Did you know that one of the easiest ways for your business to stand out is hiding in plain sight? Eye-catching and unique Open signs are an incredibly effective way to set your business apart from the competition. However, with the most effective Open signs proven to increase sales, how can you make sure that yours fits the bill?

We’re here to help, with over 20 years of experience in the lighting and signage industry. Below, we share our top tips for choosing a unique Open sign that will ensure your business attracts more customers.

Choosing a Message for Unique Open Signs

The most effective strategy for ensuring your new sign drives sales is making sure it’s different from those at nearby businesses. The vast majority of open signs only say “Open,” and customers generally take little notice of them beyond subconsciously noting whether or not the business is open.

However, because so many of these signs look exactly the same, having an open sign that is even slightly different can bring massive sales opportunity for your business. Experimenting with a creative or unique open sign message is the most effective way to ensure that customers remember and are interested in your business.

Showcasing Your Brand Identity

Using your brand identity to stand out can be one valuable way to approach Open signs. This route can be taken in many different directions depending on what you’re looking for. If your brand marketing strategy depends on a lot of puns, exploring that can be particularly profitable, as with SpellBrite’s seasonal HO HO HOPEN sign. If you have a more sarcastic and edgy brand voice (like many tattoo parlors, bars, or smoke shops), perhaps an eye-catching sign like F%@! YEAH WE’RE OPEN would prompt customers to be intrigued, and thus remember your business. For softer-spoken brands, like a cute bakery, a COME ON IN! or WELCOME sign will get your message across while being different enough from a stereotypical Open sign for potential customers to take notice.

Advertising Your Key Differentiators

Why use a simple open sign when you can take advantage of a valuable marketing opportunity? Think through what sets your business apart, and incorporate that into your signage. Do you want potential customers’ mouths to water at the thought of your tacos? Want to attract the late-night crowd to your bar that’s open later than your neighbors’? Trying to draw remote workers into your café with the promise of free wi-fi? No matter what it is that makes your business special, incorporating that into your open signage is a great way to ensure that customers remember you. Creating a custom open sign is a great way to accomplish this. With a custom sign message, you can hyper-target your sign message to your business needs to attract new customers.

Choosing a Sign Type

While print signs are typically the most affordable, investing in an illuminated sign yields significantly higher return on investment because it is much more visible. Among illuminated signs, there are 3 main sign types to choose from, each with its own pros and cons.

Dot LED

The first type of sign is a dot LED sign, which uses individual dot LEDs to spell out a message. These signs tend to be extremely affordable, but they’re difficult for customers to read (especially at a distance) and often burn out quickly. Additionally, while they can shine bright, the brightest versions of dot LED signs use supercharged LED lights. These supercharged LEDs burn out quickly, meaning your sign will likely only last a few months.

Neon

The second main type of sign is a neon sign. These signs use electricity to illuminate a gas trapped in a glass tube. These are typically bright and aesthetically pleasing, and no two will be exactly the same given the fact that neon is traditionally handmade. Many people appreciate neon for the art form that it is.

However, when it comes to using these signs in your business, there are quite a few drawbacks. These signs can be noisy and dangerous to have around customers, with easily breakable glass and a high voltage. They are also typically in cursive or feature connected letters, making them incredibly difficult to read. While neon signs can last for years with regular maintenance, they are also easy to break, difficult to repair, and the most expensive type of sign to purchase. A quality neon sign can easily cost upwards of $1,000 per sign, depending on the size desired.

Neon LED

The third main type of illuminated sign is known as a “neon-LED” sign or a “neon flex” sign. These signs look like neon signs, but use an LED light source. This blends the best parts of the other sign types, mimicking the look of neon at a more affordable price. However, there is a wide range in quality across this sign type. You can find neon LED signs for under $50, but these Open signs are typically not very bright or visible. While they make for very cheap LED signs, they likely won't last very long or be effective at attracting customers. 

With higher-quality sign solutions, which typically range from around $200-$400 on average, these “neon-LED” signs can be a great asset to your business. They have the brightness of neon with fewer drawbacks (though you’ll want to make sure that the sign solution you choose is UL listed and from a reputable sign company).

Choosing a Sign Color

The color you choose for your sign can have a massive impact on its visibility. For Open signs, the best sign color to choose is red. You can learn more about the impact of sign color, but the reason why red signs make the best open signs boils down to the fact that red light appears the brightest to the human eye. Since it’s incredibly important that customers know you’re open, it’s important to make sure your Open sign is highly visible.

While it is tempting to think a “fun” color scheme will attract more attention, this is not the case. Multi-color rainbow signs or signs that can change colors will not be as bright as a red sign. Thus, choosing one of these sign types will hinder your sign’s visibility, causing it to blend in.

Need More Help Choosing a Unique Open Sign for Your Business?

No matter what your sign needs are, SpellBrite can help. You can browse our collection of eye-catching Open signs, or create your own custom sign message.

Want advice from our signage experts on how to get the most out of your signs? Take advantage of our free, no-obligation sign consultations! Just give us a call at (312)575-9620 or email us at [email protected].