Six Ways to Attract Local Clients with Yard Signs
Yard Signs are perfect for local marketing. If you want a low-cost way to target your ideal audience, spread brand awareness, and more, this may be the answer.
Choosing a marketing mix that’s both effective and budget-friendly for your business can pose a challenge. Geographical location is a major factor. If your business only provides services in a select area, yard signs (also called lawn signs) create an easy way to target a specific demographic. This is particularly important if your business is a home service such as roofers, arborists, external home care specialists, Christmas light installers, lawn care or landscaping companies etc. Let your work do the marketing for you for passersby traffic.
Well designed yard signs are a cost-effective and results-driven marketing option that reach a wide spectrum of prospective customers. What was once the standby marketing tool for real estate agents and political campaigns is now a sure-fire way to get your business noticed. Keep reading to learn six ways yard signs are the perfect marketing strategy for your small business.
1. They Help You Grow Your Brand
If your business has only a single location, the only brand awareness that you’re spreading in your area is word-of-mouth and awareness to those who drive by your business. Spreading yard signs throughout your immediate neighbourhood is a great way to spread awareness of the services you offer and your company’s name and logo.
Since they enable you to grow your brand, make sure both your sign and your work are pristine examples of your professionalism. The last thing you or your customers want is a cheaply made sign taking the focus away from a perfectly manicured yard. Use a quality printing service that lets you fully customize your signs in any color and size you choose to match the look you’re going for. You could even make them two-sided to catch attention from both directions of traffic. Don’t forget to include a call-to-action such as your address or phone number. We have included several best practices in the tips section below.
2. They’re Low Cost
Compared to just about any other form of advertising, yard signs are among the cheapest ways to advertise your local business. Many types of local advertising come with huge price tags. From billboards to TV/Radio commercials, to PPC or social media ads, your small business marketing budget can disappear and provide only a limited source of marketing. They are relatively low-cost option but can help you reach a large, hyper-targeted audience.
Many forms of local advertising require repeated investments to remain effective. TV or radio ads require both production costs and paid time slots. Online advertising requires monthly, weekly, or even daily costs. Even print ads must be produced and then mailed. Yard signs printed locally from quality printers such as Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard help your business stand out.
3. They Target Your Actual Audience
Even the best thought-out digital marketing strategy and execution ends up targeting a high percentage of people who are unlikely to ever become customers. This means targeting customers who aren’t located in your area. Unless you offer a product or service that’s entirely unique, customers are unlikely to travel long distance for something that they could find in their own community. That’s where a yard sign comes in. They only target people who are already close enough to visit your business, so you won’t have to worry about wasted ad money.
4. Increase Your Referrals
Referrals from existing customers are an ideal way to gain new customers. The downfall is that getting customers to refer your services can take additional effort. Even if they are fully satisfied with your services, they may forget to pass on the good word as time goes on. Yard signs make it easy for customers to refer others by letting the sign become a stamp of approval on your work. People will see your name every time they drive or walk by, keeping your business top-of-mind. Signs in the yards of neighbors or simply an abundance of signs in an area can be as convincing as actual, spoken recommendations.
5. They Aid in the Infamous ‘Rule of Seven’ Advertising Principle
Studies have long suggested that consumers need to be exposed to a product or service at least seven times before they’ll decide to buy. While this number has been debated, there’s no question that increased exposure leads to increased sales. Yard signs can lead to far more than seven exposures.
6. They Are Flexible
Because they are light weight and easy to set up, you can regularly move your yard signs around to take advantage of different high-traffic locations. Further, because they are inexpensive, you can easily change or update your message and try out new offers.
Examples of Uses for Custom Yard Signs
A well-designed yard sign made of durable materials can speak volumes about your company. Here are some examples of how businesses can leverage them to attract customers:
- Showcase/promote home services: Yard signs provide a customer endorsement and brand recognition for everyone who views the sign and your work long after the work is completed.
- Real estate: For real estate agents, yard signs are a must to get the attention of passersby and let them know that the property is “for sale,” or “sold.”
- Contractors: There are two key reasons for contractors to use yard signs:
- Proudly announce projects you are working on.
- Provide caution or directions for people to stay away or detour from certain areas.
- Grand openings: Use eye-catching designs in areas around your new business to let people know you are open.
- Sales/specials: Use well-placed signage in highly visible areas near your store to advertise specials and boost sales.
Tips for Effective Yard Sign Marketing
Design Considerations:
- Use high-contrast text and colors in your sign.
- Keep your design uncluttered to avoid distraction from your message.
- Keep your text short and sweet.
- Include a simple call to action (ex. phone number to call).
- Opt. for a larger sign for a better response rate.
Placement Considerations:
{Note: you should confirm with local bylaws to ensure size and placement meet civic regulations. If your business is in Calgary, start here.]
- Place them where drivers are most likely to see them up close and from a distance.
- Put them in highly trafficked areas.
- Position your sign far enough away from your business so drivers have time to process the information and pull into the parking lot.
- Work with a company like Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard that specializes in custom yard signs for the best possible results.
Post-Press
There’s a reason you see yard signs everywhere. It’s because they work! As stated above, there are so many uses and benefits of using them to attract customers to your business. Don’t know where to begin? Let us help you because here at Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard: We Design. We Print. You Profit!
