Majority of businesses would definitely agree that marketing to millenials has been a challenge. As results, marketing to millennials has been a recurring topic in the minds of marketers and in marketing meetings during the digital revolution’s peak. Even if numerous companies led by the baby boomer executives claim that millennials have an entitled attitude, many older generations and companies don’t understand what millennials face. For instance, millennials are considered as the most educated generation, they make up forty percent of unemployed workers in America.

Strategies for Digital Signage

Millennials have changed the way every company does business and how they market to consumers. If your business is still struggling to market to the millennials, here are the ways to use digital signage in your business marketing strategy.

Content
It continues to dominate the digital world. The various formats of content have proven to help every brand connects with millennials. As a matter of fact, it has proven to build rapport with younger generations that value brands that have clear commitment and connection to the social community and those that engage in the conversations and give personalized service tailored to the needs of millennials. For instance, digital signage is a simple way of showcasing the content of your brand including imagery and some visual assets or videos in your ads in local restaurants or on a sports event in a big theater or stadium.

Technology
With the use of digital signage as the best component in the marketing strategy of your company presents your brand as current and modern that resonates well with the millennials. As a matter of fact, mobile marketing is one of the ways to market to the millennials. In a survey, it shows that average people spend about 5 hours daily on their mobile devices, which represents a big opportunity for every business. Even if some companies have admitted to going a bit crazy with PPC advertising and pop-up ads, they’re getting smarter as well as fine tuning their strategies to reach millennial customers better. Several effective methods include the use of shorter videos in showcasing services and products and using a blend of offline and online marketing strategies including digital signage.

Social Media
It’s still the most powerful and effective way of targeting, reaching, and connecting with younger audiences. Most companies have used social media platforms including Snapchat and Instagram to showcase food and fashion brands. Digital menu boards are also an example of how the restaurants leverage signage to not engage only with millennials and improve their experiences, yet to encourage and spark social media conversations, some calls to action, and social interactions. For example, integrating social media icons on the digital menu boards have inspired users in posting photos of their meal choices and share them with their audiences in social media.

To top it all, businesses that cannot keep up with the millennials are missing out on a big market and losing millions in lost opportunities and sales. Nevertheless, through investing in digital signage technology and making tweaks to the marketing strategy of a business to concentrate more on social media conversations with the millennials and video content, your business will be a brand that every millennial will trust and recognize.

Posted by Randy Blakeslee

 When you have a business such as a grocery store, an apparel, a coffee shop, or a restaurant, sometimes you need to give your business some curb appeal. The truth is that anyone who passes by your business is a potential customer. So, here are 5 ways to improve your small business curb appeal:
 
1: Electronic Message Centers:
 
When you use electronic message centers, you can increase your business between 15 and 150%, according to the small business association. This is just something similar to adding a small billboard to your storefront. So, you can be sure this is a great invitation for all people who pass by your business door.
 
2: Landscaping:
 
Even though you may think landscaping is a thing of the past, it really isn't. Some simple landscaping can add the curb appeal that you've been missing. Make sure that your landscape is always updated, clean, and fresh. Plus, every spring you need to make sure that you manicure your shrubs and bushes and don't forget about the pathways and sidewalks as well.
 
 3: Creative Signage:
 
You already know how signage is important for a business. But sometimes, you just need to be creative. Just think about some of the places where you could have your signage and see if it is possible. Plus, you can always contact a local sign company who will be able to help you find the best spot as well as they may be even able to provide you with some designs and ideas.
 
4: LED Lightings:
 
One of the most effective ways to curb appeal for your small business, as well as one of the most affordable, is to use LED lightings. One of the things that you can be sure your clients will appreciate is to have an evenly and well-illuminated parking lot.
 
5: Paint:
 
And now you're probably thinking, "how come I never thought about painting?". The reality is that sometimes, we only see the smaller things and we forget to look at the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is telling you that you can improve the curb appeal for your small business by simply applying a fresh coat of paint every few years. You can even decide to change the original color to make your small business stand out a bit more.
 
 
As you can see, all of these 5 ideas to improve the curb appeal for your small business are quite affordable and easy to do. So, what are you waiting for? Start attracting all those people who pass near your business every day.

Posted by Randy Blakeslee

Black and white may often be a good option to stand out from the crowd and make an impression. Since majority of signs use color, it only makes sense that black and white might be an effective and useful alternative.

The thing is that while the black and white designs have some place in signage and marketing, it is less effective compared to using a full range of colors for retail sign designs. Whether you are considering black and white designs in your ads or for retail signs, there are the reasons why colored ads tend to be more effective compared to designing using black and white color.

Black and White Designs Are Less Memorable Than Color
How well you remember the ads you see on regular basis? Majority of you see lots of ads daily, yet only some remember to choose a few after they have seen them for a few times. Colors play a major role in helping everyone remember content. People are more likely to remember the signs and ads that use powerful, strong colors than black and white ads or retail signs. The key in effective branding is to ensure that people will remember your message. While the black and white ads might seem to be a strong stylistic option, it typically puts your business at disadvantage in terms of brand recognition.

Color Signs Attract More Attention Always
Beyond being much easier to remember, the color signs always attract more attention compared to black and white designs. This happens for some reasons, from the eyes that gravitate naturally towards colorful content to simply standing out better. While the black and white designs appear to be at the opposite ends of spectrum, there are fewer options between these for some designers. There are various shades of gray, yet such rarely shine out in designs as colors like yellow and blue.

If you design your ads with the use of black and white color, it becomes necessary to use the gray color for any extra elements. It reduces contrast as well as makes it difficult for people to spot signs from a distance. If you design in color, you may use complementary colors that do not minimize contrast, yet increase it. This provides you signage and ads a noticeable look that makes this far effective in attracting the attention of people.

It is Harder to Show Details With the Use of Black and White
Black and white designs could be artistic compared to full color, yet this puts you at serious disadvantage in terms of showing details. Since black and white colors enable the use of gray as intermediary color, this captures fewer details than full color can. From mid-tones to shadows, every color between black and white become gray in designs. It makes it hard to highlight your product in any detail level or capture a scene in your ads and signage.

Color ha several benefits for the marketers. While the black and white designs provide stylish and artistic look, it is rarely a good choice for ads and signage.

Posted by Randy Blakeslee

Do you know how much the impact of the signs of your retail store has on your sales? The right signage may have an impact on the bottom line of your store, which will help you generate foot traffic for your sales and store for customers inside it.

Most retailers make assumptions that the bigger signs are much effective compared to small signs, which is an assumption that it does not match reality. The small signs can have as big of an effect as the signs with bigger dimensions. From your marketing copy’s message to your sign’s design, a lot of factors may determine whether or not your sign is effective in boosting the foot traffic and gaining sales of your store.
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Do you want to ensure that your small signage will have big impact on sales? From copy to location, these are some of the ways on how you can boost the effects of small retail signs on sales, visibility, and foot traffic.

Use Signs As Your Directional Markers within Your Store
When the customers are inside your store, how simple is it for them to find for the products they are looking for? Signage does not just draw your customers into your store, it may also help them locate what they’re looking for once they are inside. You may also use some small signs as the directional markers in your store to help your customers find the best products for their needs. Through directing them to your best-selling products, you can also guide them in the path towards the offers and products they are most likely to respond to.

Use the Signs to Create Confidence and Close the Deal
The signs may also guide your potential customers into your store and will direct them to particular products and encourage them to make purchases. Through increasing confidence in the products, you may increase sales and close the deals. You may also use signs in increasing the confidence of the customer in a product through mentioning good guarantee you offer, some useful information, and financing deals. Using signs will also help you create confidence that will encourage customers to take an action.

Keep Your Message Focused on Action and Simple
How long it takes to read your signs? Majority of people would only like to spend a few seconds reading every sign they notice, which makes a simple and short message more powerful compared to a complicated and long one. See to it that your signs communicate your business marketing message clearly in 5 seconds or less.

Test Various Signs to See Which is Effective
Your signs might be effective, yet could it be better? The process of testing a version of particular item against another is called A/B testing and it’s the online marketing’s mainstay, yet it is practiced rarely in retail. You may also try other methods and know which would work for you.

See to It That Every Sign Has an Actionable and Clear Goal
Numerous business owners make mistakes of investing in signage that does not deliver a concrete, firm message to the customers of the store. Each sign you hang outside or inside your store, regardless if it is focused to bring more customers or direct them to particular products, should have an actionable and clear goal to be effective.

Posted by Randy Blakeslee

Prints of large format and other kinds of physical signs need more than merely matching your sign to your specific brand. Although signage is no doubt much more affordable than other forms of advertising, it is still important for businesses to make the most out of their investment. 
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How many times have you driven around a certain place, straining your neck searching for a business that seems to be inexistent because you couldn’t spot their too small signs? Finding a certain business could be tougher than finding your lost pins, and most of the time, it is due to ill maintained or poor signage. 

It is important to pay attention to your signage, especially since this serves as an extension of your business brand. A reliable sign company can guide you towards a style and design of a sign that will work best for you. However, there are several sign considerations you have to keep in mind during your designing phase to avoid any unwanted pitfalls along the process. 

Check Other Signs in Your Neighborhood
Your business sign must not look out of place or blend in with others in your area.  It must be different and unique enough to stand out without being a complete eyesore. Consider the signs on the shopping mall strip’s board. When 8 out 10 are in white with black font, one has gold text in bright blue background, and the rest features a zany font choice and neon photo, your eyes will instantly be drawn to the outliers. The neon sign, however, could be too loud, so blue or something similar might be better. 

Less is Always More
It is completely understandable to relay your message as much as possible on your sign. This plan, however, can backfire, particularly when your signs are supposed to get the attention of drivers passing by. They will never have enough time reading all those details, and trying to make them do so could be quite dangerous. On top of that, experts also agree that people develop much shorter attention spans each year. Try to keep your texts to the minimum number you can. 

Many People are Actually Red-Green Deficient
The so-called red-green deficiency happens to be the most common form of color blindness. There are in fact more men than women who are experiencing this type of deficiency. This kind of condition can make the strawberry fields look similar to a grayscale rendition. If you don’t like to lose out on up to as much as 10% of male population, you should reconsider before you go for these colors of winter holiday. 

Don’t Forget Your Target Audience
The last but definitely not the least of sign considerations is your target audience. This one is important since your target audience might not really be who you assume them to be. For instance, when you are running a toy store, it might seem like children are your demographic. But, kids are just part of your audience since family members and parents especially are the ones who will open their wallets. See to it that your signs will be appealing to the entire audience spectrum and not just one niche. 

Posted by Randy Blakeslee