Cost of custom signs, Larry Elliott Design

The Value Of Signage As A Cost Effective Marketing Tool

We've been in business for over 50 years and I cannot count the times a customer's first question was "How much does a sign cost?" and over the years I've come up with several quick comments, some facetious and some sincere. A lot of the times I've responded with "Twice as much as half a sign" which some found amusing and others seemed to be confused even more.
I guess my best response to this question is—A sign does not COST,,,, it PAYS! A professional sign pays with increased attention to the product or service that it is advertising, it pays with increased sales that are attracted to your business because you have an outstanding sign that lets customers know you are serious about your business. In the chart below you can get a good idea of how the cost of a professional sign spread out over the life of the materials that it is made from can be a VERY economical way to create a business image that only cost pennies a day. A good sign is a good business investment and is within the budget of every small business owner. If you are spending more on a cup of coffee every day than on the cost of your signage then you should not complain if business is slow. The difference between a professional sign and one put together by amateurs cannot be measured in dollars when the success of your business is within anyone's budget of a few cents per day.

An average 4' x 8' sign is in the $700 to $850 range with posts, mountings and installation.
The Intermediate category of 7 year material life shows the cost to be $8 PER MONTH or less than 29¢ PER DAY!
You can't get better advertising value in any other media than with professional, creative signs.

Div. Factor	1	12	365	2	24	730	5	60	1825	7	84	2555	10	120	3650
Initial Cost	1 YEAR	MONTH	DAY	2 YEAR	MONTH	DAY	5 YEAR	MONTH	DAY	7 YEAR	MONTH	DAY	10 YEAR	MONTH	DAY
$100	$100	8.33	0.28	$50	4.17	0.14	$20	1.67	0.06	$15.00	1.19	0.04	$10	0.83	0.02
$200	$200	16.66	0.54	$100	8.33	0.27	$40	3.33	0.11	$28.57	2.38	0.08	$20	1.66	0.05
$500	$500	41.66	1.36	$250	20.83	0.68	$100	8.33	0.28	$71.42	5.95	0.21	$50	4.17	0.14
$700	$700	58.33	1.92	$350	29.17	0.96	$140	11.66	0.39	$100.00	8.33	0.28	$70	5.83	0.21
$1000	$1000	83.33	2.73	$500	41.76	1.37	$200	16.66	0.56	$142.86	11.90	0.42	$100	8.33	0.28
$1500	$1500	125.00	4.11	$750	62.50	2.05	$300	20.58	0.82	$214.28	17.86	0.59	$150	12.50	0.41
$2000	$2000	166.66	5.46	$1000	83.52	2.74	$400	33.32	1.12	$285.72	23.80	0.84	$200	16.66	0.57
$2500	$2500	208.33	6.84	$1250	104.26	3.42	$500	37.24	1.38	$357.14	29.76	1.01	$250	20.83	0.69
$3000	$3000	249.99	8.18	$1500	125.28	4.11	$600	49.98	1.68	$428.58	33.57	1.26	$300	24.99	0.84
$4000	$4000	333.32	2	$2000	167.04	5.48	$800	66.64	2.24	$571.44	47.60	1.68	$400	33.32	1.14
$6000	$6000	499.98	10.9	$3000	250.56	8.22	$1200	99.96	3.36	$857.16	67.14	2.52	$600	49.98	1.68
$10000	$10000	833.33	16.327.36	$5000	417.6	13.7	$2000	166.66	5.60	$1428.60	178.60	4.20	$1000	83.33	2.80

TEMPORARY SIGNAGE - ONE TO TWO YEARS, NORMALLY USED IN PROMOTIONAL ADS OR SALES CAMPAIGNS. MOST BUSINESS OWNERS USE THIS TYPE SIGNAGE IN THE FORM OF BANNERS, WINDOW SPLASHES, MAGNETIC VEHICLE SIGNS AND SMALL 'YARD-SIGNS' FOR SEASONAL PROMOTIONS.

Note: Signage above $2500 not likely to be temporary

INTERMEDIATE SIGNAGE - FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS TYPICALLY CONSIDERED 'PERMANENT' SIGNS FOR BUSINESS LOCATION IDENTITY, VEHICLE LETTERING, ETC. THIS IS CONSIDERED A GOOD AVERAGE LIFE FOR MOST TYPES OF SIGNAGE DUE TO THE FACT BUSINESS OWNERS LIKE TO "REFRESH" THEIR IMAGE TO KEEP UP WITH TRENDS OF ADVERTISING CHANGES.

LONG-LIFE SIGNAGE TEN YEARS AND LONGER. USUALLY CONSTRUCTED OF METAL, STONE OR SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS.
Note: Signage less than $200 not applicable.

These average exterior life of paints/materials are based on years of experience with different products. We use materials that are specified for the job and based on the amount of time it should last. Some substrate materials have a very long exterior life but the paints that cover them will eventually break down from sun and weather. High quality paints and finishes have a limited exterior life of 7 to 10 years, like the trim-work on your home, all painted surfaces must be refinished periodically. Long-Life signage in the 10 year and over range are often made from synthetic materials with the colors imbedded in them or from anodized metal finishes.

A professional business image is an asset, and you cannot build that 'image' with a home-made or amateurish sign. When compared to other forms of advertising, a sign is the MOST economical media in which to promote your products and services. All other means of advertising has its place at certain times but if you do not have relevant signage to let the customer know who, what, and where you are, then all the other advertising is useless, money thrown away because you have no 'Business Image'. Your sign is usually the first impression you get to make on any prospective customer, and you owe it to the success of your business to have a sign that reflects what your business is all about.

A one-time full-page newspaper advertisement will cost a lot more than a 4' x 8' sign, the newspaper ad will be seen by a lot of people one time and likely be forgotten by the time it goes out in the weekly garbage. A yellow page ad can help people find you and what you have, but it is only seen when people are looking specifically for YOUR type of business or service, lets be real, who reads the yellow pages for fun and entertainment, a quarter page ad will cost several thousand dollars over a short period of time. The same amount spent on signage will be seen by many more people, many more times for many more years!

Check Out These
Articles and Web Sites On Signage and Design

    • www.signcraft.com
    • Small Business Administration
    • Differences in Signs and Their Advertising Value
    • How To Purchase A Sign
    • Signs And Your Business

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