Those who are new to the world of corporate branding often make the mistake of thinking that providing a good service or product is enough to sell their business.

That might have been the case many years ago, but in today’s business environment visibility is a crucial part of increasing customer interest and awareness. That does not only refer to the strategic positioning of services and/or products in the marketplace, but also to the location of the business and the appeal of its signage and branding.

The whole idea behind signage branding is to create an extremely appealing facade that immediately catches the attention of prospective customers. When they see it they must instantly link it to your firm’s advertisements, press releases and other branding exercises – and they must simply itch to enter the building.

Used in this way branding and signage form part of the company’s overall marketing strategy and sets it apart from its competitors in the eyes of the public.

Signage branding doesn’t only serve to inform people of your business’ location. More importantly it immediately gives them a snapshot about what your business is all about. As such it is a priceless form of advertising that should be given a great amount of deliberation, because for many prospective customers it will be their first point of contact with your business.

The first major decision is where to place the corporate signage. Poorly located signage might totally defeat the object. The most popular placement of signages are on the walls of the building, on the rooftop, awnings – or it can even stand alone in front of the building.

In this regard it is very important that there is nothing that could fully or partially obstruct the view of the signage, especially not for passing drivers. The signage should also be visible during both daytime and nighttime.

Another crucial consideration is that corporate signage should send a message about the company. It should be large enough to be visible even from far away – and people should be able to read the signage (not just see it) from a considerable distance.

Also be sure to make proper use of your business logo and its colors in corporate signage. This will imprint a vision in potential customers’ minds that will over time become so familiar that, wherever they see it again, immediately sends the message: “I know and trust these people.’

Many businesses make the mistake of spending good money on commercial signage, and then allowing it to literally go to pieces as the years go by. This is a major blunder if you are interested in portraying an image of a professional, successful business.

A good idea is to update your signage from time to time to keep consumers interested and to underscore the fact that this is not a mickey mouse operation, but a company that is going places.

Corporate branding involves the use of the business name as a brand name of a service or product. Just think of international brands such as Pepsi and Coca Cola in this regard.

This is a very effective strategy to build product recognition. Corporate branding is about much more than just spending a fortune on marketing and advertising though. Those are both part of it, but it also involves strategies such as media and investor relations. And in this regard commercial building signs can play a crucial role in carrying the message about your business to potential customers.