Creating a Brand Using Retail Signs, Part 3

Posted on July 19, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

I’ve been examining how business owners can use signage to create a brand—a discussion which I will conclude here. The content aspects of your signage (images you include as well as written content) deliver your message, and it’s important that that message reflects your brand as a whole.

Images make your sign look more-interesting and powerful. Every image you use is part of your brand, from simple product shots to your company’s logo and pictures of your mascot or spokesperson. It’s important that you think about how customers will perceive these pictures. Make sure they’re high-resolution so your sign and your brand are perceived as professional. While I don’t recommend using the same images for all of your advertising, some can be reused when appropriate (especially logos), and they should all look cohesive.

The final brand element to incorporate into your signage is the content. Slogans, mottos, and even unique specials or promotions are all ways to make your brand stick in your customer’s mind. Use content that is memorable and appropriate for your business. If you’re a light-hearted company, use humor. If you market your business as upscale, create a message that conveys a sense of dignity and luxury.

As you can see, branding your business by using signage is an important part of the small business marketing process. When you have your brand elements established, you’ll be able to use them in a variety of ways, regardless of where your marketing budget takes you.

 

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Creating a Brand Using Retail Signs, Part 2

Posted on July 18, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

In my previous blog I began a discussion about how to use retail signage to create brand elements for your business. Today I’ll be discussing two of most-important visual aspects of signage—color and font choice. Customers view a sign before they read it, so it’s important that your signs look like a part of your brand.

Color is a powerful brand element as it ties in strongly with perception. When you think of brands that use the color red, for instance, you likely think of Target and Coca-Cola. These companies have worked hard to associate their brand with a specific color, and this can work for your business as well, even if it’s on a smaller scale. Consider researching color theory to determine a color that conveys the appropriate feeling for your business. The color of your signs can be used in other advertisements, as well as on your website and even in your store. Consistency is key for building awareness and retention in customers’ minds.

Font choice is another brand element to consider. For large signs like vinyl banners, you’ll want to keep your fonts simple and bold so they can be read from far away. Make sure this is consistent with your image, however, as some criticize bold fonts for looking cheap or too simple. Alternately, highly-intricate script fonts look beautiful and upscale, but if they’re hard to read they’re doing your business a disservice—use them for smaller signs, like window decals, which are read from a short distance.

Coming up next, I’ll wrap up this discussion with two more important brand elements—images and content.

 

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Creating a Brand Using Retail Signs, Part 1

Posted on July 15, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

As a small business owner, you may not have spent much time creating a “brand” for your business. This is understandable, as you’re busy paying the bills, selling your products and/or services, and managing your employees. There’s very little time left in the day to focus on marketing strategies. Unfortunately, however, by overlooking marketing and branding you’re forgoing a major opportunity to grow your business. Branding doesn’t have to be a difficult process, though, if you do it in the right way.

When I talk about creating a “brand,” I’m referring to a group of elements that are used to define your business and its mission. These brand elements should be easily-identifiable by customers and unique to your business alone. In some ways the branding concept is tangible as you actually create elements to use in your advertising, but for the most-part it’s psychological—how customers perceive your business because of what your brand elements say about you. The typical branding process can be quite expensive and intricate, but I propose that using retail signs is an easy and affordable way to brand your business.

Signs are the most-visible representation of your business other than your actual products and services. When ordering signs for the first time, think through the design to decide what kind of message you want to convey. Every element of your signs, from the color scheme to the fonts you use, will be identified with your company, so choose carefully.

Over the next few blogs I’ll be examining each of the elements of your signs and how they can be used to establish a brand that connects with customers. Stay tuned!

 

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Bold Strategies for Great Signage

Posted on July 14, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

Signs are a great way to get the attention of customers and build awareness for your business. The best or most-effective sign is the one that gets people talking about it, which will ultimately lead to an increase in business. Here are some unique strategies for your signage which will set you apart from the competition:

The art of the unknown



 

Sometimes businesses will choose a “less is more” strategy, which produces a sign that’s very simple, uses limited colors and as little text as possible. The idea is that the minimalism gets attention and intrigues the reader to learn more. This is a tricky strategy, because your sign should be interesting enough to be noticed but shouldn’t give everything away. Use it for large signs like vinyl banners which will be read from a distance. A great example is the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle advertisement above. When VW prepared to launch the New Beetle, they simply showed a silhouette of it, rather than a full-picture. In addition, they didn’t give specifics as to when it would arrive—that was up to the customer to find out.

Push the envelope


 

 

 

Another great strategy is seen in the Frymire A/C billboard above. The key to this tactic is to be risqué enough for the reader to take notice, but not so much so that your sign is inappropriate or offensive. Everyone’s perception of appropriateness is different, so be prepared to rub some readers the wrong way. The point, however, is that people notice your sign, regardless of whether or not they like it. When customers need A/C repair, they’ll likely think of Frymire, even if they didn’t find the sign to be funny. Use this strategy on your storefront windows to get lots of attention, but make sure you use a window cling (which is removable) in-case the sign isn’t received well.

Expect the unexpected


 

 

 

 

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m partial to the Chick-fil-a cows because, quite frankly, I think they’re hilarious. What makes this such a brilliant strategy, however, is that it’s so unexpected. Using cows to sell chicken? Doesn’t that seem counter-intuitive? That’s the point of this strategy, though, which has certainly proved to be a winner for Chick-fil-a. If all your competitors are going left, don’t be afraid to go right. You might be surprised at the results!

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Signage and Social Media

Posted on July 13, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

Social media and social-networking are huge buzzwords in today’s society. As more and more people are connecting with each other via websites like Facebook, Twitter, etc., businesses have decided to get involved as well. The problem is, using social media for business purposes is uncharted territory. Everyone knows it’s important, but why? How can businesses use social-networking to their advantage?

As a business owner, your goal is to encourage your customers to interact with your business and, ultimately, post about it. When a customer posts about your business, their social-network sees it and is more-likely to take interest in your business because someone they know and trust has done the same.

So, how do you get customers to post about your business, you ask? When customers are shopping in your store, you can use signage to encourage them to let others know. QR codes are a new and exciting concept in the business world. These are barcodes which can be read by your customer’s smart phone, which produces a unique message or coupon which you preset in the code. Printing a QR code on a window cling to display by your entrance is a fun way to build buzz for your business. Your customers will scan the code, see your great offer, and tell others about it!

In addition, print a custom banner to hang in your store, possibly above your checkout counter, which encourages your customers to “check-in” online when they are at your business. Using sites like Foursquare, and even now Facebook, consumers can post where they are at a certain time, which shows up in activity feeds amongst their social-network. Offer customers a discount or freebie for checking-in to your business—keep in-mind that you’ve just been exposed to all of their friends and family. It’s hard to beat that kind of exposure!

These are just a couple of ways to use social media to benefit your business. The goal of these tactics is to build buzz and awareness for your business. It’s less-direct than, say, a targeted sales pitch, but you’ll find that customers are much-more receptive when you take an interest in who they are as opposed to just how much is in their wallet.

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How-to Use Retail Signs in Real Estate Agencies

Posted on July 12, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

When most people think of real estate signage, they first think of yard signs and then think of car signs. These are tried-and-true ways to promote your real estate agency, but they’re not the only ways that work. As a real estate agent, you probably market your agency as a “neighborhood” business. Thus, your agency office itself should be somewhere that people feel comfortable and at-home. The idea is that when someone needs to buy or sell a house, they think of your agency first.

A great way to build that neighborhood feel is to promote local events in the area. Sponsoring games, performances, and other local events lets your community members know that you support their causes, and in return you’re often able to advertise with vinyl banners or posters. The more your agency is seen around town, the more-likely customers will think of you when their in the housing market.

Your office itself is also a great place for retail signs. Cover your windows with custom decals or even one-way vision graphics. These should show your smiling face and happy customers in front of a home, which helps build your credibility and recognition. You’re not just a name to your customers—you’re the gateway to a new home and a new life, so your signage should show that.

Retail signs are the perfect supplement to your yard signs and car signs. They can really help build a brand and a positive reputation for your agency. In a housing market like today’s, every little bit helps, right?

 

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How-to Use Retail Signs in Restaurants

Posted on July 12, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

Restaurant owners should always think of their customers when deciding how to advertise. A hungry customer could be anywhere at any time, so to a certain extent you have to advertise everywhere. We all know, however, that budgets simply don’t allow for that. One market you definitely have to capture, though, is the area around your location, and the best way to do that is by using retail signs.

A cheap and effective form of retail signage is the vinyl banner. You should hang one out in front of your restaurant (possibly along whatever main road is near your location) which entices customers with a great offer, featured dish, etc. Vinyl banners can easily be rolled up and stored away, so you can have a few of them to switch out periodically to keep things fresh.

Another great way to advertise at your store is to print window decals which display your most-popular dishes. Passing motorists will see these decals and hopefully stop in to taste your food—the key is to capture your entrees in high-resolution photographs which look good enough to eat!

Inside your store, a great way to highlight seasonal menus is to have a vertical banner displayed by the hostess stand. These banners look elegant, and they’re easy to maneuver in-case you need to rearrange. The first thing customers will see when they walk-in is your current special. What better way to sell your product, so to speak?

As you well know, there are a lot of restaurants out there competing for a finite number of mouths, so get creative with your signage, or else you just won’t stand out from the crowd.

 

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How-to Use Retail Signs in Spas and Salons

Posted on July 11, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

Spas and salons both pride themselves on the one-of-a-kind experience they provide. They’re selling a service (a beauty treatment or a haircut), and most of the time products as well (skin creams, hair products, etc.), but more than that they offer something unique and intangible—the chance to feel beautiful. You’d think this would be an easy sell, as everyone loves to feel better about themselves, but spa and salon owners often have trouble building up a loyal clientele who continues to bring them business.

One of the most-important things you can do if you own a spa or salon is to promote it. Everyone has skin, and almost everyone has hair, so you’ve got a huge potential market out there. You also face a lot of competition, though, so future customers need to know 1) who you are and 2) what makes you better than the competition. Sometimes your competition is simply the fact that your industry isn’t absolutely-essential. Your job is to sell your business as something customers can’t live without. How do you do this, you ask? Create beautiful, attractive signage, to start with. These signs should obviously be displayed at your location, but also around town, as potential customers won’t necessarily be in your parking lot.

Once you’ve gotten customers to your store, you need to bring them in your store. Full-size one-way vision graphics are great for spa and salon windows because you can create beautiful, attractive designs, and they’re also see-through from the inside. Your business will have privacy, but customers won’t feel trapped inside. Signage will help bring you new customers, but then you have to wow them with your service to keep them coming back!

 

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How-to Use Retail Signs in Pet Stores

Posted on July 11, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

Pet stores, like pets themselves, come in lots of shapes and sizes. From large chain stores to smaller high-end boutiques, there’s a pet store for every type of customer, and every type of pet. With this much competition, it’s important for pet stores to advertise to be successful. Although print and electronic media has proven to be a successful way to advertise, it can often be quite expensive. Since most pet stores are located inside a busy shopping center, I think one of the most-effective ways to draw new customers is to create an attractive storefront.

One of the best things a pet store owner can do for his/her storefront is to feature pictures of happy pets. This makes the owner feel like the store can be trusted with providing for his/her furry friend. Vinyl decals or even window clings work well for this task—clings might even be the best because they can easily be moved around for a new look.

Although pet owners want to pamper their pets, they’re also on the lookout for great deals, so if you’re planning a big sale, use a vinyl banner in front of your store to build awareness. As always, include some sort of deadline so customers know they have limited time to take advantage of your good deal.

For smaller stores, a great way to build loyalty in your store is to feature pictures of your customers and their pets around your store. This creates a sense of camaraderie and friendliness, and owners will want to return to your store to see their picture—they’ll probably even tell their friends!

 

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How-to Use Retail Signs During a Grand Opening

Posted on July 8, 2011 by retailsignsexpert

If you’re preparing for your store’s grand opening, you’re probably already doing a lot of outside advertising. Your market has to know well in advance that your store is coming, as this can generate buzz and excitement for the day you actually open your doors for business. In addition to outside advertising, you should also promote your grand opening on-site.

The first thing to do is hang a large “Coming Soon” banner in front of your location while it’s being built or remodeled. Customers love to have an inside scoop on what’s new in their area, and they’ll tell their friends when they see your sign. Once it’s time to open, switch out your banner for one that says “Grand Opening” or “Now Open.” This, especially when combined with some sort of promotion (i.e. first 100 customers get X product free) will ensure you have a line out the door on the big day!

Outside in your parking lot, you can place yard signs which advertise your grand opening. This will help get the attention of passing motorists and pedestrians and hopefully entice them to shop at your location. Attractive window graphics on your storefront windows will also help guide window shoppers through your doors.

Inside your store, you’ll also need lots of signage which directs customers around. This will be their first time visiting your location, so it’s important that no one gets lost. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll leave! Print posters, or even use window or wall decals to identify the different areas of your store.

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