Signs Express has commissioned an independent research company to poll more than 1000 businesses across the UK in order to better understand the role that signage plays in overall business marketing and branding strategies. The results will help the company to better anticipate and respond to customer needs and identify their priorities and concerns.
The results show that the top three choices for marketing a business from scratch are a website (81%), an exterior sign (56%) and printed brochures or leaflets (48%). The least popular choices include an advert in the Yellow Pages (8%) and a two-week billboard poster campaign (6%). Online advertising of products and services is favoured by a quarter (25%) of businesses surveyed.
Looking in more detail at corporate views on traditional signs, graphics and displays; over three quarters (76%) of UK businesses said that these elements play in important role in their marketing activity. Main exterior signs ranked as the most important (43%); while vehicle graphics (36%), exhibition displays (19%) and entrance gate signs (19%) also proved popular.
Craig Brown, Managing Director at Signs Express, says: “In today’s digital age, a company website will always be an essential part of the marketing mix. Our research proves that exterior signs, which have been around for hundreds of years, are however still holding their own; coming second in the top three choices for effectively marketing a business. It is interesting that Yellow Pages advertising, another traditional option, by contrast, was ranked far lower; with support from just 8% of respondents. Businesses realise that exterior signs play an incredibly important role in brand marketing, not to mention being an essential tool for visitors, customers and staff.”
Craig Brown continues: “Our research also showed that exterior signs, printed brochures and leaflets are far more important to businesses’ marketing activity than online advertising - underlining the strengths of the traditional printing process. Each Signs Express centre is fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment, which enables us to design, print, manufacture or install almost all forms of exterior signage to meet our customers’ briefs and budgets exactly.”
