Every day, whilst we go about our personal business, we see signage in many different forms and settings – even when we are not looking for it!
Street signs, health and safety signs, road signs, as well as retail and business advertising signage on every high street hit us from all directions. Whilst some signage is there for functional, practical purposes, much of the signage has been designed and placed to generate business for companies.
Here are a few examples of how different forms of signage works:
- Signage is king for advertising
- Signage effortless grabs attention
- Signage provides repeated brand reinforcement
- Wayfinding can be a marketing tool
Signage is king for advertising
The main reason businesses will invest in signage will be to help market and advertise their business products or services. Marketing vehicles such as advertising posters on hoardings or in shop windows are commonplace, but outdoor banners and posters can be seen in other business environments like conventions and trade fayres, in shopping malls and precincts, and just about any available area which attracts heavy footfall!
Effortless attention grabbing
The first job of promotional signage is to attract attention, and therefore business – making that all-important first impression is a major function of advertising signage. A well-designed and professionally printed poster, flag or outdoor banner will attract attention and draw people to your business and its’ message. They can be produced in any size making them an attractive advertising option for any marketing environment.
Whilst many businesses will utilise signage tools like posters, advertising boards on pavements and window displays, others make use of the slightly less conventional marketing tools such as vehicle wraps. A company van or car constantly driving around an area displaying your corporate name, colours, and logo, will catch the attention of hundreds of people every day and is a very cost-effective form of advertising!
Repeated brand reinforcement
Marketing signage doesn’t always necessarily have to be about selling a specific product, service, or deal. Sometimes it is used purely for recognition! Brand reinforcement is an important part of a business’s long-term marketing strategy – everybody will recognise most of the major brands simply by their logo – think Coca Cola or McDonald’s for example – this constant visible display of these logos reinforces the brand further every time somebody sees them and strengthens their presence in people’s subconscious, automatically making them an option for individuals when they are looking for that sort of product.
Wayfinding as subtle marketing
Wayfinding, or directional, signage is exactly that – signs that help provide direction around specific environments. Places like shopping malls and hospitals will display directional signage, using wall and window posters, and often, printed floor signage, to help people navigate the complex and find their way to specific stores or departments.
In outdoor events such as business conferences or festivals, you will often see businesses that have utilised flag printing and outdoor banners to produce visible markers to give clear directions to different outlets, features, and facilities and to highlight their presence at the event or complex.
Wayfinding signage can also be a subtle way of directing your customers journey through an event or store. Product placement can play a part of this and it can be a way to help promote items that may need a push.
Signage as simply informational
Signage can help to inform people of important messages. Health and safety signage is a good example of this. Environments such as hospitals, schools, nurseries, workplaces, and offices will all have warning and informational signage in place.
Amongst the many different and available advertising tools, businesses will always be looking for the greatest return on investment they can find – short run poster printing is a very cost-effective vehicle for marketing. It is an inexpensive and affordable marketing media that generates great returns for any financial outlay. The design for your posters can be sourced inexpensively through a professional printing company, or you can even create your own poster designs yourself using the available and simple online tools making short run poster printing a quick and affordable way to produce and install posters that can convey your corporate messages and form an advertising campaign in themselves, or as part of a larger, combined marketing campaign with other tools.
Although there are more modern advertising mediums available – online and social media platforms – the humble printed advertising poster or outdoor banner still has a part to play. There is still a level of reliability and trust that people have in this more traditional marketing form. Not something everybody feels from online equivalents!
Printed posters, flag printing and outdoor banners can be used to impart any kind of message your want for your business. They can include graphics and vivid images that immediately attract attention and can marry these images with textual content that will convey a compelling message to your potential clients and customers.
John E Wright
If you are seeking cost effective ways to market your business and want to chat about your requirements, or talk to us about our design service, simply use our contact form to send your questions through to our sales team. Or alternatively, call our head office on: 0115 950 6633.