Signs with easily changeable content are a must for businesses seeking to inform potential customers of what they have to offer. However, sometimes this advertising tool is not used to its full potential. If the content of the sign is outdated, it may be misleading and could confuse customers.

According to Tom Dalton, the owner of Signs Direct, content should be changed often; either daily for the best results or seasonally if you don’t have enough content to go around. But the frequency with which you change content also depends on the type of business.

“Some businesses have more to say,” Dalton says. “Restaurants should have a constant flow of content. They can advertise daily lunch specials and deals regularly.”

One idea he suggests is to purchase a handful of different signs and rotate them weekly to save money on printing, or leave an area for a dry erase board to write a daily special. Mechanics and other auto service businesses could also have several different signs and rotate them on slow days, advertising offers like – “Free Car Wash With Oil Change.” Bars and venues that host event nights and entertainment can advertise daily drink specials and weekly events like “Karaoke Night” or “Live Music”. Clothing and other retail stores could use different signs for every holiday and seasonal promotion.

Consumers are more likely to read content that has changed with some frequency over static signs that have been in the same spot with the same stale content for the past 10 years. Dalton says it’s important to refrain from letting your advertising signs become ornamentation and not something that contains current information. They should contain current, useful, actionable information.

Other types of signs, like those used for establishing an identity or signs that are directional, do not need to be changed nearly as often. Examples are things like the logo on a door or a lighted pylon sign out by the street. These can remain the same for a decade or more, Dalton says.

Eventually, these signs should also be updated to give the business a fresh, new look and attract new customers, but not as often as advertising signs. Business owners can reference how often major companies change these types of signs, which is usually in accordance with design trends of the current time and as new technology becomes available.

“If you look up a WalMart logo timeline, you’ll get a sense about how often those high dollar identity signs should be updated,” Dalton says.

Overall, business owners should assure that their signs are fresh and up to date. Content should match the products and offers that are currently available and should reflect the business for which they are advertising.  If the content of your advertising signs rarely changes, customers will catch on and stop reading them which will decrease the advertising sign’s effectiveness as a tool to increase sales.

Signs Direct offers a large variety of signs including safety signs, lighted signs, custom signs, sidewalk sign stands, POP sign stands and other sign components. For more information, or to order call 877-706-4601 or email [email protected].