Starting a small business can be one of the most rewarding, and at the same time difficult of endeavors. Having a great product or service if crucial, but there are other aspects that can play a big role in the success or failure of an entrepreneurial effort. For example, business signage importance is one of the most overlooked factors by first-time business owners.

The size, type, design, and location of your business signs says as much about you as it does the goods and/or service you’re selling. It doesn’t necessarily matter how much money you spend either. Sign costs depend on size, material, color, and content. They can range from $8 for a small sign (12″ by 6″ with a basic design) to nearly $100 for a larger sign (30″ by 30″ with more complicated features).

That being said, here are five things your business signs and custom banners say about you that contribute to business signage importance.

1. Your Interests/Expertise: One of the first things a good business sign should do is inform viewers what your interests and expertise are. Whether that’s in the form of directly stating what it is you’re selling or through clever pictures/visuals, you want people to instantly associate you and your business with whatever it is you’re trying to sell.
2. Dedication and Commitment: The average person will see your sign about twice per day, or about 60 times per month. A shoddy, run-down business sign is a pretty good indication the person in charge doesn’t care very much if you’re not willing to spend a little extra money on something so important.
3. Creative Capabilities: Though not the most important thing in the world depending on your business, business signs are a great way to show off your creative capabilities. Again, if you’re selling trenchless sewer equipment it’s probably not as important as something like a specialty cake making company
4. Personality: Business signage importance stems from the fact that it’s most likely one of the first impressions a potential customer will have of you and your business. In the same vein as creativity, a sign that’s colorful, fun, humorous, or informative usually reflects the kind of personality of the owner. The more you can get people to relate to you, the better chance you’ll have of forming a relationship that can lead to sales.
5. Business Acumen: About 50% of new customers say they were attracted to a business by an on-premise sign and 35% wouldn?t even know your business was at its location unless you have a sign displayed. Where you locate particular signs, the information you include on them, and their overall quality all contribute to business signage importance and give savvy consumers a look into your true business acumen.

Fair or unfair a great deal of people tend to judge books by their cover, or in this case businesses by their signage. Make sure you’re sending people the kind of message you want them to think about you and your company.