How Outdoor Signs Fit in Your Overall Marketing Plan

Marketing as an industry is in a weird place currently. By its very nature, it’s an industry that is obsessed with the latest and greatest. This usually takes the form of technology. There is always some new tool to use, some new metric to be aware of, and some must have trending topic, like “big data,” that you need to engage with.

If you’re a marketing professional, sure, you need to concern yourself with all of these things. You do marketing for other people, after all. But, for many people, marketing is just one of the many hats that they wear. This is especially true for small business owners. If you own a small business, you know marketing yourself is just one of the many things you need to do. You’re not necessarily interested in the latest and greatest, you want what works and what takes the least amount of time to work.

While it’s true that if you don’t have a digital presence you’re essentially shooting yourself in the foot, digital isn’t the whole story. Not by a long shot. Great marketing still takes place here in the physical world where we actually go places and talk to one another. If you go to a marketing seminar, you probably won’t hear about this one huge thing that is sure to help you build your brand and increase foot traffic to your business.

We’re going to let you in on a little secret and tell you what that one huge thing is: outdoor signage. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. The world’s oldest form of advertising is still in existence for a reason. Here are some reasons why you need to start thinking about custom lighted signs or outdoor LED displays as more than a way to mark your building. You need to start thinking of your signage as the major part of your marketing toolkit that it is. Let’s talk about how your signage relates to other aspects of your marketing.

A distinct sign complements your digital

Many marketing efforts live and die with their social media presence. But, it’s important to understand that not every type of content performs the same. Visual media, like pictures and video, far outperform simple text media. You should be sharing more images to see higher levels of engagement. As far as what images you should share, your signage should be part of it. Any good marketing campaign establishes a brand identity. What should people know you for? If you’re a local, small business, it should be the visual cue that passerby will associate with your store. By getting your outdoor sign further into the public consciousness, you are training people to keep an eye out for it.

The memory effect

Word of mouth marketing is the most powerful kind, whether it’s in person or on social media. There are many ways to get people talking about you. A great customer experience is certainly high on that list, but you want to get people talking for aesthetic reasons, too. Think about it. If you’re located amongst a sea of strip malls, you’re probably surrounded by a lot of same-looking storefronts. But, if you get enough people talking about that huge LED display over on the side of a major road, the foot traffic will come. You accomplish two things here: forcing people to remember your business with an eye catching sign and increasing the chances of them telling their friends about it.

The rule of attraction

35% of customers say they go into a business they wouldn’t have otherwise paid any mind to because of the sign outside. That’s a lot of customers. Do not underestimate the power of attracting attention from people on the street who aren’t actually looking for your business specifically. Get their attention, and they’ll come in anyway. On the flip side, print ads can have a similar effect. A traditional newspaper ad can still attract many people to your business.

Reputation management

Every business engages in PR on some level. Whether it’s sponsoring local charities or providing customer service online, maintaining the integrity of your brand is important. What you may not know is that your signage is a big part of managing your reputation. Customers who view signage as being of a low quality are far less likely to enter the store and actually pre-judge the business as also being of low quality. That may sound unfair, but that’s human nature.

Conclusion

Who knew that outdoor signage held so much influence? Having a distinct, attractive sign for your business is just as important as your Google presence, Facebook account, and newspaper ads. All of these things together are what bring the customers in. That’s why you need to invest in quality signage that will signal the right message to your customers. Contact us today. At Signdealz, we’re dedicated to providing your business the signage it needs to stand apart from the competition.