to study a menu and make a booking on impulse, having walked past a restaurant whilst out and about.

At this time of year, it’s hardly a surprise that London is the number one destination for Christmas shoppers, drawing in the crowds not only from across the rest of the country but from overseas. The capital boasts some of the best shopping destinations in the world, not only in the inner city areas but across all the outer boroughs and in the many outlying towns which surround the capital. The bright lights of Oxford Street have a major pull factor, and big brand names or the likes of Harrods and Hamleys are never going to struggle. For smaller businesses in the capital, however, standing out from the crowd can be hard. Shoppers on the lookout for something a bit out of the ordinary might have more luck outside of the department stores, so competition between independent retailers can be fierce.

Capturing the Capital’s crowds

So how can you make sure your business stands out and catches its fair share of the capital’s crowds this Christmas? The most obvious answer is through better signage, and in London signs really need to stand out.

It’s no longer enough to simply spruce up your window displays and crank up the Christmas songs, and shop owners today have to go that extra mile if they are to compete with the bigger players. Your shop front is the first impression a potential customer has of you, and since there are no second chances, you need to make sure it’s a good one. A bold, bright and memorable sign will help you stand out from the competition and catch the eye of the casual passer-by or the impulse buyer, and that means more chance of them returning.

A high quality sign speaks volumes about you and your business. We’ve all seen unappealing shop or restaurant fronts with missing letters or wonky logos, and when we do, we naturally expect that what they have to offer beyond the double doors is not going to be of a very high standard. A high quality sign tells the rest of the world that you care, that you take pride in what you do and that you want the public to take an interest in your goods or services.

The best time of year for a new shop sign

There are lots of competing pressures on retailers or businesses in the hospitality trade at this time of year, but it’s also the best time to give your shop front a revamp. People notice when things change, and seeing a new sign as they’re out and about doing their Christmas shopping will certainly turn a few shoppers’ heads.

The colder and darker weather at this time of year can, in fact, be an advantage when it comes to luring Christmas shoppers in. A well illuminated and well maintained sign is an invitation that’s hard to refuse, so whether you are the owner of a small toy shop or the manager of a restaurant, investing in a high quality sign will attract attention. People are far more likely to stop and examine your goods or read your menu if the sign above the door jumps out at them.

The feel-good boost we receive in the run-up to Christmas can quickly descend into post-festive gloom throughout January and the long winter months, so acting now to give your shop front some TLC could help counter the winter blues. If a change really is as good as a rest, then sprucing up your shop front as part of a pre-spring clean could not only lift business but lift the spirits too.

With many years of experience in this field, the Sussex Sign Company are the go-to people when it comes to signage and our London signs team work right across the capital, in every London borough. That means wherever you are, we can be on hand to design and install your new sign or help you maintain the signage you already have. For more information contact us on 01273 417057 or contact us using the contact form.

Vehicle Signwriting: What are the Benefits?

Being a business owner means no end of tasks and concerns to tackle and take care of. Of these responsibilities, advertising and business promotion is perhaps one of the most costly and time-consuming. Many businesses choose to consult a marketing agency – a choice which inevitably involves paying substantial fees and handing over the future of your business to people that you have never met, who themselves lack the intimate knowledge of your business necessary to draw up a plan that properly responds to your needs, values and goals.

Vehicle-based advertising offers a way out of this conundrum. Forget using a paintbrush and a pot of paint to literally write your advert onto the side of your vehicle – the long-established art of vehicle signwriting has moved on leaps and bounds in recent years.

Vinyl for High Impact, Long-lasting Signage

The use of vinyl instead of paint carries with it a wide range of benefits. For one, it’s far less time-consuming and doesn’t require the trained and talented hand of an artist. Indeed, you could apply your own vinyl lettering depending on the complexity of your sign, but for larger vehicle signage covering the dips, gaps and raised surfaces of the side of a van, the skills of an expert can be a godsend.

Modern vinyl sheeting takes advantage of the latest advances in technology, including special egress channels on the adhesive side to allow air to escape, making those annoying bubbles a thing of the past. Certain kinds of adhesive are also available which allow the installation technician to move the vinyl sign around on the substrate before activating the adhesive once the perfect location is found.

As a result of not requiring an artist, modern signwriting that makes use of vinyl is also much more cost-effective, with a typical sign likely to set you back hundreds, not thousands, of pounds. More complex and detailed signage, including that done with full or partial vinyl body wraps, can carry a larger price tag, but also allows us to demonstrate another compelling benefit of vinyl – its longevity.

Some vinyl wraps can last up to five years, and lettering is even more long-lived. Standard vinyl letters last from four to seven years, while higher quality premium vinyl can last up to an entire decade, ensuring that your investment in vehicle signwriting provides a healthy return for many years to come. Vinyl is highly durable and withstands the elements of the notorious British climate without difficulty.

Whilst your sign may last for ten years, we’d naturally recommend changing it and giving your vehicle a facelift slightly more frequently to ensure that your sign keeps turning heads and attracting the right kind of attention. And, unlike painted signs, which require very expensive full vehicle body resprays, vinyl can simply be peeled off with the right tools.

But how effective is it as a form of advertising? Read on to find out why we believe it’s one of the best forms of business promotion available, ticking every box and making the lives of business owners much easier.

Widen Your Reach

When you buy an advertising slot on the radio or rent a billboard, your advert appears at a particular point in time or space respectively, after which it disappears. If your advert failed to attract much attention to communicate your message during this short window, then your marketing investment was wasted.

When your advert occupies space that you already own for an unlimited amount of time, and is attached to a mobile vehicle, then you have overcome the constraints on time and space that the above traditional means of promotion carry. This allows your sign, and thus your message, to reach a far wider range of people than would otherwise be possible.

And this expanded reach for your promotion isn’t inconsiderable – marketing research suggests that on a busy high street, around 3,000 people will come into contact with your sign every hour. If your vehicle spends the day parked outside a shop in which you’re doing work for the owner, the number of people that you could reach would number the tens of thousands. This demonstrates the unparalleled power of vehicle signwriting.

Boost Awareness and Favourable Sentiment

It goes without saying that by transforming your vehicle into a mobile billboard, your target market will slowly become more aware of your company and what you have to offer. This is an excellent benefit in itself for one reason – studies have shown time and again that consumers are far more likely to purchase from a brand that they’re familiar with, even if they haven’t personally tried their products or services before.

There is an array of additional benefits from increased brand awareness as well. One piece of market research that focussed on brand awareness from vehicle signage in particular found that around three quarters of respondents claimed to have a favourable opinion of companies and brands that they encounter through vehicle signs. Consumer perceptions of these businesses typically include that they are well established and successful firms.

This in turn makes consumers more likely to seek to purchase your goods or services, as well as recommending you to their friends – even if they haven’t personally required what you have to offer.

Cost-effectiveness

Vehicle signage, measured by cost per impression, comes out far cheaper than all other forms of advertising – this is a well known fact. But few people think about the additional financial benefits. By turning your vehicle into a moving advertisement, you can transform unproductive time, such as a traffic jam or your daily commute, into potentially productive time well spent.

And your usual productive work time is multiplied further – while you’re busy working away, your vehicle will also be silently but strongly promoting your firm’s unique proposition to a whole host of potential customers. Call us today on 01273 417057 to see how we can help.

Could Estate Agent Signage be Banned? Here’s Why We Think it’ll Never Happen

It hasn’t been a great month for estate agents, what with the government announcing a ban on tenants’ letting fees in the Autumn Statement. While this was understandably welcomed by most citizens and homelessness charities across the country, the move triggered a wave of condemnation and despair from estate agents and landlords.

Agents are naturally concerned about any move that harms their bottom line, and landlords are worried that estate agents will seek to pass the costs on to them through higher property management fees, which as yet remain untouched by the government. The change has yet to be formally legislated and is pending a consultation process, but already the estate agent sector has seen a fall in share prices.

London-based Foxtons estate agents lost 13 percent of its value within an hour of the announcement, and this on top of a 23 percent slide since the Brexit referendum. Critics were quick to point out that administrative fees have been banned in Scotland since 2012, a move which the sector then absorbed without any serious problems. Nonetheless, industry blogs and forums were awash with consternation about the future.

Estate agent signage: an uncertain future?

Now, to add to these worries, proposals have emerged from Belfast City Council to ban the ubiquitous “To Let” and “For Sale” signs seen on almost every street in the country. The Council’s proposal is a response to complaints from local residents about the length of time that the signs are displayed and the effect that it has on the visual environment.

Estate agent signs are already regulated by the Planning Regulations (Control of Advertisement) 2015, a planning code which breaks down signs into three groups, each requiring different levels of consent from local planning authorities on behalf of the affected communities.

Nothing is yet set in stone, much like the announced ban on tenants’ lettings fees, and much discussion is likely to follow in the council’s consultation over which is more appropriate – additional restrictions or a blanket ban. Further restrictions may be the more palatable option with the potential to please all stakeholders, and proposals floating around include limits on the size of the signs, the amount of time they can be displayed and a rule that they must be attached flush to the surface of the building, instead of protruding.

Such a set of standards would, however, require continuous enforcement, which could be costly. There could also be additional costs for estate agents in seeking to meet the requirements of the new regulations. An outright ban, by contrast, would immediately lead to a visual improvement in the affected communities, but estate agents would likely require alternative channels for marketing.

The problem is reportedly a particular concern in predominantly student areas, where almost every house changes hands every year, leading to streets full of estate agent signage. If such a blanket ban were adopted and proved to be popular and successful, it could see widespread uptake across the UK.

In light of the arguments against its use, is estate agent signage an anachronistic and aesthetic blight on our communities or a vital and powerful marketing tool? In the age of Zoopla and Rightmove, do house hunters even look for the signs anymore? The question is divisive, no doubt, but finding an answer is particularly important, given the above pressures facing the estate agent sector at an uncertain time for the wider housing market.

Signage: a powerful and multifaceted marketing tool

To evaluate the future of estate agent signs, we first must consider its purposes. The primary function of ‘To Let’ and ‘For Sale’ signs is to drive interest in a property by marking it out to all who walk and drive past. As such, the signs act as a beacon for opportunistic house buyers who spot a house that takes their fancy and telephone to book a viewing on impulse alone. This can work wonders with those properties requiring a little additional exposure, such as those that have sat on the market for several months.

Not only can such signage drive interest among potential buyers, but it also works in conjunction with word-of-mouth referrals to spread news of the property much further than the initial group of people walking past the house in question. It’s a given that most people encountering the sign won’t be looking for a house, but they will likely subconsciously notice and remember the sign.

Then, at a later date, anyone from a colleague to a neighbour or friend may mention that they’re looking for a property in a given area. The person who subconsciously noticed the sign then remembers it and mentions it to the house hunter. This ability to start conversations is where the real power of promotional signage lies.

And the sign alone is often more than enough to get people talking. We’ve all heard or said something along the lines of “That house down the road is up for sale again,” and these conversations as a result of the sign itself boost the reach of your marketing significantly. This is particularly evident in villages and smaller towns where people come into contact with each other regularly, but has the same effect in neighbourhoods in cities as well.

Here to stay

As we can see, estate agent signage is here to stay for the foreseeable future. With over two decades’ experience, we can comfortably say that ‘we know signage’, and we know the power that estate agent signs have to spread word of your properties and your brand. If you’d like to find out more about what we can offer your agency, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call us on 01273 417057

Why use The Sussex Sign Company for corporate signage.

Corporate Signage:

When thinking of a company or a brand, what comes to mind? Perhaps the last experience that you had with the company flashes in front of your eyes, or maybe an advert that you saw which referenced the brand in question. When we consider our encounters and relationships with businesses and brands, we experience an emotional response. Depending on the nature of the experience, that emotional response can be positive or negative.

These emotional responses, founded on actual experiences, are highly significant to consumers when it comes to making purchase decisions. Naturally, if you’ve recently had a positive encounter with a company that led to your needs being met in a timely and efficient fashion, then the positive emotional response that you experience when considering whether to purchase from them again is likely to tip the scales in that company’s favour. A negative emotional response due to a bad experience, however, means that you are likely to remain wary of that company, even if they offer a special deal or particularly low prices.

Given that the associations that consumers have with your brand could literally make or break your business, it’s clear how crucial it is to do everything you can, as a business owner, to make sure that your customers leave your store with a smile on their face. This includes all of the things that you should be doing anyway, such as providing outstanding customer service.

However, your levels of customer service, for example, are determined by your corporate culture, your attitude and that of your employees. There is a far easier way to influence customer perceptions of your business, boost your brand visibility and improve consumer brand recognition. This is done via the clever and strategic use of corporate signage to create an integrated and unified brand image.

The Power of Corporate Signage

Whether you’re about to open your doors for the first time or you’ve been operating for decades, signage remains one of the most critical considerations for bricks-and-mortar businesses. First and foremost, an attractive and creative sign is vital to indicate your presence. If your customers and any opportunistic wanderers can’t find your business, then they can’t buy from you.

But besides marking out where your store is located, signage also plays an important role in distinguishing your business from the competition. The high street is a cut-throat environment and this doesn’t look set to change. Every town in the country has a number of pet shops, bakeries, repair shops and so on. Signage gives you an opportunity to indicate why yours is different and why consumers should come to you instead of your competitors.

Of course, only a small minority of the people walking past your shop are likely to come in, but signage helps to plant the seed for sales further down the line as well. Market research indicates that consumers are more likely to buy from a company whose brand they are already familiar with. So, make sure your signage is memorable and appealing, and your business will enjoy the effects of a boost in brand recognition.

The Medium is the Message

The power of corporate signage to serve as a kind of silent salesperson for your business, brand and products is clear. A well designed and eye-catching piece of signage can help to make a favourable first impression on potential customers before they’ve even set foot in your business. Getting this right is vital, though, because if you get your signage wrong, your business not only wastes the investment of time and money put into the signage, but actively loses additional income in the form of earnings from customers put off by the inappropriate signage.

Inappropriate in this context needn’t mean ‘offensive’. Signage can be inappropriate simply by not speaking to your target group of consumers in their language and thus communicating to them a message that you didn’t intend to send.

For example, imagine a sign made up of built-up lettering that is initially poorly installed. The faces of some of the letters slip slightly, a couple drop away totally. This sign communicates certain messages to any would-be customers in no more than a split second.

Firstly it gives the impression that you don’t care about the appearance of your business, and thus probably don’t care about other areas of your operations such as customer service or product quality, either. Secondly is the suggestion that health and safety isn’t on your radar as a business owner, as the lettering could easily fall and hurt someone.

Then come other messages, some occurring subconsciously in the mind of the consumer, that the business clearly isn’t doing very well, as they can’t afford the time or money to repair and replace the sign. This sets off other alarm bells – why aren’t they doing well? This acts to reinforce the initial negative impression obtained at first sight. Purchase decisions like these are made in a matter of seconds and very often, as with all first impressions, they cannot be undone.

Why Use The Sussex Sign Company?

Getting signage right the first time is evidently vital to your future as a business. To do this, you need to use a signage company capable of meeting your needs. At The Sussex Signs Company, we offer holistic corporate signage solutions where we take care of everything from design to installation.

We are able to do this effectively because of our in-house teams and preferred partners with a wealth of experience, qualifications and ability that gives you peace of mind in knowing that an expert will be working on your project every step of the way.

We also believe that installation is not the end of the job – it is simply a transformation of our working relationship into one where we manage the maintenance of your signs to ensure that they keep turning heads and providing maximal return on your investment far into the future. Call us today on 01273 417057