Your sign is just one way of advertising your business. Most small businesses, though, can’t afford large ad campaigns. If done right, your sign is an economical way to get out your message.

Since 1997, the sign company Signtronix has sponsored an annual survey. It asks questions of random customers who've visited businesses for which Signtronix made a sign. One question is, "How did you learn about this business?" The survey reveals that nearly half of these customers learned about a business because of its sign.

The California Electric Sign Association and the International Sign Association published a two-part study on the results of on-premise sign performance. Part I measured the impact that signage had on sales at each of 162 southern California locations of a fast-food chain. It found that one additional on-premise sign increased annual sales by 4.75%. Part II analyzed seven years of weekly sales data for Pier 1 Imports, a national chain retailer of furniture and gift items. It found that when a new sign was added on a previously blank side of a building, sales increased anywhere between 2.5% and 7.1%.

These results show that signs (1) effectively speak to potential customers, and (2) are the most effective form of advertising for these small independent businesses. If you don't have an effective sign, then advertising money spent on other media is going to waste.