Top Benefits of Directional Signs

If you run a business, you know how valuable alternative forms of advertising can be. Have you ever considered how directional signage can be used for promotional purposes?

In the right hands, these utilitarian labels can be used to show off the best aspects of your business just as well as any traditional ad. Exploring their potential as marketing tools can help you understand why these signs are a critical feature of any business building.

What Are Directional Signs?

Directional signs are signs that help people orient themselves inside a space. They use symbols, numbers, and simple words to label areas and tell customers, employees, and other visitors where to go. You’ll see them just as often in commercial spaces like shops, malls, and offices as you will in institutional spaces like schools and museums.

These signs typically answer three key questions:

• Where am I now?
• Where am I going?
• How do I get there?

Directional signs are considered separate from advertisements because they aren’t directly promoting anything. However, they can be used to draw more attention to businesses as well as specific areas where you want your customers to go, such as the sales section at a store or a new exhibit at the art gallery.

6 Benefits of Directional Signs for Businesses

Directional signs do much more than tell people where to go. They also:

1. Improve Brand Recognition and Awareness

Directional signs might not be primarily intended to promote your business, but they’ll still help you make a name for yourself around town. They tell people where to go if they want to visit you, making it easy for them to check out your business if they’re interested in what you do.

Directional signage can also be made to fit in with your company’s overall aesthetic, reinforcing the branding value of that look. If your company is a leading corporate law office, simple, gleaming directional signs tell visitors you take your profession seriously. If you’re running a whimsical candy shop, brightly coloured directional signs with fun fonts let customers know they are in for a joyful experience.

2. Direct Foot Traffic

Have you ever noticed how chaotic things can get when many people are crowded into the same space? High foot traffic is excellent for a business, but without the right infrastructure in place to help people find their way, the environment may become too busy to get anything done.

Directional signs create a sense of order and get customers travelling to desirable areas of your business location while keeping them out of dangerous or restricted zones. They perform constant crowd control to keep everyone headed where they need to be.

3. Increase Employee Productivity

Showing customers and guests around is part of the job for all employees in many workplaces. However, few businesses employ full-time guides. Every other employee has many other tasks they need to accomplish throughout their workday, and every time they show a customer where something is, those tasks are put on hold.

Directional signs make it easy for customers to find what they need without assistance, even if they’ve never visited your location before. Not only does this help them feel more at ease in your space, but it also drastically reduces the number of questions your employees will have to answer about things like where the bathroom is or where particular items are located.

4. Enhance the Staff and Customer Experience

When you visit a new shop or office, you have no frame of reference for where anything is. Often, the only way to find what you’re looking for is to ask a staff member to help you find it. While this is just part of the job and most employees will be happy to help, many people would prefer to navigate the space on their own.

Directional signage creates a pleasant experience where customers can serve themselves and shop at their own pace, only consulting staff if they have specific questions about the merchandise or the company itself. Staff can also easily get where they need to go without asking coworkers where things are or checking their notes, allowing them to get their duties done more quickly.

5. Improve Safety

Directional signs don’t just point the way to places on your property – they can also be used to convey important safety information. Designating certain areas as employee-only spaces keeps the public away from hazards like machinery and chemicals. Having a sign up will help warn visitors to stay away from that area.

Directional signs can also be indispensable during emergencies like a sudden fire. The last thing you need is for people to slow down or turn back because they don’t know where the nearest exit is. In a situation like that, every second counts.

6. Provide Excellent ROI

Like all signs you display to the public, your directional signs act as 24/7 advertising for your business. They help lead customers to your store and tell them a bit about what to expect during their visit with you. They may even help people learn about things your business that they weren’t aware of before.

Think of a man shopping in a clothing store with his wife when he suddenly sees a directional sign pointing him to the men’s department. Instead of waiting for his wife to finish shopping, he might decide to see what you have in that section and possibly make a purchase.

Directional signs are also an investment that will last through most major and minor changes your company might go through over the years, including expansions, renovations, and mergers. As long as your business’ layout remains relatively consistent, they can stay where they are and continue to serve their functions. If your layout does change, pick them up and reinstall them in their new locations.

Ask Our Experts About Our Quality Directional Signs

Investing in directional signage will help your business stay organized, meet regulatory requirements, and generate additional profits – in short, it’s a win-win. The Sign & Graphics Manufaktur is here to design, manufacture, and install quality directional signs for businesses in and around Toronto. We create all kinds of directional signage for business purposes, including store and office directional signs. Call us at 905-670-0797 or request a quote today!

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