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Marketing 101 - Your Sign

Posted by Gary Baron on Wed, Jun 13, 2012 @ 09:39 AM

When it comes to businesses marketing to customers, it can basically be defined as "the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships." You could also say that, at it's core, marketing is about identifying, satisfying and keeping your customers.

And every one of those steps can be heavily-influenced by signage, especially the kind that showcases the branding of your logo and message.

In fact, the value of signs as marketing tools is as simple to understand as ABC
  • Attracting New Customers: Some studies say that 85% of your customers live within five miles of your business. That means if you want to find customers outside your base after you've saturated the local market, you're going to need to use outdoor signs and other techniques to get them.
  • Branding Your Business: Since so many of your potential customers leave nearby, they should be come so familiar with your brand and business that it's second-nature for them to stop in when they need something. That's only going to happen if there are signs outside and around town constantly reminding them about your brand.
  • Creating Impulse Sales: Chances are, at some point, a sign has made you stop what you were doing and enter a store to buy something. Maybe you didn't know you wanted that item until you saw the sign but you knew as soon as you saw it that you were going to get what you need. Impulsive sales cannot be overlooked and signage like illuminated signs can help you secure more of them.
If you truly want to follow "marketing 101" when it comes to promoting your business, you'll want to make sure you're taking advantage of signage to the fullest. And here are some of the best options available for you:
  • Carved Signs - If you are located near a street or open space where customers pass by often, a carved sign can be a great way to spark attention and build dependable branding. There are plenty of ways to make a carved sign stand out, including making it gilded, sandblasted, painted with vinyl graphics or lighted. Quality sign companies will make durable signs that won't warp from weather or time as well as making sure the paint won't crack. Like your brand, your sign should last a long time.
  • Illuminated Signs- Chances are, your customers don't stop needing things once the sun goes down. So a lighted sign makes a lot of sense. Even during the day, they attract attention and stand out from the crowd. Thanks to technology like LED, the landscape of signage has changed as the list of things you can do has increased exponentially.
  • Monument Signs - If your business is inside a plaza or office complex, a monument sign is a great way to let customers know they can find you inside with a style of signage that stands the test of time and provides a durable branding opportunity. The weather-resistant material should last you for years as your business grows and your brand remains strong. Just like the sign.
  • Painted Signs - Is your business about attention to detail, quality or artisan craft? Then a painted sign might be the best option for your business. A painted sign showcases quality graphics and/or images that speak to your desire for customers to see you and expect quality from your business.
  • Awnings - Sometimes a sign isn't a sign. If an awning makes sense for your business, it can be like multiple signs in one. You can choose from hundreds of styles, colors and graphics that complement your building, logo and branding. It's hard to go wrong with awnings.


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Topics: branding, outdoor signage, carved signs, illuminated signs, marketing, LED channel letters, monument signs, signs

Can your business signs influence a potential or existing client?

Posted by Gary Baron on Thu, Mar 29, 2012 @ 04:53 PM

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!
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Topics: branding, outdoor signage, outdoor signs, indoor signs

Monument Signs, Entrance Signs, all you need to know

Posted by Gary Baron on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 @ 03:27 PM

One of the most effective ways to market your business is to have easily recognizable, attractive, and informative monument signs. Located outside your building, these signs (also called architectural signs or entrance signs) not only announce your location to potential customers, but also create brand awareness that will help bring in new clientele.

Monument signs come in many different sizes, shapes, and designs. They often reflect the architectural style of the building or shopping center they are associated with. They may advertise multiple businesses, or just one major business. The signs that include multiple names may be bigger that those that include just one name, though the size also depends on the company logos included, how far away the sign is from the building, and how visible it needs to be. Some monument signs are painted, while others have information carved into their surface, and still others include changeable panels. Lighting of some sort is often included as part of monument signage. It may be located in the surrounding landscaping, or built directly into the sign itself. One of the most unique aspects of monument signage is design that allows it to blend in with its location while still being visible to customers. It is made to match the design of its surrounding area so that it appears as part of the scenery instead of sticking out in a garish manner.

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Topics: architectural signage, property managment signs, outdoor signage, wayfinding systems, monument signs

Painted Wall signs - Old school but it still can be done

Posted by Gary Baron on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 @ 03:42 PM

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.

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Topics: branding, outdoor signage, marketing, painted signs

Putting your name on a building will improve your branding

Posted by Gary Baron on Sat, Jan 21, 2012 @ 10:27 AM

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.

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Topics: architectural signage, branding, outdoor signage, outdoor signs, back lighted LED letters

What is Branding and How Important is it to your bottom line?

Posted by Gary Baron on Wed, Jan 11, 2012 @ 09:13 AM

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.
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Topics: vehicle graphics, branding, outdoor signage, outdoor signs, billboard on wheels

My company logo usage...can it improve my visibility?

Posted by Gary Baron on Mon, Aug 8, 2011 @ 09:46 AM

I know there are numerous companies out there that are wondering if company logo usage can improve their visibility.

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Topics: dimensional sign, architectural signage, vehicle wraps, branding, outdoor signage, office signs, billboard on wheels, wayfinding signs

Can branding standards move your businesses' bottom line...

Posted by Gary Baron on Fri, Aug 5, 2011 @ 10:11 AM

I’m sure there are some business people who have come across the word branding standards in their business careers, and I’m equally sure there are even more out there who have no idea what it is.

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Topics: architectural signage, lobby signs, vehicle graphics, branding, outdoor signage, outdoor signs, carved signs, office signs, wayfinding signs

The Effectiveness of a Quality Carved Sign

Posted by Gary Baron on Mon, Aug 1, 2011 @ 02:20 PM

In today's market, consumers are bombarded by images and sounds advertising many products.  With attention spans at an all time low, it is crucial for any business or individual selling a product to grab the attention of any possible customer.  By using dynamic, carved signs, one can not only draw in business off the street, but can place the idea of the product in the consumer's mind.

Recognizable from far off, popular brand names like Old Navy or Coca-Cola can draw in heavy foot traffic from the use of their logo on a well placed sign or billboard.  In the same respect, a business owner, either situated in the big city or small town, can increase interest in their store by using a unique, carved sign.

The craftsmanship in carved signs shows that your business has a strong, lasting work ethic behind it.  Not only does the sign instill your product or service in the mind of the consumer, but it serves as a quaint landmark in a shopping district, or adds to the charm of a quiet block.  As a business owner, you can develop a bright colorful logo to fit with the modern pace of society driven by the technological world, or you can fall back to a more reliable, classy medium for your sign. 

Carved signs take us back to the peaceful days when strong values floated on the breezes that caused the familiar carved signs on main street to swing on their hinges.  While a large beer billboard may loom over a dirty expressway, carved signs will always be a traditional staple in shopping districts all over the world, waving customers in.

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Topics: architectural signage, outdoor signage, outdoor signs, carved signs

Finding your business is like looking for a needle in a haystack...

Posted by Gary Baron on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 @ 10:48 AM

Trying to find a business is sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack. On any given street, there could be 20 restaurants. How can an individual restaurant owner make his or her establishment stand out above all others? Passing motorists only have a few seconds to make a decision about where they will choose to stop and eat, and that decision is made with their eyes. Therefore, the one thing that will make the restaurant of choice stand out is an outstanding sign.

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Topics: dimensional sign, dimensional letters, architectural signage, vehicle graphics, vehicle wraps, outdoor signage, outdoor signs, office signs

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