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Mini-billboards are a great promotional tool to have in your company’s arsenal. Smaller and less expensive than traditional roadside billboards, these smaller signs can have a big impact on your sales and brand awareness. Here are five top ways you can advertise with mini-billboards to give your business a boost.

Use them to promote special events

Need a quick, relevant graphic on display for a special event or limited time promotion? Mini-billboards are perfect for adding a quick punch to existing outdoor promotions to allow you to highlight an upcoming event or sale. Think of them as another ‘reminder’ to your customers–just like emails, print, and radio ads–that can be used to drive home a message any time you need to.

Use to promote AT special events

Is there an event in your community that would offer you the perfect opportunity to grow your brand recognition? Want the perfect signage for that event? A mini-billboard is small enough to use at venues outside of your business space, but large enough to make a great impact among your customers and potential customers.

Use them when space is limited

You don’t have enough room for a huge sign or billboard outside your business, but you probably have enough room for a mini-billboard. Because of their compact size, you can use these outdoor signs in places that might surprise you. Squeeze one into a neglected corner of your property, slide one onto that roadside strip that gets lots of drive-by traffic, or tuck one into an empty corner of your parking lot for customers to see as they enter and leave. You’d be surprised how many places you can fit a mini-billboard for extra exposure.

Use multiple mini-billboards for greater impact

Like with most advertising, you can’t just stick up one mini-billboard and expect amazing results (though, admittedly, it can happen). For a better impact, spread your message by placing the same graphic in several busy locations for a scattershot effect. The more people that see your outdoor advertising, the better your chances are of a good ROI.

Use them to lure traffic to your business

You don’t have to be located on a busy road to get plenty of traffic, but you can take advantage of said traffic to bring people into your business. Place a mini-billboard near the street so that even if your business can’t be seen by passing cars, they’ll still know where to look for you.

Contact Postcard Portables today for all your outdoor advertising needs!

Great business signage can really have an impact on your advertising campaigns. After all, the whole point of a sign is to attract attention to your business, and the better your sign, the bigger the impact can be. Here are some design tips to help you create business signage that really makes an impact with your audience.

Size matters

You don’t have to have a giant billboard to make a statement, but you do need to consider where you’ll be displaying your signage. Indoor signs can be small and at or near eye level, but outdoor signs may need to be raised slightly to be seen.

Don’t just think in one direction

If you’re using a mini-billboard or other roadside sign, don’t forget to use both sides of your sign. It seems like common sense, but surprisingly, many businesses don’t take advantage of both sides and they end up missing out on advertising to traffic flowing in both directions.

Use your company logo

Outdoor signage is all about building brand recognition. You need to put your business logo on every sign so that your audience will be able to identify a piece of advertising as yours, instantly. If you don’t have a company logo, you should be consistent with the use of colour in your branding. Some companies are known for their use of colour (think McDonalds, Coca Cola), and it’s a simple way to help customers recognize your signs among the sea of advertising.

Consider your signage location

Will your darkly coloured sign be easy to read at night? Will your sign be visible from the road? Don’t let your signage blend into the background–make sure that it’s positioned so that it can be seen clearly by your intended audience. This may require that you position it in a well lit area, set it on a taller frame or post, or even move it to the side of your building. In certain cities we can even position them in alternate locations for you, so just ask your local Postcard Portables representative and they will give you all of the options for your locality.

Local regulations

Before you place your sign, make sure you can legally do so. The benefit of dealing with a Postcard Portables representative is that they can assist you with abiding by all necessary regulations. They take care of all of the permitting and placement, and often times can speak directly with your landlord to gain permission for placement if needed.

Talk to Postcard Portables about your business signage needs today.

Outdoor advertising is an important part of any advertising campaign, but as you probably know, outdoor signage has to compete with a lot of distractions. How can you make your outdoor sign really stand out? Here are some tips to help you create an outdoor sign or mini-billboard that is bold enough to grab your audience’s attention.

Avoid boring imagery

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Your audience needs something to feast their eyes on, not another sign trying to push a product or service. Give them a treat for their eyes by using images that pop out at them. Granted, this can sometimes be easier if you are selling a particular product, but even service providers can use this technique. Just make sure the image doesn’t appear too bland, isn’t unrelated to your business (kittens and puppies may be adorable, but if unless you’re in the pet industry, they probably don’t relate to your business), and isn’t so outrageous that it offends or causes traffic accidents (large images of scantily clad women may not be the best idea).

Location is key

Just sticking your sign on the side of your building isn’t going to cut it unless you are in a fantastic location. You need to get it up close and personal with your audience, like by the side of a road with steady traffic or mounted on a post or column in a busy parking lot. Put it where the people are. A little intrigue is fine (where is this wonderful business that is being advertised?), but if your audience has to go looking hard to find you, your sign is likely to be less effective since most people won’t go out of their way to look for a business just because they see your sign. One tip if you are putting your sign off-location is to make sure your address and phone number are highly visible, and preferably your website too. That way, people can pop in your contact information into their phones as they pass by for finding you later.

For more tips on outdoor advertising, speak to a Postcard Portables representative today.

When it comes time to design your outdoor advertising pieces, you can’t use the same principles that apply to print or video advertising. You literally have seconds to impress your customers, so make every moment count. Here are some tips for successful mini-billboard advertising that will help to ensure that your message is heard loud and clear.

Limit text

Drivers don’t have time to read a novel–limit your text to as few words as possible to make your point. Even better, skip the text altogether if your brand is well-known.

Choose images wisely

Images speak louder than words when it comes to billboard advertising, so choose yours carefully. Each image should clearly relay the narrative of your ‘story’ so drivers can see at a glance the message you’re sending. Busy, complicated images may not do as well as simple ones because your audience has a limited amount of time to view them. Also, try not to add unrelated images just because they’re adorable/attractive. Choose an image that matches your message, or leave them out entirely.

Don’t crowd the billboard with too much contact information

While billboards can be a direct advertising solution, they can also help to grow your brand. If you’re going to list contact information, make it short and sweet. A simple, easy to remember web address is likely to be the most effective information to use, as well as some sort of a call-to-action.

Think outside the billboard

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your billboard. The more creative and fun a billboard is, the more memorable it will be, and the more effective. Just don’t get too cerebral or off-the-wall–it’s likely to have the opposite effect.

Use colour wisely

Bright colours can be done right, but if they’re done poorly, your billboard could end up looking like a piece of children’s artwork. Black on bright colours is easy to read, but boring. Too many bright colours can look clownish, but a smart stroke of colour against a muted background is unexpected and eye-catching. Contrast is key.

Speak to your Postcard Portables representative for more information on how to create successful outdoor advertising.

Nothing is a more effective advertisement for your business than providing great customers service. After all, your customers will talk to their friends and family, and if your service is lacking, they’ll not only notice, but they’ll probably share this fact, too. Great customer service is especially important during the holidays. Here are some tips for serving your customers well during the holiday season.

Plan for increased traffic

There’s nothing more frustrating for your regular customers than suddenly facing delays in service at your business because of holiday crowds. Plan ahead for this and bring in extra staff to help keep the customer traffic flowing smoothly. By eliminating waits and stress for your customers, you’ll help ensure that they’ll be back for more in the New Year.

Encourage empathy

Understand that the stress of the season affects everyone differently, and that includes your customers and your employees. Encourage your staff to practice empathy during the stressful holiday season. If they can put themselves in the customers’ shoes, great customer service is bound to be much easier for them. Remember, although you may greet and serve hundreds of customers every day at your business, you may only see each one once. That’s one chance to make a great impression and brighten your customer’s day.

Show your thanks

It’s important to let your customers know how much they mean to your business, especially during the holidays. Festive holiday postcards are ideal for this, and they’re an inexpensive way to remind your customers how much you appreciate them. Or, you could create your own company greeting card with a very personalized message showing your customers how much you appreciate them.

If you can’t send each and every one a holiday greeting card, at least put up a ‘thank you’ sign as a token of your appreciation. Whether it’s a few countertop signs or a mini billboard, as long as your message is clear and sincere, your customers will notice.

Make a little extra effort treat your customers well during the holidays, and they’ll be back for more in the New Year. For more tips on marketing during the holidays (or anytime),visit Postcard Portables.

It seems that everyone ramps up their marketing tactics during the holiday season, but you can still stand out among a sea of holiday advertising. Here are some marketing tips for the holiday season that any business can use.

Start planning early

The earlier you can start planning your advertising, the better. If you’re aiming to target the pre-Christmas crowd, you’ll want time to plan your print and other ads before November. If you haven’t planned anything yet, don’t panic. You can still plan a ‘flash sale’ and notify your customers via email or social media, or with print products that can be quickly produced.

Create urgency through limited time offers

Flash sales and ‘secret’ sales (open only to loyal customers who are notified via a private list) are great opportunities to drum up business, but customers won’t care unless they think they could miss out. Make it feel urgent by limiting the time period – for example, 48 hours or less.

Offer an alternative

Believe it or not, more shoppers would prefer to shop with a small business than a big box store. Offer something those big chain stores don’t–whether it’s products made in-house or customer service that goes above and beyond–and your customers will choose to bring their money to you instead of the ‘big guys.’

Go where the traffic is

Pull up banners and posters are perfect for targeting high traffic areas during the holiday season. They can be moved easily, put up in minutes, and are inexpensive, so you can target several areas at once without busting your advertising budget.

Plan a special event

Community events can really set you apart from your competitors. Why not set up a space for shoppers to meet Santa and indulge in free hot cocoa or Christmas cookies? Be sure to advertise your event via email and on social media so you’ll have a good turnout.

Create a coupon

Mail your customers postcard style coupons to use during your holiday sales. Make the coupons good for a certain amount off of a set amount. This will encourage them to move forward on a purchase that they’ve been “just thinking about” for awhile.

Have fun with your holiday marketing and check back with Postcard Portables for information on holiday print products, and more advertising tips all year long.