Expand Your Brand’s Reach in the Area Beyond Your Physical Store
If you’ve ever felt that the static location and four walls of your store or office have limited your ability to spread brand awareness physically, then don’t be afraid to branch out. Your physical marketing and branding efforts don’t have to start and end in the physical space that your store occupies, after all.
Hire the talents of a good graphic designer and outdoor sign maker and start putting your brand name out there!
Statistics Back Your Use of Outdoor Signage to Drive Foot Traffic
Ads have a bad rep for being ineffective because consumers have become “sign-blind.” But the phenomenon seems mostly to affect its digital iterations. Meanwhile, outdoor signage, those located on the storefront or the premises, especially, have been proven to drive foot traffic by up to 50% for the shop or business.
The percentages vary for each industry, but physical outdoor signs encourage consumers to shop on impulse. Service stations, fast-food restaurants, and convenience markets, as well as smaller-scale shopping centers, have benefited most from this situation (45%, 40%, and 35%, respectively). Sit-down restaurants, warehouse stores, and supermarkets also get an uptick in outdoor sign-related foot traffic.
Ad Quality Equates to Business Quality
Our brains are hardwired to make snap judgments and draw split-second associations. Thus, first-impressions are more important than you probably already think. If you display well-made and designed signage, your potential clients are more likely to draw parallels between their quality with the products or services you deliver. An impressive two-thirds (68%) of respondents of the FedEx Office Survey said that they believed this.
Meanwhile, around half (52%) of those surveyed said that the opposite-poorly made or misspelled signs-discouraged them from entering a store.
Brand Visibility to New Markets
Almost 20% of the US population relocates every year, according to date from the Census Bureau. This means that you’ll need to draw in more customers to replace them. Fortunately, 85% of your business should live within a five-mile radius of your physical store. Post some quality outdoor signage in the area to let them know about and familiarize themselves with your brand.
If they already have you at the back of their minds from frequent exposure, it will be a no-brainer to get them to come to you once they need a product or service you offer.
Now that you know they work, how do you make outdoor signs that draw consumers?
Outdoor Signage that Get Your Brand Noticed
Like all manner of signs, you’ll have to design your outdoor signage carefully to maximize its exposure to potential customers. Aim to be concise. Only include your core message in the text; overloading your design with long-winded explanations and block texts only serve to deter the customer from reading. Your sign might even drive them away!
Next, make sure that your signage displays high-contrast elements. This enables the eye to make out what your text says on a stark background. Forego the addition of finicky images, too. They’re distracting. Your customers will reward you for making their part easier by being more open to your message.
Another thing to think about: People draw in people. Have an employee accompany your outdoor signage, if you can. More than good graphics and excellent quality signage materials, your customers are drawn to other people.
It might be true that we’ve gone through a digital revolution, but that doesn’t mean good old physical signage has become obsolete. With a well-designed, manufactured, and positioned samples, you can still drive foot traffic to your physical store.
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Ken Boyd
Author: Cost Accounting for Dummies, Accounting All-In-One for Dummies, The CPA Exam for Dummies and 1,001 Accounting Questions for Dummies
(email) ken@stltest.net
(website and blog) https://www.accountingaccidentally.com/