Yard sales, open houses, and other special events are all common opportunities for people to advertise with yard signs. No matter what is going on, yard signs are a great way to inform a large amount of people with minimal effort and cost. There are many strategies that you can utilize when using yard signs, and following these tips will increase the effectiveness of whatever strategy you use.
Custom yard signs are a great investment because they remain an effective marketing tool. They have been around so long that people sometimes falsely assume they are unproductive, however, with thousands being sold each week, it’s hard to argue that they are no longer useful or effective. Understanding the design elements and strategies behind yard sign marketing will ensure that you are successful using yard signs to promote your event.
Readability of the Sign
One of the most common mistakes that people make when advertising their event is using a customized yard sign that is not easy to read. If someone passing by in a car cannot read the sign, you have lost potential customers or guests. There are several things you should consider to make your sign easier to read:
- Match the font size to the yard sign. Small letters on a big poster are drowned out by white-space, so use the full area of you sign to display your message. Using the full area will allow you to use larger letters with proper spacing for a clear, easily viewable message.
- All words should contrast with the background, or color of the sign. If the yard sign is white, we recommend a dark font color like black or dark blue. Contrast between the lettering and the background makes your sign easier to read, especially from greater distances.
- Avoid fancy fonts – they are difficult to read and give your audience a reason not to read your sign
Distribution
Before you install any custom yard signs, you should check to see if your city has a limit on the number or size that is allowable. This will eliminate any negative backlash from breaking rules and ensure you won’t need to go back out and take down signs.
Plan where you want to put signs before you install them. Drive around your location or look at a map and identify high traffic areas, like intersections or areas that experience automobile traffic where slow-moving drivers will have the chance to read your message. Many cities have common areas where citizens advertise yard sales, open houses, etc. and these are another good place to use yard signs to advertise your event, even if it is a little further away from where you event is being held.
Yard signs can also be used to help visitors find your location. This is less important now with the emergence of GPS technology on nearly every smartphone, however if your location is hard to find or you want to try and direct people from a busy road to your location, directional yard signs can be very effective.
Planning Your Message
Yard Signs by their nature are not especially large, so your message will have to be both informative and concise. Focus on the “what”, “where”, and “when”. The most important piece of information is “what” and this is what will determine whether someone visits you or not. For this reason, the “what” should be the most prominent piece of information. After the “what”, include the address where the event is taking place. This portion can always include a phone number or email address for people to contact you. Lastly, include the time of the event. Typically, the date and time of an event won’t require many numbers or letters, so try to put some extra space around this piece of information so that people can easily scan the sign and comprehend all three pieces of information, what, where, and when.
It can be tempting to get creative with your custom yard sign, and we love creativity, but be careful not to sacrifice on readability. The most important part of a yard sign is that it is easy to understand, and adding more words, graphics, or design elements can jeopardize that.
Yard signs are an effective advertising tool and will have different levels of success based on how well planned out they are. Clear and concise messaging combined with easily readable design elements, placed strategically around your event will ensure that you attract new visitors. Follow the tips in this article to make your next event a success.