Every year, a lot of money and time alike is spent researching and developing newer and better ways to advertise and reach out to customer and consumers all around the world. Many of these studies are showing that today, in the 2010s, a business or brand should take not one, but two routes to advertise to consumers: commercial signs, and digital campaign ads online. There are advantages to each route, and they can cover each other’s deficiencies. A company will hire digital marketing firms to handle online work such as websites and SEO, while many sign companies may offer digital signs, acrylic display risers, clear window decals, metal sign holder stands, and a whole lot more. An interested business owner in the Portland, Oregon area may search “digital signs portland”, for example, and looking up “digital signs portland” will show many local companies who can provide that hardware. Such signs can often be rented for a fair price, and a search may read “digital signs portland rentals” in particular. How much ad power do signs have, and what types of signs and displays are out there for retailers to use?
Signs and Their Ad Power
The Internet is powerful, but it certainly hasn’t made signs obsolete. In fact, many pedestrians and drivers alike report in surveys that they often look at signs, posters, billboards, price tags, and other displays while they are out and about. And in a store, price tags and smaller display stands easily catch a shopper’s eye. A typical American business today may have 85% of its customers living within a five-mile radius of that business’s premises, so signs and displays in that area can efficiently promote that brand name to many people. A consumer in that area may see that brand name 50 to 60 times per week, plenty of exposure. Meanwhile, the value of on-site signage is roughly the same as 24 full-page newspaper ads per year. And many drivers report looking at billboards, which may promote local law firms, attractions, and even political candidates.
In a store, shelf tags, signs, and posters will compete for a shopper’s attention. They may use bold colors, crisp photographs, and more to show off an item or brand, and many shoppers say that they bought something because a display caught their attention. What is more, many shoppers enter a store without having decided what they will buy, so those signs and price tags will compete to finalize that buyer’s decisions in their favor.
Types of Signs
There is more than one way to make a sign, and a business’s choice of signs may reflect its schedule of operation or budget. For example, digital display screens may have a slide show of images programmed into them, allowing them to act as many posters or ad signs at once. Or, they can even show animated visuals to catch a passerby’s attention. Companies in Portland, Oregon, can look up “digital signs portland” and find some to rent or purchase. These signs may be large and take up a whole window, or they may be smaller ones mounted on the ceiling inside the store. These signs can also stand out at night, since they are glowing. A responsible business owner will also factor in this sign’s electricity use with their utility bills. Something similar can be said about neon signs and displays, which have colorful glowing displays to appeal to customers in low lighting levels. These are often used by bars, night clubs, and movie theaters, or other enterprises that get a lot of business at night.
Regular signs made of plastic, wood, and metal have their uses, too. Such signs may have some light bulbs in them so their plastic face glows at night (thus raising the electric bill a little bit), but otherwise they are fairly cheap to install and maintain. Such signs can be placed right over the door, and this is popular for shops in strip malls. On a larger building, a large sign can be placed on the roof to make it more prominent. The sign should be in good condition and have visual appeal, since it makes a first impression on customers. Quality signs often bring in more customers than shoddy or ugly ones.