Our Blog - A look into our world

We all know that your business will rise and fall on the strength of the product or service you offer.  But what about the way in which your hold your business out to potential or existing clients?  Does that really matter?  Simply put, yes! 

Your business signs, outdoor signs, lobby signs, office signs are a visual representation of the personality and vitality of your business.  Indeed, your business signs, outdoor signs, lobby signs, office signs "brand" your business and often become the centerpiece of visual communication to potential or existing clients.  For any skeptics, consider this...

The Physical Location of Your Business

Your business signs, outdoor signs, lobby signs, office signs act as the first line of communication to potential or existing clients when they visit the physical location of your business.  Imagine you find yourself in a seaside town for a weekend getaway with your loved one.  The town is filled with mom and pop taffy shops.  You pass a taffy shop with a sign in basic white letters that states, "TAFFY". You pass another shop with adorable caricatures of Mom and Pop and with words creatively styled "MOM AND POP'S TAFFY EST. 1956".  You have fifteen minutes to pick up some taffy for some friends back home.  Which shop will you pick? 

The Virtual Location of Your Business

Your business signs, outdoor signs, lobby signs, office signs act as the first line of communication to potential or existing clients when they visit the virtual location of your business online.  Skilled web developers will use your business signs as the visual centerpiece of the website for your business. Times are changing and you know that potential and existing customers will visit your website as much or more than they will visit your physical location. So, the rewards of your striking business signs are greater than ever because your signs are published for the world to view online.  Of course, the flip side is the risks to your business are greater than ever if your outdated business signs are published for the world to view online.  

The bottom line - do not take for granted the affect of your business signs, outdoor signs, lobby signs, office signs on the perception of your potential and existing clients.  They may have fifteen minutes or less to visit your business either in person or online.  Pull them in!

Some are quick to overlook the psychological impact of lobby signs on the perception of a business. It is easy to do particularly for the established business. However, there is no question that lobby signs play a critical role in a client's "first impression" of a business. Imagine this...

Point of purchase signage, also called POP, is one of the leading marketing tools that any retail seller can utilize. It is paramount to maximize this marketing medium to boost traffic and revenue. It makes sense to advertise right where customers are and point of purchase signs do just that.

The main advantages of using signs are:

1. An affordable way that gives a quick return on the investment.
2. POP signs add an increase in ascetics of the store.
3. By directing customers to their needs and showing promotions, sales increase.
4. An affordable way to increase impulse buying.
5. Branding is easily accomplished on-site in a cost-effective way.

Higher margin products can receive increased attention with point of purchase signage. Using color and graphics on signs and displaying them near products that are higher cost will draw customers to those areas. This increases their exposure and leads to more sales. An impulse buy is much easier to accomplish using the signage as a marketing technique.

Retail signage, besides increasing impulse purchases, also establishes brand awareness. Creative and effective store signs will brand a store, even if it is not part of a franchise or big chain. It is more important in a small business to develop brand awareness that does not have the advantage of nationwide recognition. One of the simplest and inexpensive ways is through point of purchase signage. Consulting with a firm that provides these signs is a good first step in taking advantage of these advertising benefits.

Reasons to use POP signage are:

1. Boosts storefront traffic as displays increase walk-ins.
2. Signs with eye-catching designs will attract traffic.
3. To draw attention to sales and specials to increase revenue.
4. Longevity because point of purchase displays last long and can be re-used for long periods of time.

Retail signs are an invaluable tool not to be overlooked. So much is concentrated today on technology that the tried and true methods are often forgotten. Marketing and branding as well as catching and holding a customer's attention, in a cost-effective way, make point of purchase signage an absolute in retail stores. Consult with a signage company that is knowledgeable in this area that can advise on the best colors and graphics. Plan advertising campaigns, sales and specials with the company so the signage needed is ready for display at the proper times. Having a handle on a simple marketing campaign integrating POP signs will lead to higher traffic, more impulse buying, increased brand awareness, and increased sales. Make durable, flexible, well-designed signage a part of the campaign and see immediate results.

Painted wall signs are not a thing of the past but they can be very effective. We have done them and they do add marketing presence to your business.

If you run a business you don’t need anyone to tell you that it is a jungle out there. The economy is tough and competition is cutthroat. With more than 27 million small businesses out there all vying for a piece of the pie, establishing and marketing your own unique brand is more important now than ever. That means making sure all of your branding and marketing materials, from the font on your outdoor signs to the slogan that prints on your cash register receipt, speaks with one voice.

A significant way that you may improve your brand is by putting your name on your building. Granted, building signs don’t come cheap, and there are plenty of sign ordinances and city codes you have to pay attention to, but the rewards typically far out-weigh the expenses. One major benefit of having your name on your building is the perception of permanence in the minds of your customers. Nobody wants to do business with a fly-by-night, and that sense of permanence can encourage both new and repeat business. Outdoor signs on your building can inform potential customers about the type of products and services you offer and can also help your customers to locate you.

In the increasingly cluttered and overburdened public ad space that we live in, it is more and more difficult to get a message through to a target audience without having the attention span of your customer yanked in a thousand different directions.

There is definitely a margin of decreasing returns when it comes to most marketing techniques. And there is definitely an increasing need to stretch every dollar to its last penny. But there is one tried and true method which is somehow still underused - fleet graphics.

Fleet graphics have the most bang for the buck of any advertising technique on the market today. Putting your message on a fleet of cars rather than in a stationary place that can easily be ignored has many advantages.

- Your marketing message will be a moving testament to your business, taking the message to your target audience instead of waiting on them to come to you
- You receive an instant return on investment through the fact that you do not have recurring advertising costs other than gas
- You are advertising your business at all times, rather than waiting on your appropriated "time slot"
- Routes can be changed as necessary to engage the target market

Bus graphics and vehicle graphics are not only a really impressive way in which to advertise your business, but they are also the best bang for your buck! Bus graphics and vehicle wraps go everywhere that you do. Imagine that you are a carpet cleaner and that you have a carpet cleaning van; around that van you have your company logo, along with your business information plastered all over your vehicle, in either bus graphics or vehicle graphics. Now, as you commute to your first appointment, your business is seen by thousands; once you arrive at the business or home that you are servicing, it will continue to advertise your business while it is parked.

Branding is a term that has to do with establishing the name of a good or service in the minds of consumers, usually to the point that they automatically seek out that particular product when and as needed.  The process of branding involves using a number of strategies that appeal to the senses of the target market of customers, including the establishment of quality standards that those consumers recognize and appreciate.  To aid in the recognition process, advertising as part of the branding process helps to establish that presence and maintain a high profile that results in more sales.

The concept of branding is important for any type of business operation.  Cultivating and maintaining consumer recognition will mean employing whatever marketing efforts that is likely to resonate with that target market.  To this end, marketing your business may involve using more traditional methods such as print media, radio, and television ads.  The process may also involve the use of banner ads, splash pages, videos, and online classified ads to connect with the right consumers.  Businesses of all sizes can also benefit from using social media sites that make it possible to build a following and provide them with constant simplified messages that pique the interest of readers.

Using graphics is one of the more powerful ways to reach and retain customers as part of the process.  Creative design with tools like company logos, attractive color schemes for ads, and even labels and packaging can make a huge difference when it comes to supporting the underlying quality of the brand.  By coming up with a marketing plan using elements that work well with several different types of advertising, this means consumers receive visual reinforcement and recognition of the brand, regardless of whether the advertising is online, television, or even vehicle graphics that are displayed on the sides of buses.  

Branding strategies will vary, based on the type of product offered and the resources that the manufacturer can devote to the advertising process.  Crafting the right type of branding plan means more returns in the form of sales. This in turn means that over time the business can trim variable costs such as raw materials used in the production process, resulting in more profit from each unit sold.  Higher sales volume at lower production costs means a more attractive bottom line for the business, something that every business owner wants to achieve.

One of the key axioms of business is this simple statement: Consumers won’t recall what they can’t see. In today’s hyper-visual environment, shoppers are bombarded with thousands of branding images – signs, logos, bumper stickers, online ads, banners, billboards – urging them to choose this product or that service. Some might ask why a company should spend money on branding when there is so much competitive clutter to cut through. The answer is quite simple: because branding works! Studies show that there is more brand loyalty today among the consuming audience than ever before. That loyalty translates directly to your bottom line success.

Branding standards can move your businesses' bottom line