For small independent business owners and multinational corporations alike, signage is not something that often gets as much attention or preparation as it deserves. Whether we’re talking window signage, promotional LED lighting, billboards or even sky signs; businesses have a tendency to underestimate the work required to keep these branded assets in optimal condition.
As a result, signage can get neglected and ultimately become a poorly maintained asset that conveys an unfavourable branding message to your target audience.
Let’s pretend you’ve recently bought an investment property and converted it into an Airbnb. Maybe you’re averaging one booking a week, for the duration of 3 or 4 nights at a time. You might decide it’s well within your capacity to take on the cleaning between stays yourself. After all, you usually have half a week at a time to pop over and wash the sheets, do the dishes, take out the trash and all the other tasks.
Now let’s say you decide that you have a knack for managing Airbnb’s, so you expand your enterprise to include a dozen investment properties over the space of a few years – now they’re all Airbnb’s, and your average booking rate has become more frequent as tourism continues to grow in your area.
Unless you’re Mary Poppins, chances are it’s becoming extremely difficult to bring all these properties back to impeccable condition between each stay, and revenue is high enough now that you can justify employing a professional cleaning service to carry out this task for you.
Why project management is important
Imagine the load off your mind to outsource the cleaning and leave it in the capable hands of a professional service. What’s the takeaway here? Cleaning multiple properties in multiple locations at multiple different times is a large-scale project, and like any undertaking of that scale, it requires efficient project management in order to run smoothly.
Signage is no different. Consider that McDonald’s has over 38,000 locations in 100+ countries across the globe. All these venues have iconic signage which needs to be kept in pristine condition at all times, or else risk a decline in customer sentiment around the world.
What’s the benefit of project management in regards to signage?
For large businesses that are designing a new brand to roll out to their stores, they need a team of internal resources with practical knowledge on the process (from signage design to project management/implementation) to work alongside them.
Does your organisation have the knowledge to process permit applications? Does your team have an understanding of the difference around materials and their practical applications, especially in varying climates?
Even if your organisation outsources a supplier, how do you go about maintenance? How will your organisation track each asset so that you’re on top of maintenance schedules? If a sign falls down or deteriorates, how do you replace it efficiently?
How does the contractor who will fix it know the details of your signage – colours, materials, measurements, site complexities? All of this needs to be managed in a system or by a single point of contact who you can liaise with; someone who can manage all these aspects for you. These projects take lots of time and effort, and it takes it away from your key tasks. If you want it done right and efficiently, leaving you time to do what your role entails, you need a specialist.
SignManager provides comprehensive end-to-end signage management for all your branded assets
At SignManager, we specialise in navigating all of the complexities behind sign management outlined above – we’ve been doing it for years, working closely alongside global organisations with thousands of branded assets to maintain.
From resource checkers and council application administrators to creative graphics teams and a well established supplier network in every location you require sign installation; we are well equipped to accommodate your project management needs.
Our expert team of consultants considers everything from the large-scale logistics to the intricate details. For example, you could agree on a material but what if one of your stores is near the ocean? That specific site might need a particularly resistant coating or material.
How do you track what that might be exactly, and how to make sure it still looks consistent with a site in a suburb where it gets direct sun exposure for a prolonged period? And when you’re engaging with maintenance for the site in five years’ time, how does a contractor know what coating or material was used previously?
Our job is to make sure your brand remains consistent across all your sites, so that customers enjoy a cohesive and professional experience from store to store.
Speak to our consultants about your signage management needs today
Our team is here to walk you through the process of tailoring a personalised signage management project to cater for your organisation’s needs. Whether you’re seeking facilities management, fitouts, artwork and design or professional advice from experienced sign management consultants, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
