Retail signage is one of the most important marketing aspects of any business. Your signage is the first thing that your clients, and potential clients, see when they arrive at your nursery (or pass it by) and it is the last thing they see when they leave. When your signage is done right, it can be an attractive form of marketing but when neglected it is a lost opportunity.
Your signage will always be a reflection of your brand and when your signage is not exactly attractive, you could be pushing away potential customers.
To harness the power of signage, you first have to know what makes signage a wonderful marketing tool and how you can improve on what you already have.
What makes good signage great?
Assuming that the signage you have in place at this moment is not peeling, cracking, washed out or completely broken, you could say that you have good signage. But to truly make the most of what you’ve got and to make sure that you make the right decisions when it comes time to invest in new signage, you should know what makes signage effective.
Big fonts
For signage to be useful to your nursery, people need to be able to see it. So it goes without saying that your signage needs to feature big, easy to read fonts. Smaller fonts can be too difficult to read, and as such you could notice a decrease in the number of customers who come into your nursery.
One way to determine how big your signage should be is to drive past your nursery and see how easy or how difficult it is to see and read the sign. When doing this you should also keep in mind that those who pass by will include people with eyesight issues and elderly people whose eyesight might be waning.
And not only does the size of the font matter but so does the actual font you are using. While there are some truly beautiful fonts out there, some are very difficult to read no matter how stunning they look. Go for a font that is simple but stylish.
Understanding the purpose of the signage
What you need to do is determine the purpose of your signage, which can depend on where you place the sign and what message you intend to convey.
Directional Signage
This type of signage is usually displayed within the nursery and it is used to help your customers navigate their way around your shop. Generally, this signage will be hung from the ceiling, but given the fact that not all nurseries have ceilings, or roof coverings of any kind, you can always place the signage on frames along the side of your aisles.
To save your customer’s time, make sure that this signage is kept simple and gets straight to the point.
Promotional Signage
To advertise what it is that you currently have on promotion and to encourage people to buy these products, you can make use of indoor or outdoor promotional signage. This is where you can be a little creative but make sure that you give them the information they need in order to make the decision to buy your products.
Digital Signage
Quite great for the outdoors, digital signage is a fun way to be versatile with your signage. Digital signage can be creative and the message you display on your sign can be changed however and whenever you like.
Outdoor Signage
For outdoor signage to be effective, it needs to be up to date, looking fresh rather than neglected and it needs to, quite naturally, be eye catching. It should be something that stops passers-by in their tracks and make them curious to enter your shop and have a look around at what it is that you are selling. Your outdoor signage should include a logo, your company name and perhaps you could also include a short list of some of your most popular products.
Know how to position your signage
Signage in the wrong spot is going to be an absolute waste of money. Whatever signage you choose to display, you need to make sure that it is visible and that means following a few of the industry guidelines for good signage placement.
Ideally, promotional signage should be placed at eye-level so it is easy to see and can actually catch the eye, while your directional signage can be place up high, where it is unobscured by plants or other products.
Make use of colour
Colour, when used the right way, can be incredibly eye catching while there will also be an element of psychology at play. Opt for contrasting colours, mixing light and dark hues, has been proven to improve the responsiveness of those who see it.
When considering colours make sure that you think about the emotional response that the colour might have.
Your cool colours, like purples, blues and greens, can have a calming effect and can give your customers the impression that your store is eco-friendly, while warmer colours like reds, oranges and yellows, will create excitement.
Don’t clutter
Whatever wording you display on your signage, you need to make sure that you don’t go over the top. If you clutter your signage with words, there is a good chance that the sign’s meaning and intention will be lost. A few simple words should suffice if you make sure that the words you are using are not packed with unfamiliar jargon and that they are not too complicated.
You should also make sure that you don’t clutter your nursery with too many signs. Just a few in the right places should be enough to get the message across and to guide people to the items that they are looking for. Keep things simple, sleek and professional.
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