As with measuring a new sign's effectiveness, evaluating your existing signs will require assessing readership. Sign companies often offer this service, however you can also conduct simple customer surveys in which you ask your customers a series of questions about your existing signs, such as the words, colors, and size, and whether they can even recall what it looks like from memory. Open discussions like this, with your customers, will provide valuable insights. You may discover that customers remember the graphic or image on the sign, but not the business name, or maybe it's the color that stands out in their memory. Listen closely and carefully, because these are answers that can help you determine not only the effectiveness of your existing sign, but also suggestions about what you might do differently with a new sign.
Remember to thank your customers for their time and input after the survey with a tangible item that further reinforces your business' product or service. You might extend a discount for future services, or present them with a gift related to your business (a mouse pad from a computer store, a coupon for the daily special from your cafe, or similar).
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