How to Get the Most Out of Your Tulsa Business Signage

All it takes is one trip down Memorial Drive to recognize just how fiercely businesses throughout Tulsa are competing for their customers’ attention.

When you’ve helped as many Tulsa businesses as we have in planning, designing, and installing signage, you can’t help but notice when there’s a sign that’s not doing all it could to win attention and get customers to take the next step.

Anytime we work with a local Tulsa brand to create eye-catching signage, our goal is to help them get the most out of every penny in their marketing budget and maximize their ROI.

At Lektron, this starts by making sure every sign is nailing what a lot of signage in Tulsa misses: the fundamentals of clear and effective messaging.

So whether you’re beginning to plan out your signage budget for next year, or if you’re rebranding from the ground up and getting ideas for new signs, let’s dive into the fundamentals of effective business signage that help you provide clarity to customers and get the most out of your investment.

1. Know the purpose of your sign and the one action you want readers to take.

Before starting any signage project, it’s always worth the time to plan out the exact message you’re wanting to impart to your customers and the actions you want them to take.

For instance, if you’re communicating a special limited-time sale, you want the potential customer to understand what that offer is, why it’s valuable, and how they can claim it. 

Or, if you’re advertising your new restaurant, you want the customers to know your location and to get some idea of the food you serve.

While it might seem like a trivial first step, there’s an unfortunate abundance of signage investments that have gone awry due to a failure to plan out the basic structure of the message and desired actions you’re wanting the sign to communicate.

We can only hope this sign’s text is a mistake.

If you’re not working with trusted Tulsa signage experts, focus on keeping your message clear and concise. Through clear communication alone, you put your signage head and shoulders above the majority of your competition and secure a better return on your investment.

2. Know the local signage ordinances.

From their highly-publicized crackdown on “litter-on-a-stick signs” and no-nonsense signage placement laws, Tulsa isn’t kidding around when it comes to getting the proper permits and knowing the local ordinances to a T. Just one sign illegally placed and you’re facing a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail.

We aim to take as much stress and work off of your plate as possible, which is why we ensure all of your permits are in order and every last detail of your signage’s design and placement is in perfect compliance with Tulsa ordinances. 

If you’re going it alone, though, the City of Tulsa has made all of the legal documentation available online for you to browse.

And when you’re ready to get the permitting process underway, they offer a helpful online self-service portal and hotline to connect you with their permitting department.

3. Understand your sign’s location and placement.

When planning any size of signage campaign, understanding your targeted location is pivotal to ensuring your campaign is seen and properly understood by the customers you’re wanting to reach.

While quality signage providers like Lektron will help you find the perfect location — and detail exactly why that location is the perfect spot —  it’s never a bad idea to drive or walk through that area yourself. During your walkthrough, be sure to take note of a few key items:

• What other signage nearby is competing for your customers’ attention?
• Are there any obstructions that could block the view of your sign?
• How is the overall visibility of other signage during lower-daylight hours?

This information, combined with the knowledge of what’s permissible in accordance with local ordinances, can help you make quality decisions on the shape, size, and angle of your sign.

By taking these considerations into account and taking stock of what might inhibit your customers from ultimately seeing your sign, you can make adjustments to ensure maximum visibility and communication potential.

4. Know how your audience is going to interact with your chosen location.

Equally important to knowing the physical space your signage will inhabit is understanding how your customers are likely going to encounter your signage and interact with the location around it.

For instance, if your restaurant is looking to win foot traffic from passersby in the shopping plaza you’re a part of, A-frame signs along the outdoor walkways could be a great eye-catching tool to communicate your location in the plaza and any special deals.

But if you’ve only got motor traffic near your location, those A-frames might look nice, but ultimately, they aren’t doing you any favors.

As experts on signage in the Tulsa area, we specialize in understanding your business, what resonates with Tulsa customers, and creating the right signage in the right places to get you more customers.

But if you’re going it alone, don’t stress. While taking the time to understand your target area and learn how people interact with those spaces is time consuming, but it’s well worth it to get every ounce of value out of your investment.

5. Avoid including too many visual elements.

You’re ready to get your new signage underway! 

You start out with your central message, you’ve got your business’s name, and your logo. It looks great so far and it feels simple to understand – great! 

… But what about your social media profiles? Your website? Your address and phone number? And your location can be tricky to find from the address alone, so shouldn’t you throw in where they should turn on your street? What about your other locations?

As you can imagine, it’s unfortunately all too easy to plan out signage with the best of intentions and with a focus on clarity, but wind up giving your customers a cluttered mess that’s a confusing chore to read.

In turn, this has a profound impact on your signage’s effectiveness — and how customers perceive your brand. In fact, according to the University of Cincinnati’s 2011 study on the impact of signage on customer perceptions, nearly 64% of customers become frustrated and view a brand less favorably when their signage is hard to read or confusing.

This is where knowing your central message and desired action is pivotal, especially if you’re planning out what information to put on smaller-sized signs where space is at a premium.

Working from this foundation, you’re able to better identify what visual elements aren’t critical to the message you’re trying to convey and the action you want your customers to take.

How Lektron Helps You Get a Greater Return on your Tulsa Business’s Signage Investment

We know how important it is for you to get every ounce of value from each of your marketing dollars. And since COVID-19’s impact on businesses all across the country, the need for peace of mind and maximum ROI has never been more important.

We secure all required signage permits and ensure your signs abide by local ordinances.

Getting into legal trouble is the last thing any brand needs when trying to rebrand or get new messaging out to customers. From permitting to placement, we ensure every aspect of your signage is in perfect accordance with the law and keep you up to date should signage laws change.

We’re Tulsa-based and experts on what motivates Tulsans to engage with brands.

We’re proud to have helped Tulsa businesses plan, design, and install effective signage for more than 50 years. 

Throughout the years, we’ve developed an unrivaled level of insight into what uniquely motivates Tulsa customers to notice, trust, and ultimately do business with local brands.

Our years of experience, branding expertise, and deep-rooted connection to the Tulsa area has allowed us to provide unmatched service and results for Tulsa businesses who want to get the most out of their signage.

And we’re ready to roll up our sleeves, put that expertise to work, and produce engaging and effective signage for you.

Our in-house design and fabrication teams provide unparalleled options & quality.

Our award-winning design teams and fabrication crews are headquartered right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And no matter what material or look you’re wanting to achieve for your brand, we can get it done.

Not sure how you’re wanting your signage to look? No problem. Our teams are experts at understanding your brand, your goals, and your customers and creating effective and eye-catching signage that wins attention and nets you more business.

We’re with you every step of the way from planning to final installation.

We don’t believe in taking shortcuts or cutting corners, which is why our designers, marketers, fabricators, installers, and support teams are with you every step of the way.

Whether you’re in the initial stages of your planning your next signage campaign, or if you’re reimaging your branding and its signage from the ground up, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you get the most out of every cent of your signage spend.