Let’s talk about cars for a second.

Used to be that every vehicle on the road came with two brake lights. Touch the brake pedal, the car stops, the brake lights flash red, and the guy behind you doesn’t run straight into your trunk.

As time went on, car manufacturers decided to add a third brake light on some models. The idea was that drivers were getting so used to seeing that pair of red lights, some people were just totally ignoring them.

And for a time, it worked. Accidents went back down, and it’s thought to be because of that strange, attention-grabbing third light.

Then, something unexpected happened—rear collisions began to climb again.

And why?

Because now the third brake light was the new normal. It didn’t grab attention anymore.

It became ignored.

Car makers had to find novel ways to shake things up every so often to keep distracted driving accidents as low as possible (funnily enough, LED brake lights are incredibly effective at preventing collisions).

In short, they had to find new ways to grab attention.

Your business is no different—when your message grows stale, it effectively becomes invisible to your target customers.

That’s why it’s always so puzzling when companies invest in an LED sign (or any marketing medium, for that matter), then turn around and neglect it after a week.

They don’t invest any time into getting it set up with a professional-looking design. They fail to create unique content, or come up with even a basic content plan for how and when to change their message. Those companies are basically leaving their advertising up to chance.

Some business owners think high-tech advertisement media are on autopilot. That’s not how it works.

If your company has a blog, you can’t publish a single post and expect it to bring in tons of new clients or inquiries for the rest of your life.

Once you run a newspaper ad, people aren’t going to keep digging old copies of the paper out of the trash months down the road.

An LED sign is one of the best advertising investments you can make for your business, but you also have to be invested in its success to reap the benefits.

Don’t look at LED signs as a quick band-aid for your business. Think about exactly how that sign is going to help you. Is it going to:

• Advertise weekly sales?
• Target new customers?
• Display time-sensitive news or other announcements?

If you don’t know what your sign should be doing, it won’t do anything. Smart business owners treat their LED signs as a tool, not a vanity project.

Think about it—I know there is at least one business in your town, no matter how small, who probably hasn’t changed their LED or readerboard sign in years.

You probably just don’t notice, because your brain has become immune to its message. You already know Hank’s Hardware has leaf blowers on sale, because his sign has said the same thing since last fall.

Don’t be Hank’s Hardware.

This really isn’t rocket science, either. Coming up with a plan for your LED sign isn’t nearly as difficult as formulating a content plan for a company blog or a script for a TV spot.

LED sign companies who really know what they’re doing will make this as easy as possible—whether that’s troubleshooting your software issues ASAP or helping you bring your slogans, designs and media to life.

Key takeaway—your message is a conversation between you and your customer. Keep them engaged and keep them coming back with fresh “conversation topics,” and watch your LED sign pay dividends.