It’s not enough to have a sign. Your business signage needs to be invigorated with a specific purpose. Here at Sign It Quick, we make sure to add the right marketing mindset to every sign that we do. But we also invite you to learn marketing so you never have to struggle for customers again. Here are some of the most important basic lessons in marketing that you’ll want to keep in mind as you shop for your next business sign:

#1: Think bigger than your business.

When you talk about marketing with a lot of business owners, a lot of them tend to make the same excuse for why they can’t add more marketing. “We’re just a local retailer.” “We’re just a local restaurant.” “We’re just…X, Y, and Z.”

If you think like a small business, you’re going to remain a small business.

“Go to the trade shows of every other industry,” says Frank AuCoin, founder of Sign It Quick, in our Free Marketing CD. “Even if you think it doesn’t relate. … Always go to other peoples’ trade shows … and see how they’re marketing their product or service. People listening to this need to sit down, how many ways am I flowing information to my clients?”

#2: Don’t have “mental myopia.”

Myopia, or near-sightedness, is easily fixed with a trip to the optometrist for the right glasses. When it comes to your business, however, mental myopia isn’t always so easily cured.

Mental myopia is usually what happens when you see only one or two specific ways to reach customers and clients—and that’s it. A restauranteur, for example, who sees the benefit of pairing with another local business to offer two-for-one deals is thinking outside the box. A restauranteur who only thinks in terms of changing their menu? They’re not flowing information to their customers. And that’s where signage comes in, especially temporary signs like Business Yard Signs: being able to take an idea and flowing that information to potential customers so you reach a new and untapped market.

#3: Cast a variety of nets.

“It’s really literally impossible for anybody to keep up with you if you are doing lots of information flows, lots of different distribution channels,” says AuCoin. Many businesses might do well with one type of information flow—they get enough customers to stay afloat. But these businesses will never be able to keep up with a competitor who seeks out different channels to reach their customers.

For example, if you run a plumbing business solely out of the yellow pages, you might have enough customers to keep your schedule full enough. But if you add vehicle wraps and graphics to your arsenal, suddenly your information flow has doubled. You’ll attract new customers that otherwise don’t look to the yellow pages for their plumbing services—and you’ll be able to expand your business and grab a larger section of the market.

Want to cast a new net for your business? Then it’s time to request a quote with Sign It Quick and find out what new avenues you can explore to add new customers.