When putting together a marketing strategy, it is very common to have a list of one or more goals to accomplish while targeting a specific market or audience. Some companies use promotional items, others invest in online marketing… Some might even launch a direct mail campaign while others choose signage and trade shows to grow their exposure. The bottom line is to strengthen relationships with your customers and stay top of mind. The following are four key elements to include in your goals when promoting your business:

• Awareness – If you are a new company or working on introducing a new product/service into the marketplace, your goal should be geared towards aligning marketing initiatives to assist in focusing on building awareness and establishing a strong identity.
• Information – Your marketing efforts play a major role in helping your customers make a decision when they are in the search stage contemplating the purchase of a specific service and/or product. The information and presentation of your marketing initiative should explain your offerings and help you establish strong positioning in the mind of your audience.
• Demand – With the right offer and marketing approach, you should start experiencing an increase in sales as you work consistently on reminding your target marketing of your presence and presenting purchase triggers that meet their needs.
• Branding – When targeting existing customers, your marketing initiative should simply reinforce your brand and build strong relationships while resulting in higher levels of customers’ commitment, engagement and loyalty.

If you are a green company, you are deeply committed to more environmentally friendly printing and sign solutions. Your branding and marketing needs are no different than other companies who do not have similar priorities like yours. Through your initiative, you can still reach your clients in existing markets while you appeal to future generations.

For your marketing collaterals including brochures, signage, billboards, and more, you may want to consider:

• Renewable materials
• Natural fibers
• Toxin-free finishes
• Low-emission products

Although technology might be presented in an appealing way to help you save trees, you need to keep in mind that this is not totally true.  That being said, electric signs might be an option to consider especially the programmable electronic LED message boards or centers. LED uses less electricity than bulb units.

You also may want to look at Latex Printing Options which will create odorless prints making it convenient and safe to be used indoors and outdoors as well.  You may want to inquire if your vendor’s product will be odorless and FSC-certified, GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certified and will meet the AgBB criteria for health-related evaluation of VOC emissions for indoor building products.

As you build and grow your company’s visual brand including logo, exterior and interior signage, wall murals, marketing material, and more, your goal should always be to establish awareness in the market as you establish strong positioning in the mind of customers. One of the crucial key points to keep in mind is hiring the right graphic designer to help you take care of all the important tasks you need to accomplish when it comes to your branding elements.

Always keep in mind:

• Quality
• Goals
• Timeline
• Budget

The following are important steps to consider in order to align yourself and your business with the graphic designer who will help you propel and grow the business:

• Put together a list of specific graphic design projects that you foresee needing and prioritize the list
• Look up local graphic designers through:

1. An online search
2. A call to your local chamber of commerce
3. An inquiry to your network

• Examine your candidates’ portfolio of work and request a list of references
• Determine your budget
• Spend time getting to know your candidates. Although recommendations and portfolio samples sometimes look very appealing, personalities might not be in sync. Get a feel of how the designers work, what their process is and if it aligns with your vision and goals.

Regardless of your type of business, chances are you have gotten lots of competition. There are plenty of other businesses, regardless of size, that offer similar products and/or services and that are targeting a similar target market.  As a result, many business owners are continuously looking for options, methods and tools to help them stand out, grow their client base and take their company to the next level.

The following are seven tips that will help you break through the clutter and get noticed:

• Always remember that you cannot stand out if you are using the same marketing strategy everyone else is using.
• Know that transforming your business also means transforming your marketing approach.
• Distinguish your business from the competition by being more targeted and specific.
• Do not forget that you cannot be everything for everyone. Your customers are looking for someone who can respond to their needs and attend to their wants.
• It is crucial for you to position your company as the expert at what you do. If you want your client and target market to perceive you as the expert in your field, you need to give them a reason to contact you.
• How does your target remember you? What do you need to do to have a stronger relationship with your target market than your competitors do?
• Go the extra mile and build strong relationships with your prospects.

The above tips may sound simple but they can help tremendously in supporting your marketing initiatives and help you stand out from the competition.

Keeping in mind that the end purpose is to stay top of mind in a cluttered market, you have too many options to consider. We have touched in previous blogs on the importance and effectiveness of indoor and outdoor business signage. They do the job for you as they advertise your business around the clock. There is another type of signage also to consider: Digital Signage.

Based on a remote-controlled distribution and playback of digital content on digital billboards and screens, at one or multiple locations, digital signage supports your branding and messaging while helping you create awareness and position your company strongly in the marketplace.

While it is very convenient and easy to update and change your messages on a digital signage, you always should focus on targeted content that speaks to your audience based on location and offerings. With digital signage, you can instantly customize your message to recent happenings or events with which your audience can connect with. No other medium allows you to instantly change your messages as you work on responding to your market needs.

In addition, digital signage gives you access to data related to repetitions, impressions and interactivity.

That being said, it is crucial that you do not underestimate the power of regular signage. As discussed in our previous blogs, make sure that your brand is very well represented and your sign is visible. Also, do not forget to check with your city for a permit process.

With indoor signage, you need to think high impact graphics combined with visual appeal that reflect your brand and get the attention of your clients and prospects. Whether your goal is to design a brand new office space or simply add an indoor sign to promote a sale, you always need to focus on producing visible and highly effective signage and displays in order to leave lasting and memorable impressions on your audience.

• Your indoor sign needs to meet the safety and compliance requirements of your city and property management (if applicable).
• Would your sign serve more of an information source to your visitor? If so, you may want to consider a wall-size artwork (wall mural) or a full-size indoor sign.
• Although we speak mostly about customers, you need to always keep in mind that your indoor signage also leaves lasting impressions on your staff and employees.
• Your sign needs to include visuals/graphics that pop and stand out to attract attention.
• Consider your colors and shapes.
• Don’t forget about indoor lighting… is it good enough to help your sign stand out?
• Would window lettering work for your space and business model?

These are some key points for you to consider when thinking about indoor signage. Once your clients are at your venue, it is your opportunity to impress them and provide them with an overall unforgettable experience.

You see signs wherever you go. As discussed in previous blogs, signs are mainly used for business purposes because they are effective and relatively inexpensive. They do the job for you as they advertise your business around the clock. Not only can you increase your visibility with business signage, but you can also grow your business measurably by attracting prospects who will take notice of your existence due to your signage.

The following includes a list of sign types to consider for your business:

–          Outdoor building signs

–          Interior signage for your lobby

–          Construction signs

–          Wall murals

–          Real estate signage

–          Building directories

–          Retail signs

–          Free standing monument signs

–          Custom building signs

–          Custom banners

And do not forget about the mobile signage that could be displayed on vehicles through lettering and graphics. This is also known as vehicle wraps which will allow you to take your business anywhere you go thus expanding on your reach and target market.

Regardless of which way you decide to go, make sure that your brand is very well represented and your sign is visible. Also, do not forget to check with your city for a permit process. The last thing you want is to invest in a sign that will not be displayed.

Refurbishing outdoors or indoors existing signage is a great way to save money without the need to go through the process of creating a whole new sign.  Refurbishing signs can even be used for your own existing signage that needs some freshening up or if you relocate and need to re-use an existing sign.

Refurbishing signs is much cheaper than purchasing a whole new one and depending on your city you might be able to avoid going through a whole new permitting process which is usually required for new signage units. Unless you are changing the basics of your sign, there should be no need for you to go through a new city permit process but make sure to confirm with your own city. Also, refurbished signs often can be completed on a shorter timeline than brand new ones.

You may also want to consider continuous maintenance and repair services for your sign as a way to make sure that your investment is being leveraged to its full potential. Any and all signs will experience wear and tear at some point. Keep in mind though that at some point, your sign might need a facelift and this is where you can look into signage refurbishing services.

As soon as your sign starts looking worn and tired, consider putting in a call to freshen up its look through either a new paint job, new letters or even a new logo.