I had a meeting with a company last week that I found in a seemingly old-fashioned manner – its sign.

Yup. In an age of digital marketing, my eyes were drawn to a bright, stationary sign on the side of the road that stated who the company was and what they did – quickly. I looked them up when I got home, happy the business owner chose a sign (and company name) that was so memorable.

We so often stress the importance of building our brand online that we can forget about the basics. It is just as important to invest in a good sign as it is a good website because they both have the same goal: to bring customers to our doors.

This was not an unusual occurrence for me. More often than not, I’ll find out about a new business (or a new-to-me business) by looking for and at the signage. And when it’s something I’m really interested in, like when a spa offering salt caves opened in my town, I’m especially grateful I saw the sign.

Nadia Zerka is an account director at Imagine Communications.