5 Vital First Steps When Investing in Signage For Your Parking Facility

Ensuring a seamless customer journey every step of the way.

Published on Parking Industry

6.5 min read

Although digital marketing and online visibility continue to play an increasingly important role in location awareness for parking facilities, parking signage also plays a vital role in referring customers. Whether for directional, safety or instructional purposes, installing signage throughout your parking facility is key to ensuring smooth parking experiences.

Below are several ways you can ensure your parking facility is fully optimized with signage:  

1.     Conduct an onsite signage audit for your parking facility.  

Depending on the size and scale of your parking facility, signage can be a significant investment. Making decisions about what signs you should begin with your managed parking service provider conducting a thorough onsite audit of your parking facility to identify smart placements for safety, wayfinding and instructional signs.  

When it comes to parking signage, strategic placement is everything. Parking lot signs should never be obstructed by other objects such as trees or poles, nor should they be placed at poor angles or heights that may be difficult for drivers to see.

Once the audit is complete, your managed parking service provider's responsibility is to prepare and submit a formal report recommending appropriate signs for your facility, the placement, mount options, design mock-ups, proposed materials, and pricing for each. 

2.     Consider investing in electronic signage.

It is no secret that digital and electronic displays such as illuminated signs are the most effective at capturing the attention of potential customers. This is why they require a substantial investment upfront, both from a monetary and resource point of view. When investing in digital signage, it is vital to start by researching municipal bylaws and permit requirements. From this, you will discover how large of a sign you can install and if the electrical infrastructure exists.  

The next step is to source a vendor that can supply the hardware and software. When this time comes, it's essential to ensure you are prepared with whether the sign will be double-sided, display visuals or scrolling text and how far the sign will need to be read. 

In addition to hardware specifications, don’t forget to inquire about the software needed to display and update messaging. For example, does the sign connect to a backend central management system that allows you to update visuals and messaging?

Once you finalize the hardware and software specifications, you must select an electrical contractor to install the digital sign. More often than not, your parking technology suppliers can do this on your behalf. 

3.     Decide on the look and feel of your print parking signage. 

The look and feel of your parking signage play a crucial role in brand awareness and customer service. During initial discussions, it’s important to inform your sign supplier of whether or not you want the signage to display your brand, your parking supplier's brand, or be co-branded.

Believe it or not, the answer to this is not always simple. As you know, the nature of parking comes with customer service complexities. As a result, the brand displayed on parking signage is usually the organization that manages parking customer service.

Suppose you choose to proceed with your organization's brand on the signage. In that case, it is important to provide your signage supplier with a copy of your brand manual for brand integrity management.

In addition to brand management, using sans serif fonts and ensuring high colour contrast between the parking sign's messaging and background colour will provide your visitors with an easy and accessible parking experience. Today, many leading organizations such as international airports have begun deploying braille on their signage and pay station decals to enhance accessibility throughout their parking facilities.

4.     Ensure the messaging on your signage meets municipal bylaws, protects your organization as well as your visitors.

Installing highly visible signage throughout your parking lots is necessary to help your visitors find their way in and out of your facility. Standard regulations require all signage to be placed in a conspicuous location at or upon the licensed premises. Your parking lot signs should include the rates or charges for parking motor vehicles, hours of operation and the licensee's name and address. All lettering and figures should be of uniform size that does not exceed 3 inches in height.

Under the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 915, all unauthorized vehicles that are parked on private property will be tagged or towed away at the owners expense when informational signage is present.

5.     On-going maintenance is just as important as installation.

Once parking signage is installed, it's vital to ensure it is well-maintained and the messaging is updated. It's essential to conduct frequent onsite walk-throughs or monitor the wellbeing of your parking facility remotely to ensure your parking signage remains in legible and safe conditions. Moreover, the current parking rates and important updates must be communicated to maintain seamless parking experiences. 

When it comes to maximizing your location awareness, onsite parking signage plays a key role. Ensuring your signage is placed correctly throughout your facility, is easily legible and up to date, and is well-maintained will create an easy and safe parking experience for all.

References

Tse, H. (2021, May 10). How to increase parking revenue with signage. Parking Industry. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.parkingindustry.ca/parking-management/how-to-increase-parking-revenue-with-signage?rq=signage.

Tse, H. (2021, May 10). Smart Solutions for parking wayfinding. Parking Industry. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.parkingindustry.ca/parking-management/smart-solutions-for-parking-wayfinding?rq=signage.

Parking signage & wayfinding - precise ParkLink: Parking management services. Precise ParkLink | Parking Management Services. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.preciseparklink.com/ps-parking-facility-signage-services.