Everywhere you look, digital signage is becoming more and more prevalent. Retail, restaurent, education, healthcare, and corporate environments are all experiencing the benefits of digital signage at an impressive rate! But...is it really worth the investment to pursue digital signage as oppossed to traditional printed, static signage? In short, the answer is, "most of the time, but not all of the time".
The true advantage of digital signage (in retail), is quite simply that they have a great impact on sales, and therefore have a higher ROI than conventional static signage does. But why is this? There are essentiailly three answers to this question.
First and foremost, dynamic digital signs command more attention than traditional static signs due to their ability to use motion graphics, and their ability to contain live data such as weather, sports scores, entertainment, etc. This gives your customers "tangeable reasons" to put their eyes on your signs. With digital menu board systems, featured product videos and moving images increase appetites. In the real world, studies continue to show that this all leads to increased sales.
Secondly, space and exposure-time can be better utilized by advertising multiple products and promotions from one screen location. This simply equates to more ad exposure during a customer's visit. And again, more sales are the result.
Lastly, these signs can be changed without the hassle of, well...physically changing the signs. Digital sign content can be easily changed on-site or controlled remotely via a web-interface. Once the front-end costs of digital signs are taken care of, residual and recurring costs are far less. This is due to not having to continually purchase and install static signage. And, with digital signage technologies becoming more affordable than ever, the payoff is fairly quick.
The above point is also what makes digital signage much more GREEN than traditional static signage. It ships to your location one time (vs repeated static shipments), stays up and in use (vs being thrown in the dumpster continually), while using very little power consumption. This equates to a much smaller carbon footprint than printed signage during it's life cycle.
That all being said, digital signage certainly is NOT a good fit for every signage application. There are simply places that aren't cost effective and conducive to digital signage applications, for example many exterior locations, windows, doors, and in many of the smaller key areas that are critical advertising spaces (like on product shelves). For these specific areas, low-cost static signage is still king.
All in all, the most effective scenario by far, is one that incorporates both digital and static signage. With just a little bit of planning, a "sweet spot" can be found. One which offers the cutting-edge, high-impact of digital signage, along with using traditional, printed static signage where it continues to make good economic sense.
Here at Wilde Group, we are committed to the big picture. To your big picture, which is why we offer a full and complete range of both static and digital signage solutions. Give us a call and let our experience work in your favor. We'd be happy to discuss what signage options may help you more effectively accomplish your goals!
Unless you are playing hard to get and want to keep an extremely low profile, you probably have some outdoor signage identiyfiying your business.
Who said looks don’t matter? What do people think of you when they drive by? Like it or not, how you present yourself matters to your business, and your outdoor sign is the first impression people have of you. Primarily, your outdoor commercial sign identifies who you are and it should reflect your level of excellence.
Truth be told, you may be doing some incredible things inside your business, but if you outdoor sign doesn’t give them confidence in you, they may never get inside to see what matters most. That being said, these are tough economic times so it’s important that you don’t give people reasons to drive by, but instead display an image that draws them in.
Let’s take a quick look at the most important components to your commercial outdoor sign.
The Structure Itself
Your sign is most likely mounted on top of some kind of support structure or mounted onto your building. Safety is the first concern here, so you should always make sure that your sign support system is strong enough to safely support your sign, free from rust, corrosion, and meets all legal and local ordinances. Also check any electrical conduit that is used to run electrical power to your sign.
Once you know that your sign support system is safe, ask yourself how it looks. Repainting a sign support structure can be one quick and inexpensive way to clean up the appearance of your existing sign.
The Sign Cabinet
Again, safety first. Is your cabinet securely holding the sign face in place? Are there any gaps around the cabinet or between the face and cabinet which could let water into the electrical components? If there’s any conduit here, is it properly connected and in good condition? Are all of the lamps inside the cabinet working properly? When it comes to aesthetics, again, some paint can do wonders.
The Sign Face
This is the most important part of your sign. It is after all, the part that people look at. It’s the part of the sign that really identifies who you are and communicates a message. First of all, it should have a pleasing design that is appealing. The design should effectively communicate your image to passers-by, whether it’s cutting edge, retro, contains images of your product, your logo, etc. Also, you’ll probably want to take advantage of all the sign face area that your local ordinances will allow.
The colors should be vibrant and not faded. We use a glare-reducing, luster-laminate on all of our outdoor commercial sign faces to insure maximum visibility and color life. The sign should be evenly lit and clearly visible at night.
Taking It to the Next Level
Want to take your sign to the next level. One word…ok…one acronym: LED! LED Signs are becoming extremely popular; mainly because they are becoming extremely affordable and cost-effective. Studies have shown that outdoor LED signs can consistently boost business by over 15%. There are also leasing options that, with the boost in sales, can make this a fairly easy decision. And, they demand attention, communicate multiple messages, and give your business a world-class image.
Our Port City Signs division handles a full range of outdoor commercial signage. From new construction, repairs, and upgrades, to large LED message centers and programming, we can affordably take your sign project from beginning to end.
Give us a call and we’d be happy to discuss your options. In business, looks do matter and we want to help you look your best. Also, here are just a few of the hundreds of commercial outdoor signs we have done!
Without question, interior static signs are a wonderful thing. Unlike digital signs, they live their lives communicating a single message, but they have the distinct advantage of having a much lower cost. Indoor static signs serve a few primary roles.
First of all, they are there to communicate a specific message. This could be sales information to entice a customer, or information to provide helpful knowledge to people (ie give people instructions or directions). Secondly, indoor static signs can be used as a brand or company identifier. People may actually need to know where they are or, if they already know, a brand/company identifier sign can be used to reinforce one’s image or brand. Thirdly, these types of signs can be used as design elements. This can be done using a number of different styles and locations to accomplish creating an ambience or adding décor.
So….what does this have to do with dimensional signs? Well, our studies have shown that Custom-Cut and Dimensional Signs simply catch more eyes than single layer or square signs. And, since signs are there to be seen, we consider this a very good thing! Simply put, Custom-Cut and Dimensional Signs will bring more eyes to your sale, your brand, or whatever it is you are trying to communicate and reinforce. Comparatively, square, single layer signs are, well….boring.
The other great thing about these signs is that they allow you to very effectively accomplish your sales or brand reinforcement while simultaneously adding a more higher-end, cutting-edge feel to your environment.
These signs can be custom-cut, single-layer signs made from a variety of affordable materials and range up to higher-end substrates with multiple spaced layers, and everything in between. We can custom cut these signs into virtually any size and unique shape. We can digitally print full color images onto these signs and use specialty vinyls to give you an expensive look without the expensive price.
Here at Wilde Group, we have the latest cutting-edge equipment designed to create these types of signs. You may be surprised at how affordably you can step up your interior static signage and how effective this type of signage can be! In the marketplace, these Custom-Cut and Dimensional Signs continue to tell us something: It’s no longer hip to be square.
See some example of these products, click on either of the article photos or click HERE.
Retail, restaurent, education, healthcare, and corporate environments are all experiencing the benefits of digital signage at an impressive rate! But...is it really worth the investment to pursue digital signage as oppossed to traditional printed, static signage? In short, the answer is, "most of the time, but not all of the time".
Lastly, these signs can be changed without the hassle of, well...physically changing the signs. Digital sign content can be easily changed on-site or controlled remotely via a web-interface. Once the front-end costs of digital signs are taken care of, residual and recurring costs are far less. This is due to not having to continually purchase and install static signage. And, with digital signage technologies becoming more affordable than ever, the payoff is fairly quick.
