Many companies invest a huge amount in advertising their business in the best way. In fact, it was revealed that over £3.7 billion is spent purely on outdoor advertising each year. It’s clear that it’s a big business, and it’s understandable that you’d want a piece of the action – especially if you want to keep up with competitors.
Whilst outdoor advertising, such as outdoor banners, can be extremely beneficial to your company, they only work if you’re positioning it in the best place to get it noticed. Specialists in outdoor banner printing, Where The Trade Buys, offers the following advice to make sure your investment pays off…
First things first, you should consider where your customers will be – and where they will be looking. It goes without saying that your banner needs to be in front of potential customers. Knowing exactly who your customer is, and where they’re likely to spend their time day-to-day is always a strong place to start.
Once you’ve got that established, you have a few options when deciding where to position your outdoor banner – some that you mightn’t have considered. Keep the following in mind when you’re making the decision:
- Outside your establishment – Putting up banners outside the workplace can be used to great effect. Again, you can use them to promote your latest products or services, or any offers that may be of interest – offers are great way to attract new customers who haven’t worked with you before. You can also use outdoor banners to replace the company logo and signage – as they can be a much more affordable option than more permanent solutions.
- Inside your establishment – If you own a shop or leisure venue that’s open to members of the public, having a large display banner in your premises will help you to quickly and effectively promote any offers or products that you’re trying to push. An added bonus? If it’s on your property, you can change the banners as often as you feel.
- In public spaces. Whether it’s building wraps or scaffolding, getting outdoor banners in high-traffic public spaces is a great way to get a lot of brand exposure very quickly. People who might not be aware of your company are exposed to your advertisement which could lead to new customer acquisition.
- Exhibitions and trade shows. Make sure when you’re setting up that your banner is in visitors’ line of sight so you can attract passers-by as they enjoy the exhibition. They can be used indoors and outdoors for exposure.
- At public events. Public events such as marathons, festivals and more are usually highly populated with people, so you’ll find a lot of people will be exposed to your message. Make sure it makes sense for your business to be seen in affiliation with the event, and that the people who are attending it fit your customer demographic – otherwise they’re very unlikely to convert into customers.
You should consider locations that are relatively near to your business venue so that potential new customers can easily find your company. Putting the sign near your premises gives your banner the best chance of success.
Another question to ask yourself is where are your competitors are advertising? It’s important that you are aware of their techniques too. This should inform your decisions for two reasons – it will give you a good idea of places that work in your market – but it also may be worth avoiding so you’re not advertising in the same place as your direct competitors.
Table of Contents
Designing impactful outdoor banners
Whilst the banner should reflect your business, you need to consider who you are designing it for – who do you want to be looking at it? What’s their relation to your business? Where is the best place to locate the banner?
Whilst putting up a banner outside your premises encourages your customers to come into your premises – it tends to target existing customers rather than new customers. A banner placed in the wider area is more likely be there to attract new business. This will help to dictate the rest of your design.
Your banner needs to stand out and catch the eye of your target customers. Make sure you consider the following five tips:
- Keep things clear and simple. Try not to overcomplicate your banner with lots of different fonts or too many images. Instead, strip back as much as possible and keep the message simple.
- The bigger picture. How will the banner look when it’s full-size and in place? Having an eye on the bigger picture will help you to work out the details.
- A call to action. What do you want people to do after seeing your banner? Calls to action could include:
- A visit to your premises
- Contacting you
- Visiting your website to find out more
- Your colour choices. Your colour choices should be eye-catching whilst simultaneously reflecting your brand. Keep them to 1-2 colours that are easy to read.
- The quality of the print and finish. You want precise printing and a high-quality finish to give your brand the best chance of a good first impression.