The Power of Signs

Our tip for entrepreneurs today is about the value of a good sign. Your sign is one of the most important tools in your organization’s marketing efforts. In our recent post about how David almost became a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, he mentioned the shoebox full of Kodachrome slides that has been in our attic for 30 years. We took a stroll down memory lane looking at all those slides.

One image surprised David at the warm feelings it brought back. David has fond memories of a particular sign from his childhood that warms his insides when he thinks about it. It is the old Holiday Inn sign that once dotted the highways of our great country. As a child he loved staying at Holiday Inn because it meant he and his brother got to swim and sleep in a cold room at night.

In a box labeled "senior trip to Florida," we found this image from the motel where David and his classmates stayed in Destin, Fla. (That's Kenny Singleton posing below the sign.)

We’ve been thinking about what would make a good sign for our business dream. Every day you see signs that do not make you want to visit a business. So what was it about those Holiday Inn signs that produced such a visceral reaction in David?

First, a good sign has good visibility from the street or highway. Is it big enough to be easily read from a distance? Can it clearly be seen at night? Are trees or other obstacles blocking the sign? City or local codes will impact the size, type and location of your sign, so work with those folks to maximize your sign’s potential. Does it have enough lights and are all light bulbs and/or neon tubes working? A sign with good visibility increases your company’s visibility.

Second, a good sign looks good from the street or highway. Does your sign look modern and colorful or old and dated? A good sign adds value to your company’s image. Hire a sign company with a talented graphic designer to ensure that you use the right colors, images, fonts and sizes to make it aesthetically pleasing. A good-looking sign makes a statement about your company and gives you a sense of identity.

When Kemmons Wilson, the founder, retired from Holiday Inn in 1982, the company started losing market share. The new leaders looked for ways to save money and decided that the "Great Sign," as they called it, looked outdated and was not worth the cost. We would argue that those old signs were much more inviting and effective than the newer signs, which the new owners would argue were more modern, much simpler and much cheaper to produce and maintain.

The reason Holiday Inn started losing market share wasn’t the signs; it was the old carpet, bedding and furnishings their motels featured. If the paint is peeling off the walls at the entrance of your business, or the parking lot is not well lit, it doesn’t matter how fantastic your sign is.

Finally, a good sign presents a good message. The challenge is to be informative yet simple. You can put only so much information on your sign. Potential customers driving by don’t have time to read a lot of text. Does your sign make it obvious what type of product or service you offer? People of any age know exactly what it means when they see those golden arches from a distance.

Never underestimate the power of a good sign.