Believe it or not, about half of a business’ customer base is gained through the use of signs. There’s a lot of hype these days surrounding the way the digital age is changing marketing, but sometimes it’s best to get back to the basics and use the tried and true forms of advertising — signs. Here are a few of the most essential times you need to use signs at your business.

When you’re opening
One of the most important times that you need to have effective signage at your business is before you open. You’ll definitely need to spread the word about the opening of your business using other forms of advertising, but you really need to make your business as visible as possible. At the very least, you’ll need one major sign with your business’s name on it so that people can identify what and where you are.

When you’re going out of business
Another time that signs for businesses are the most effective is when you are closing your business. Going out of business signs are going to attract customers to help you clear out merchandise, fixtures, and anything else that you won’t need after the closure of your business.

When you’ve made changes
The last time that signs are going to be most helpful to your business that we’ll discuss here is when you’ve made changes. Maybe you have a new product or service or you’ve gained a good reputation for having the best something or another in town. Put it on a sign. People are always going to be interested in something new and exciting which will draw them in.

There are a few essentials of business sign design to keep in mind. Make sure that your sign is big enough — an inch in letter height amounts to 10 feet of viewing distance. Make sure your sign is accurate — for example, going out of business signs should say that, or liquidation, or something similar. Your signs should also be visually interesting with good color combinations and vivid displays.