Does your business front invite a new visitor with open arms and comfort? Or does it confuse the visitor about who your business is and what your brand has to say? First impressions in business do not stop at the networking event or sales presentation, but continue through to other interactions in the physical world as well.
Professionally created signage can have an enormous impact on both your external branding (what your clients and prospects see through physical and digital marketing) and internal branding (what your team members see and interact with on a daily basis within the company).
Well designed branded signage speaks to your visitors in a personal and professional way, and it supports your team members by creating unity in personalities, values and goals.
Along with your printed marketing materials, your place of business is an important physical interaction that offers engagement. What is the feeling when someone first walks into your building? Does your brand identity on paper, transfer over to who you want your brand to be in-person? From the business card, to the sales representative and out to the sign that hangs on the building, knowing how to communicate your brand is very important.
Here are some thoughts on how to utilize your brand to have a positive influence on your clients and team members through the use of signage and wall displays.
External Branding: Leaving a Lasting Impression
What is the first impression that your brand presents to someone walking up to your office or business front? Does your brand engage with visitors before they enter? When a brand takes their thoughts and messaging and brings it into the physical world, a new level of branded engagement is experienced.
A simple welcome sign branded with your company logo can put a smile on someone’s face, but a wall in a lobby that is covered floor to ceiling with the values and goals of the company, can leave a lasting impression on a potential client.
Utilizing a large full color logo displayed on clear acrylic material offers a great wow-factor when someone enters the reception area, and the tagline that is etched underneath the logo provides a unique message and tone. This type of branded display offers a new level of professionalism and pride compared to a large painting hanging on a wall in the reception area.
Custom wayfinding signage will not only help guide a visitor through an office building, but it also provides branded content such as mission statements or client testimonials to be placed on the signage for visitors to learn more about the company, without the sales pitch. Wall displays and multi-dimensional signage can educate people on the history of your company with a timeline that is laid out over the span of a conference room wall.
Whatever the messaging that your brand is trying to create in print and online, visually bring it to life through signage and displays to offer a physical experience to your visitors. By creating that unique experience, visitors to your business will understand your brand and leave with a lasting impression.
>>> Click to check out our virtual shop tour for signage and corporate display ideas
Internal Branding: Building a Unified Path
A company handbook can explain all the business goals and expectations of team members to support the business and create success, but once that book has been handed out it usually sits on a book shelf or desk drawer until needed. The power of internal branding and signage can take the expectations and goals of your company and bring them to life by displaying them out in the open for team members to see on a daily basis.
Interior design is not always at top-of-mind with business owners and many companies bring in some furniture, hang some photos and don’t think about implementing some team morale boosting elements to their work environment.
This internal branding concept provides a clear communication channel to the team members throughout the company and creates a unified understanding and path to the ultimate goals of the business. Placing wall graphics or display signs with your company’s mission statement and core values around the building allows every team member to understand what needs to be accomplished. Once they understand and are practicing these methods daily, the unity grows, new ideas are formed and everyone is focused in the same direction.
The same strategy for creating a good first impression from an external branding point-of-view is also effective in the hiring process for a company. If your company’s internal branding is lacking or doesn’t provide some positive influence on working at your company, potential hires may think that your brand doesn’t fit with their values and you may be missing out on a great employee.
Bring attention to important elements from your company handbook through the use of outdoor/indoor signage and wall displays. Keeping that information out in the open and available for all team members to see will help drive home your brand’s message and goals. Adding elements of inspiration and company messaging won’t only benefit those who work at your company, but it can have a positive effect in obtaining new hires as well.
When it comes to signage and displays, IntegriPrint offers unlimited. Contact us to start the conversation for your next signage and wall display project: 763-682-3750 | clientcare@integriprint.com.
