Tuesday, July 26, 2011

3 Important Tips for an Effective Banner

If you want a versatile and cost effective method of catching prospective customers’ eyes, banners may be just the thing you’re looking for. As well as being fully customisable to suit your business’ needs, they can be folded up and moved around with ease.

It’s important to make sure your banner reads well, though. The below, spotted by myself on a trip to Japan, makes little sense. The creator can be forgiven considering translation is a tricky task, and not within all companies’ budgets, but it teaches us some important lessons:


1. Use Spell-check
It’s easy to miss spelling errors in a document, but luckily almost all word processing software these days has built-in spell-check capability.

2. Check Apostrophes
“Dave’s Vegetables” is correct, “Dave’s Vegetable’s” or “Daves Vegetable’s” is not. The apostrophe can be tricky to get the hang of, but it can make a banner look unprofessional if used incorrectly!

3. Have it Proofread
Have someone else read the banner text before sending it off to be printed. This will highlight spelling and grammatical errors and allow you to change them before it’s too late.

So when you're designing your next pull up banner, sure, the images are important, but be sure not to overlook the details of the written copy. After all, that's what gets your message across... Sayonara!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Presenting Your Image To The Public

With any business, presentation is everything and getting business in can often depend on how you're presenting yourself. External advertising along your storefront can really catch the eye and it has the added bonus of being one of the most cost effective ways of getting people into your storefront. It's still necessary to know how to place them because if it's not properly done then you're attempts can end up being counterproductive.
Keeping your advertisings simple is important. You don't want incredibly elaborate designs that take the chance of confusing your prospective clientele as to what you're actually selling. Whether it's in a presentation meeting, tradeshow displays, or outside your store, the same rule always applies. The overall approach should never be clutter. Keep it neat and simple. Use bold images with larger than life titles and you can really catch the public's eye.

Stay current with your advertising. If you have the same billboards, signs, and displays up day-after-day and it's the same every month, you're not going to seem like you've updated your store. People will likely assume that if you haven't changed your advertising, then you likely haven't changed your selection of products either.
Try and keep it seasonal. This doesn't mean that you have to spend tons on marketing every season. You can reuse the same displays. If you don't have the room for it then consider Toronto storage units to house your displays until the next season rolls around. That way you can keep your business continually up to date and looking fresh.

Advertising is expensive and there are more cost-effective ways to advertise your wares. Some businesses might be afraid that the presentation could be adversely affected when going the, do-it-yourself route, but this isn't always the case. You can pay an artist, graphic or otherwise, to create artwork for a nominal fee. Once you have the artwork, you can then have the image/images blown up at a local copy shop. Most of these copy locations can print to very large sizes. From there you can also save a lot of money by purchasing the board yourself and mounting it. This will cut down on costs and keep you from paying a marketing or graphic design company tons of money. Which route you go is up to you.
Seeing is most definitely believing and no matter what your product or service. Using varying types of displays and ads which have a much greater impact of your overall message, as well as sales. The overall idea is to engage your customers and doing this through multiple means, such as media presentation, is one of the very basics of sales and marketing. Follow some of these useful tips towards reinforcing your communication efforts and, whether your business is large or small, getting the word out there is essential and sometimes an effective image can make a world of difference.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Effective Ways to Use Pull Up Banners

One of the most effective ways to bring attention to your business is by using pull up banners. As an attractive, cost effective option which some would say is underused, pull up banners have the potential to cheaply spread your message to many customers if properly used. Below are some effective ways to use pull up banners to get the word out about your business.

1. Use pull up banners to advertise special events.
As a unique form of advertisement that really draws the eye, pull up banners should be used judiciously to avoid overshadowing the actual product or business being advertised. If a pull up banner is used to advertise something like a special event or a holiday sale, you assure that you will stand out from the crowd during these busy times without overusing the medium.


2. Use pull up banners to soft sell.
Many times, pull up banners should not have a hard sell marketing message on them. As the pull up banner will naturally draw the eye into the direction of the business, it is sometimes smart to continue to hold the attention of the potential customer by offering a quote or a humorous comment on the pull up banner itself. Many consumers are immediately turned off by hard sell marketing messages; however, a humorous comment can be just the thing to maintain top of mind consciousness in potential consumer long enough to bring them into the store and complete a purchase.

3. Use pull up banners inside of stores for clarification purposes.
Pull up banners are also effective inside of stores to help customers. Popular items that people are always trying to find can be easily pointed out with a message on a pull up banner. Help preserve your manpower by putting the answer to an oft asked question on a pull up banner to save your sales associates the trouble of having to answer it over and over.

4. Use pull up banners to notify customers of sales.
Pull up banners are quite effective in driving sales of loss leader items once a potential consumer has entered the store. Use the instant notoriety of a pull up banner to lead consumers directly to a sale item, placing complementary items strategically close by. This has the effect of encouraging the consumer to come up with his or her own ideas about the complementary sales, which will drive purchases without a hard sell.

5. Use pull up banners to give directions to your store.
People always appreciate helpful information. Help your potential consumers find you by strategically placing pull up banners around your store vicinity to guide people in. They will appreciate the customer service and the professionalism.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Catching Attention with Pop Up Displays

When you are engaged in a marketing campaign, it is vital that you grab the attention of all prospective clients. One way to generate interest in your products and services, whether you are at a trade show, or trying to entice visitors to your brick and mortar location, is to make use of pop-up displays

Pop-Up Displays and Trade Shows
Trade shows are great places to use pop-up displays. These displays are usually three-dimensional, and often free standing -- although there are displays that can be attached to shelves or other structures. For the most part, these types of displays are easy to transport and set up. They are visually attractive, since they use color and images to draw the eye. This provides you a great opportunity to make new contacts and even find new business.
These types of displays are available in all shapes and sizes. There are even some pop-ups that feature lights. A back lit pop-up displays can be quite striking, and different effects can usually be created. The more unique your pop up is, the more likely you are to get attention. Your creativity can also be a perfect way to sell yourself and your product or service.


Tips for Effective Pop-Up Displays
If you want your display to be effective, you will need to make sure that it does a few things. Of course, you want it to be attractive, but there are other items to keep in mind as you plan your pop-up display:

* It should answer the questions Who? and What?: An effective pop up display provides someone else a clear idea of who you are and your services. Make sure that your business, product or service is clearly defined.

* It should be simple: Don't get too complex. While there are some neat effects that you can add to your pop-up display to make it stand out, don't get too carried away.

Keep things as simple as possible, because you don't want your viewers to feel over stimulated. Think about one aspect that you want to highlight and focus on that. Avoid clutter on your display and take advantage of white space.

* Readable font: Double check your display to make sure that the font is readable. You don't want it to fade into the background, or be the wrong size. Make sure the colors in the font don't clash with the background, and make the color tones match the mood of the display. You wouldn't want to use neon colors for a serious advertisement.
* Don't forget to include your website: Your display should include your website and any other relevant information. Make sure that your pop up display includes information about contacting you, including an physical address, if you have one.

Pop up displays are great marketing tools. When used correctly, you will draw positive attention and possibly make more sales.