Thursday, December 12, 2013

Season's Greetings from Signarama Kearny Mesa








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Monday, December 2, 2013

Take Advantage of the Holidays With Themed Signage


Holidays take place all year long, but we all know that when retailers refer to “the holidays,” they’re talking about right now—the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas—when many of them make a high percentage of their sales. How can you cut through the holiday clutter and make sure customers come your way? Here are a few tips:

  • Make your storefront more festive with signs that celebrate the season, providing a subtle reminder that gifts need to be purchased.
  • Don’t forget about showcasing special sales; you’d be surprised at how many customers will be drawn to you—even if they’ve never shopped there before—when they learn about your great holiday deals.
  • Consider a “countdown” sign that reminds people at the dwindling amount of time they have to prepare for the big day, purchasing gifts as well as getting ready to host family celebrations.
  • Make sure you post signage that informs customers of your holiday hours. Many extend their hours at this time of year…but your customers need to know that, as well as when you might be closed around the holidays.
  • How about posting a sign that outlines your exchange/return policy? People may feel more comfortable buying gifts if they know they can be easily exchanged or returned.
  • Decide whether you want to use “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” on signage, and be ready to defend your decision. It’s not really a matter of right or wrong, but Christmas is not a holiday celebrated universally.

We have lots of experience creating holiday signs for customers, and we’d be happy to assist you as well. Time’s a wasting!

www.sdsar.com




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Saturday, November 16, 2013

Signage and Business Success

Are you still wondering if your signage really affects your business? Believe me, it does—but here are some statistics that help build the case for building signage:

  • The U.S. Small Business Administration attributes as much as 50% of a company’s business to its signage. 
  • A University of San Diego study found that the number of onsite signs may affect revenue by as much as 4.75% for each additional sign. 
  • That same USD study found that each additional sign increased the number of transactions by 3.94%.

If you’re still not convinced, or perhaps you don’t have a brick and mortar building, you can still use signs to your benefit, on your vehicle(s). According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America:

  • Mobile advertising can be the most effective and efficient form of outdoor advertising, reaching consumers at the lowest cost per thousand impressions. 
  • Media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers reaches more than 95% of Americans. 
  • One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 and 70,000 impressions daily.

Thus, as you work toward finalizing your marketing budget for 2014, we suggest you don’t overlook the category of signage. We’ll be happy to work with you to determine how you can update or modify your current signs or create new signs that will bring new customers to your door or website.

www.sdsar.com
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Monday, November 4, 2013

Business Owner’s Holiday Preparation Checklist

  
by HEATHER SANTO



 It is almost that time of year again! Business owners are wishing that had more hours in the day to work on their latest information products or deciding what huge sale they are going to have. Have you guessed it yet? Get out your calendars because it’s fourth quarter and time to start thinking ahead to Christmas! I know that you may not be ready to even start thinking about this yet, but the farther ahead you are now, the easier it will be when it is close at hand.

 If you have been sitting on an Information product that you wanted to release and haven’t gotten around to it yet, now is the time so that you can have it completed by Black Friday. Christmas will be a great time to have it available because of all of the impulse buying and gift giving. Make sure that you are setting aside time to get it done and make it a first priority. Write down the things that you need to have done to free up some time so that you can get it done and then outsource those items. You will have your product done in no time!

 Now is a great time to start looking into getting a holiday Facebook header and/or Twitter cover created or creating it yourself. By placing your order now you are beating the crowd. If you don’t change up your header every once in a while not only will you get sick of looking at it, but your audience will too. If you get it now all you have to do is hit ‘change cover’. Easy.

The holidays are a great time to show special appreciation to your customers. It is very easy to have the great intention of sending out Christmas cards to your clients and even easier to never get it done. Start checking out getting some Gratitude Concierge work done. Your Virtual Assistant may even get the ca rds for you so all you need to do is send them a list of names and addresses. That is what I do as part of that service because I know it is crazy busy and a business owner ma y not want to go shopping for a great set of cards and worry about getting them all sent out.

 You are going to be very busy taking care of items at home as we ll as in your business and I know that this is the time of year th at you want to spend more time with your family, not less. What you don’t want to do, however, is neglect the audience on Social Media that you have worked so hard to build or the Facebook membership groups that you have created. If you think that may n eed a hand, get some help to manage your client care on social media and your emai ls. Don’t forget to introduce the Virtual Assistant to your clients/audience so that th ey know who they are and that they can be trusted to give them correct answers.

 If you start getting ahead and preparing now, you will be able to enjoy the holidays, your customers and your family. What part of the ho lidays do you think that you will need the most help with? 


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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Signarama – Kearny Mesa: Focus on Color


Do the colors you use on signs affect their visibility? Can color help drive customers into your business and encourage them to purchase your products or services? You bet!

Regardless of your company colors, there are a few guidelines that will enhance your signs’ design:

  • Think contrast—use a light color on a darker background or vice versa. 
  • Make it simple—choose fonts that are legible and uncomplicated. 
  • Ensure the message is the star—eliminate busy backgrounds or graphics that take away from what you’re trying to say. 

Many companies choose one or two colors to represent their business and play off them in all their marketing materials. Is it time to look at your colors? Do they send the message you intend? Are they antiquated?

There’s no reason you can’t rebrand via color and if you do so, keep the following suggestions in mind:
  • Yellow evokes happy feelings (think McDonald’s) 
  • Blue reflects business confidence (IBM) 
  •  Green is associated with healthy products (Starbucks) 
  • Purple can reflect royalty, mystery or wisdom (Hallmark) 
  • Orange denotes joy or optimism (Dunkin’ Donuts) 
  • Pink exudes femininity and love (Victoria’s Secret) 
  • Brown is no-nonsense (UPS) 

Many stores and restaurants choose warm colors to encourage people to linger—those with layers of reds, oranges and yellows. Signature colors like hot pink or electric green will always get you noticed, as will yellow, a universal favorite. Strong reds and blues are popular, too, but remember that good old black on white is always a good choice that reflects professionalism and elegance.
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

See How Easy it is to Get a Sign From Sign A Rama!


Every business can benefit from professional signs! These eye-catching displays show off important company facts and attract new customers to try new products and services. If your company could use a boost, new signs may be just what you need.

As you will see in this video, it is incredibly easy to get beautiful new signs from Sign-A-Rama Kearny Mesa. You can create an attractive sign using one of our templates or upload your own artwork to design a totally unique form of advertisement.

Sign-A-Rama offers everything a business needs, including signs, vehicle graphics, banners, and much more. Contact our Kearny Mesa sign company by checking out our website or calling us today at (858) 565-7446.

#businessneeds #vehiclegraphics #KearnyMesa #customsignssandiego
www.sdsar.com
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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Using Signs for Marketing Purposes

Before your business can determine its signage needs, it’s important to know where it falls on the following spectrum:

  • At one end are businesses that satisfy specific and infrequent customer needs.
  • At the other end are businesses that fulfill general and frequent needs.

Many businesses will fall somewhere between those two extremes, so a combination of the two methods noted below, from the International Sign Association, is warranted.

Infrequent needs branding sites
Businesses offering products or services that meet specialized or infrequent needs must develop top-of-mind awareness so people remember them when those needs arise. Examples include veterinarians, appliance and electronics stores, locksmiths, medical and dental offices, real estate offices, and accounting and bookkeeping firms.

These businesses must focus on branding their site. To reinforce this effort, their signage must be designed to project the right image for the business, an image that can be recalled.

Frequent or impulse needs
Businesses designed to meet frequent or impulse needs must reach out and pull people in on the spot. Examples include grocery stores, gas stations, hotels, video stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and car washes.

Many customers of these businesses need to make a quick decision to stop, so their signage should be eye-catching with a brief, simple message that can be quickly read and understood. 

If your sign is going to convince impulse customers to stop at your business, it must be designed so the important information is easily recognized at a glance. Make sure the first time people read your sign they immediately understand the most important information: what you sell. Any additional information should be designed to keep your repeat customers interested in your sign and business so they remember to come see you again.Visit Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa today

www.sdsar.com
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Friday, October 4, 2013

The Economics of Signage

All business owners know the expenditures they make must be weighed against their potential to generate a return on investment. How do signs rank as a revenue-generator? Quite highly, according to a survey conducted by a sign manufacturer and published on the International Sign Association (ISA) website.

“How did you learn about us?” was the question posed to thousands of shoppers at businesses no more than one year old. The results may surprise you:

Number of Customer Responses (and Percentage by Category)

On-premise sign: 1,234 (50%)
Word of mouth: 820 (33%)
Newspaper: 212 (9%)
Yellow Pages: 139 (6%)
Radio: 38 (1%)
TV: 32 (1%)

This makes a pretty good case for ensuring you have great signage at your business. To strengthen it even more, the ISA notes that studies show on a daily basis, up to 35% of those passing your business have never seen it before and may become customers if they’re compelled to check it out due to your sign.

Are you convinced that signage makes a big different to your business’ success? Here’s more data from a University of San Diego study to determine the economic value of on-premise signs.

Average Increase in Sales Revenue
Signage Change Fast Food Pier One Imports
Add 1 monument sign 9.3%
Add large pole sign 15.6%
Add chain identity to plaza identity sign 7.7%
Add 2 directional signs 8.9%
Replace storefront wall sign with larger sign 7.7%


Is it time for you to be rethinking your exterior signage? If so, we can help!


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Monday, September 23, 2013

Know Your Signage ABCs

The International Sign Association (ISA) supports, promotes, and improves the sign industry through government advocacy, education and training programs, technical resources, stakeholder outreach, and industry networking events. As you would expect, the group advocates considering signage as a sophisticated, powerful marketing tool.

Here are a few things the ISA believes many business owners don’t realize about signage:

  • It’s the least expensive but most effective form of advertising.
  • It can be responsible for half of your customers.
  • It’s so important that without it, you may not be able to get a business loan.
  • It’s an investment that will pay a return many times over.
  • When well-designed and well-placed, it can generate huge profits, especially when it’s part of an overall marketing strategy.

Savvy business owners understand signage is always on the job—creating first impressions while telling people who they are, where they are and what they offer. You can wade through a lot of valuable information about signage on the ISA website to become better informed or you can stick to your core competencies and engage Signarama as your partner. We’ll efficiently walk you through what you need to know about signage to benefit your business.


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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

How to Write an Email That Will Actually Get a Response





By Brett & Kate Mckay

How to write an email?
What’s next? A post on how to tie your shoes?
I know, I know. Email is such an ubiquitous part of our lives that you might think that people would naturally have it down pat.

But having received thousands of emails over the past four years, I can say with certainty that frequency does not necessarily beget proficiency. Which is to say: a lot of people out there are pretty clueless about how to compose a good email. Even those hired as professional PR reps!

No matter how basic a life skill, it’s something you still have to learn. And unfortunately, nobody seems to be teaching young folks the components of an effective email, despite the fact that it forms the backbone of modern communication. Knowing how to write a good email—one that will actually get a response–is crucial to your success: it can make the difference between whether or not you get a job, find a mentor, get funding for an idea, or receive potentially life-changing advice.

You see, each email is essentially a pitch, even if you’re not literally selling a business idea. What you’re pitching is the idea that you’re worth responding to—and that can be a tough sell. The person to which you’re writing may get dozens, even hundreds of emails every single day, and they can’t possibly give every single email the same time and attention. So just like with face-to-face pitches, these people develop ways of slotting their emails into two tracks—those that get a response and those that get kicked to the trash folder. What determines the track you get funneled to is whether or not you raise one of the recipient’s red flags; an email can be your first impression with someone, and since the recipient doesn’t have much to go on, he or she will be looking for little, subtle clues as to whether they should hit reply or delete. These red flags can be really small things—things that may not seem at all fair to you–but they’ve probably found that 8 out of 10 people who exhibit those characteristics aren’t worth responding to, as it ends up being a waste of their time.

The blog “Think Simple Now” did a great job of outlining the way the sender of the email and the recipient of the email have very divergent perspectives:

Observing the Receiver
  •  Gets a lot of email.
  •  May receive compliments regularly, if they are a public figure.
  •  Regularly gets asked a standard set of questions and favors.
  •  Does not have a lot of free time.
  •  Does not mind helping you, if it is fast.
Observing the Sender
  •  Spends a long time crafting the ‘perfect’ (-ly long) email.
  •  Believes that their request is original, unique, and special.
  •  Believes that they are the first to ask for such favors.
  •  Cannot imagine why anyone would turn them away.
  •  Desires to tell the whole story, explained from every angle, so that the listener can understand their point of view.

The key to getting a response to your email is to put yourself in the recipient’s shoes and tailor your email accordingly. How do you do that? Well below we outline some of the things we look for in determining whether or not an email is worthy of a response. Now, the language may seem a little harsh. But this is not one man’s personal’s pet peeves—these are the same things that business owners, agents, and newspaper editors have told me they use in evaluating their emails; these are the things folks already say behind your back, and there’s no use in keeping it from people for the sake of being “nice.”

Note: These guidelines are only for emails that you write when you’re hoping for something from the recipient, even if it’s just a response. If you’re just dashing off a quick note to pass along some information or share your appreciation, or are corresponding with someone you’re very familiar with, the rules really don’t matter very much.

Respect the recipient’s time and make sure the email is even necessary.
Everyone’s time is precious. When you send an email, what you’re saying is, “What I have to say is worth five minutes of your time, time you could be spending on your business or with your family.”

So don’t waste the recipient’s time with a question that you can figure out yourself. Exercise some self-reliance! I’m amazed at the number of questions I get that could easily be answered with a 10 second Google search (indeed, it is tempting to respond with “Let me Google that for you…”). After you exhaust Google, search the person’s website. Check out their past articles, their FAQ, and their ‘About’ page.

On AoM (Art of Manliness) we accept guest post submissions, and right above our contact box we have a link to the “Write for AoM” page that describes all of our guest posting guidelines, one of which is:

And yet day after day we still get emails from guys that say, “Hi! I was wondering if I could write a guest post for you.” I used to still respond to these emails, but I found that 9 out of 10 of the people who couldn’t be bothered to read the instructions, couldn’t write a good guest post, either.

Begin with a salutation. Starting straight off with the first sentence of your email makes you sound abrupt. Instead, begin with “Dear ____” (for a more formal email), or “Hi _____” for a more casual one. But not “Hey ____” unless you’ve already established a rapport and history with the recipient. I think the tendency to leave off the salutation is strongest when using a contact form to submit your message. But keep in mind that even when you use a contact form, it arrives in the person’s inbox looking like any other email.

Type your email address correctly in the contact form. This probably seems like a complete no-brainer. But people will ask me for advice, I’ll spend 20 minutes thinking about their question and writing a thoughtful reply, and then when I hit send, I’ll get a delivery failure notice. Arg! That’s 20 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back.

Address the email to a specific person(s). Do your best to find out the name of the person who will be reading the email instead of saying just “Hey everybody” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Using a person’s name builds rapport since it makes your message seem more personal and less like spam. If there are a couple of people in charge, address the email to both of them. Since Kate and I run the site together, people who address their queries to “Brett and Kate,” instead of just “Brett” automatically get extra points.


Spell the recipient’s name right. Again, a no-brainer, right? Yet we get emails addressed to “Brent and Kay” all the time. Misspelling someone’s name kills your rapport with the recipient before they’ve even read the body of your email. It tells the recipient that you either don’t know much about them or aren’t very detail-oriented. And if you follow the spelling error with, “I’m such a big fan of yours,” you come off as rather disingenuous.

Build a bit of rapport before getting down to business. Just as in any kind of pitch, you want to create a bit of rapport with the person before you start talking business. It makes the recipient of your email a little more inclined to like you, hear you out, and want to help you. Keep it short and authentic. Here are some examples of rapport-building intros:

“I am a loyal fan who has been reading your website for three years. Because of AoM, I now take James Bond showers, shave with a safety razor, and write weekly love notes to my wife.”

“I have been a customer of Jim’s Sporting Goods for the past 20 years. My dad bought me my first mitt there when I was 7.”

“I am a great admirer of your research on the howler monkey. Reading your book made me want to come to this university and major in biology. Which is why I’m writing to you today…”

Something I’ve been noticing PR people do lately is to say something like, “You have a great site. I really enjoyed [article I clearly just picked off the front page one minute ago].” When rapport-building is obviously phony, it backfires. You want to say something so specific that the recipient knows you’re not sending the exact same generic message to lots of other people and that your interest in them is genuine.

Keep it short and to the point. Again, everyone’s time is precious. Don’t send someone a wall of text. Don’t give them your life story. Get right to the point in as few sentences as possible. You might think that giving the recipient as much detail as you can will make it more likely that he or she will respond to you, but the opposite is true. A giant block of text makes the recipient feel overwhelmed; they’d rather just delete it than deal with taking ten minutes to read and digest your tome. If your idea isn’t interesting enough to grab someone in just a few sentences, then you need to work on your idea, and if the advice you need requires multiple paragraphs to explain, you either need to do more research yourself first or it’s simply not a question you should be asking a stranger over the internet.


Make your request crystal clear.
Even though you want to keep your email short, be sure to make whatever it is you’re hoping to get from the recipient as clear and specific as possible. This is my least favorite kind of email:

Hi AoM: I really enjoy your site. I feel like it is a great fit with what we do. We should do some kind of partnership or something. What are your ideas on how we can do that?

Sincerely, Vague Vinny

Of course I don’t have any ideas about how we can work together…you just entered my mind ten seconds ago! If you are contacting me, it is your responsibility to take a look at the kind of things we already do and then come up with an idea you think we might like—a clear, concrete proposal. Give the recipient a pitch they can say yes or no to. If you’re asking a question, make that question as specific as possible, one that it won’t take the recipient very long to answer.

The shorter your email and the easier it is for the recipient to answer your question, the more likely you are to get a response.

Don’t be a tease. Now for my other least favorite email:

Hi Brett and Kate- I have an awesome idea that can help you improve your website. Write me back if you want to hear more!

XOXO- Huckstering Harry

Why would I waste my time writing you back if I don’t know whether or not I’d even be interested in your idea? Automatic delete.

If you have a website, link to it. Don’t tell me about your blog or website without linking to it. I know it would only take me 5 seconds to Google the name of your biz, but I’m not going to do it. It’s just one of those deal-breakers. Make things as easy as possible for the recipient.  And when you link to your site, make sure it’s up and running! Numerous times people have pointed me to their site, and when I clicked on it, the site was down for maintenance. Delete.

DON’T USE ALL CAPS. The universal sign of the crazy man. Using all CAPS make you seem like you’re shouting. Automatic delete.

or all lower cases. Yeah I know it’s 2012, and capitalization is so 20th century. And maybe someday the young people of the world will rise up and do away with capitalization altogether. But until then, when you’re dealing with 29-year-old geezers like myself, you should capitalize things that need to be capitalized, otherwise you seem lazy and dopey. If you can’t be bothered to take the time to push the shift key on your phone, I can’t be bothered to take your email as seriously as other people’s. I know, it’s not fair, but 8/10 emails from people who don’t capitalize are, in fact, pretty dopey emails.

Proofread and spell check. Read the email over a few times to make sure everything is right. Remember, this is your first impression with someone—make it a good one. I know a newspaper editor who throws a press release away as soon as she sees a mistake. Personally I’m not looking for perfection—I’ve thought some of my own emails were flawless when I sent them, only to look at them later and see egregious errors. But do the best you can, and at least spell words that are important to the recipient correctly. “I want to write about manlyness” won’t get you very far.

Close with a valediction. Ending your message without a valediction and your name makes you seem brusque. Close with “Sincerely _____,” or “Best __________.”

Return the favor. If somebody takes time out of their day to offer you free advice, do whatever you can to support their website or business! For example if somebody runs a shoe blog and sells shoes too, and you ask him all sorts of questions about what shoes to wear with what, and he kindly answers you, then buy your shoes from him! Only a scalawag asks for advice from a small business owner who’s willing to talk to him and then takes his business to some giant impersonal website to save a few bucks. Follow-up once. But just once. If you still don’t get a response, they’re not interested.

Source: www.artofmanliness.com
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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Business Signs 101

Businesses that give a great deal of thought to their signage are likely to attract more new customers. Here are a few things to think about the next time you’re in the market for signs:

  • Realize it’s all about location. If you operate a small business, your signage is your guidepost; it’s what propels customers to your doorstep. Make sure it’s easy for passersby to find you.
  • Convey your brand promise. Your sign might be the first thing a new customer sees, so it needs to be bright and neat, reflecting your high standards.
  • Take advantage of special occasions. If your business benefits from foot traffic, find out what’s going on in the immediate area—a conference, special event, etc.—and modify your signage to invite those attendees to pay you a visit.
  • Beat the competition. Provide customers with a reason to choose your business over your competitors, especially if you’re located in a high traffic area.
  • Connect your offline and online presence. It’s a good idea to include your website URL on signs to provide customers with another way to check you out. And, you should have a photo of your business on your website, to make it easier for customers to find it when they leave the cyberspace world for the world of brick and mortar.

When you enlist us as your professional sign vendor, we’ll make sure your signs are well composed so they provide the maximum return on your investment. We look forward to serving as your sign resource.


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Friday, August 16, 2013

It’s Funny When Someone Else Does It

You don’t want to be the owner who makes a significant error on a sign that results in people talking about your business for all the wrong reasons. The two signs below, courtesy of funnysigns.net, reinforce the importance of proofing your sign:




We’ll make sure you never suffer from these funny but embarrassing snafus when you choose us as your sign vendor. www.sdsar.com


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Thursday, August 8, 2013

What are the Benefits of Internet Marketing For Local Businesses?

By: Patrick Liddy

If you’re a novice in the online world, you may be curious about the benefits of internet marketing for your small business. The local search landscape is rapidly evolving, and getting found online, generating new leads, and measuring and tracking results is more important than ever for local businesses trying to succeed and generate growth.

Despite the continuous fluctuations in system, staying on top of the current online marketing techniques is fundamental to the success of your business. We’ve outlined a few methods you should try below.

The Benefits of Internet Marketing

Local Search Services: If you’re a local business owner who is marketing to a specific geographic area, you need to employ your marketing dollars to attract people who are inside your target area. If you haven’t narrowed your geographic scope, you’re essentially wasting money on marketing to people who are unlikely to become customers. This is how to approach local search:

  • Claim and Optimize Local Listings: Many businesses do not realize that listings like Google Places, Yelp, Yahoo and Bing Local are complimentary or already exist and need to be claimed. Listing your business information on each of these platforms greatly increases the chances that you will be found by your target audience.
  • Create Geotargeted Landing Pages and Content: Targeting specific geographic areas with specific services in close proximity to your business location(s) is important. You want to help people find you with minimal effort, and with geotargeted landing pages, they’ll be much more likely to find your company when they search for services in their area.
  • Keyword Research and Analysis: Consumers cannot find you if you are not using their se terms. This is where the expertise of a local internet marketing company is especially beneficial: They’ll do the research to find what potential customers are searching for online locally and they can integrate this information into your website to improve your local search rankings.

Email Marketing Services: Email marketing is an increasingly effective way to encourage repeat business and customer loyalty. It is a growing resource for local businesses and researchers estimate that United States firms alone spend $2.468 billion on email marketing by 2016, up from $1.5 billion in 2011. Furthermore, email marketing is reported as second only to search marketing as the most effective online marketing tactic.

However, many local business owners are missing a tremendous sales opportunity because they don’t understand how to appropriately use email marketing to their advantage. If you don’t have a set email marketing plan with a set schedule and objectives and you’re not marketing to past, present and potential customers via email, you’re losing valuable business!

Content Marketing: According to a Content Marketing Institute (CMI) 2013 Survey, 86% of B2C (business to consumer) companies are planning to keep or increase their current content marketing spending this year. 54% of B2B (business to business) companies are planning to maximize the benefits of internet marketing by increasing their content marketing spending in 2013.

This shows that demand for content marketing is increasing, and the primary reason is that the only way to rank on the first page of search engines is to consistently write exceptional content that people want to read and share. For small local businesses this takes more than just compelling ideas and an engaging writing style. There is still an underlying content formula that must be understood and followed to achieve ranking success.

A local internet marketing company should have the expertise to write the following types of content:

  • Blog content
  • Website Page content
  • Social Media copy
  • Newsletters
  • Press Releases

Furthermore, they'll understand the following keys to content marketing success:

  • How to write for the web and search engines
  • An understanding of what is relevant content
  • How to facilitate content sharing
  • What makes content "go viral"

Conversion Optimization: The point to all of the above is conversion – Turning a visitor to your website into a customer! All websites and online marketing strategies are NOT created equal. Understanding your website’s strengths and weaknesses is the first step, and ultimately many businesses find that they’re able to significantly increase their conversion rate through comprehensive analysis, website restructuring, and improved customer targeting methods.

Request Free Local Marketing Audit and Strategy Session: To fully experience the financial benefits of internet marketing, it is vital to go with a proven local marketing company with experience generating businesses growth. You can do all the above yourself, but to create long term profitability in your business, minimize marketing costs and maximize efficiency, hiring a company that provides local internet marketing services is the perfect choice.
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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Enhance Your Sign Vocabulary M-Z

As we noted in the first part of this blog, which featured A-L vocabulary words, there’s no reason for you to become a sign expert when you occasionally need a sign, but it can be useful for you to be familiar with some of the terms we might use during the production process. If we ever use words or phrases that aren’t familiar to you, please ask us to define them.

 Matte. A dull surface, not shiny.

 Monument Sign. Also called a freestanding sign, one that sits on the ground and has a low overall height.

Opaque. The opposite of transparent, light-blocking.

 PMS. The acronym for Pantone Matching System, a standardized series of thousands of colors that each have specific formulations and identification numbers.

Sans Serif. A font lacking serifs (see below) that usually has little differentiation between the width of strokes within letters. Examples are Helvetica and Futura.

Serif. A font that includes a small line or embellishment at the end of some letters. Examples are Times Roman and Garamond.

Sign Box. The cabinet that houses a sign’s face panels (primary display area) and electrical components.

Tint. Making a color lighter by adding white to it.

Value Engineering. The process of assessing signs based on the cost of materials, design, installation and maintenance—focused on getting the best value.

Feeling smarter about signs? Don’t worry—there’ll be no test on this material!

 

 

 

 

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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Enhance Your Sign Vocabulary A-L

When you have an occasional need for a sign, there’s no reason for you to become a sign expert (that’s us!), but it can be useful for you to be familiar with some of the terms we might use during the process. If we ever use words or phrases that aren’t familiar to you, please ask us to define them.

Art. All the copy, graphics and logos used on your signs.

Candela (cd). A unit of measure indicating the amount of intensity displayed by artificial light.

Channel Letter. A fabricated or formed three-dimensional letter that may accommodate a light source.

 Dimensional Letter. A specific letter, logo or symbol that’s cut out, cast, molded or fabricated in material such as metal or plastic to “raise” it.

Embossing. Design features of a sign face that protrude from the surface.

Face. The surface area on a sign where copy is displayed.

 Flashing. Metal strips used when attaching a fascia or canopy to a building that cover open spaces at the top and bottom.

Kerning. The process of moving letters further apart or closer together to make them appear more evenly spaced, something that used to be done manually but is now automated.

Luminous Tube. Another name for a neon tube.

More to come! Check back to read the blog that will feature M-Z vocabulary words.

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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Banner Shape Options

Professionally designed and printed banners are a great way to get out messages—but there are some things you need to be aware of with respect to shape before you move forward. Banners that are thoughtfully composed and the “right” shape can really stand out, while those that aren’t run the risk of being ignored.



The three most popular banner shape options are:
  • Perfect square
  • Horizontal rectangle
  • Vertical rectangle
Which one is best for you? That depends on two things: where it will be displayed and the elements contained in your design. Thus, be sure to take a look at the place where your banner will hang; that alone will often be enough to make a shape decision.

If you’re still undecided, think about the artwork and copy you plan to have on your banner; in general, squares or vertical rectangles are best for text-heavy banners, while horizontal rectangles work better when you have a large art element (like a logo) and a small amount of copy.

Don’t despair if none of these popular choices resonate with you, as we can create banners of just about any shape, including circles, teardrops, and flags, or we can customize a banner to meet your specific needs. We look forward to using our expertise to design and produce banners that ensure your message gets noticed.


www.sdsar.com

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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Don’t Sabotage Your Signs


Knowing you need a sign is one thing; making smart decisions about what it says, how it looks and where it’ll be placed is a whole different ballgame. We’re available to help—to make sure you don’t make choices you might end up regretting—but here are some things to think about before you sit down with us:
  • Choose simplicity over beauty/artsy. In many cases, people will need to get the gist of your sign in just seconds, so make sure your message isn’t hard to read—but is clear and straightforward.
  • Separate “art” and “details.” It’s a good idea for branding purposes to include your logo on all your signage, but you need to make sure your company name and appropriate contact information (phone number, website, address, etc.) appear separately. This is true even if the name of your company is part of your logo—since it’s probably pretty small and thus not easy to read.
  • Don’t make assumptions. Think everyone knows what you do? Think again. If it’s not clear from the name of your company, i.e., Fred’s Print Services, make sure you note the product or service you provide in any sign used to market your business.
  • Think 360 degrees. When most people consider vehicle signs or lettering, they focus on the sides of the car, truck, bus, etc. What about the front and back? You’ll miss out on thousands of views if you don’t also use that prime “real estate” to get your message out.
  • Color with care. Full-color signs are expensive, and we haven’t seen any data that proves the added expense is worth it from an ROI perspective. We’ve created plenty of compelling one-color signs, although two colors is probably best. If your budget is tight, we can use tactics like reversing parts of the copy—so the “color” becomes the background and the text is white—to add punch to one-color signs.

Whatever your sign needs, we pride ourselves in coming up with solutions that are cost-effective and get your message out in a professional, captivating way.

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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Using Custom Banners for Trade Show Displays


by LINDSEY BURSEVICH on APRIL 25, 2013

Trade show displays can be very useful for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Even individual service providers can benefit from displaying at trade shows by using custom banners to stand out from the crowd and show potential clients exactly what they have to offer.

SIGNARAMA has lots of experience designing and printing custom banners, perfect for displays at exhibitions and events. Fabric custom banners are a particularly popular product from their extensive range, and with very good reason.

Fabric custom banners are light and easy to transport, extremely important for use in repeated trade

The bottom line – choosing SIGNARAMA fabric custom banners can really help your booth to stand out from the crowd. Plus, our team of expert designers will ensure that your company has a cost effective, unique fabric custom banner that says exactly what you want it to say – time after time after time.

For more information on the SIGNARAMA store near you, be sure to use our online store locator.
shows and exhibitions. Strength and durability is also important when you remember that these custom banners could be used repeatedly over a whole season or even a number of years, which adds to cost effectiveness. Washable custom banners are also important, which is why SIGNARAMA’s fabric banners are completely washable. It’s pretty amazing how grubby this type of thing can get after being repeatedly put up, taken down, folded, and stored away until the next trade show or exhibition. Keeping your custom banners looking fresh, clean, and bright says something about your business – it’s fresh, it’s clean and it’s bright, and you care! Something to watch out for – all fabrics used at trade shows and exhibitions must adhere to codes from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Fabric custom banners from SIGNARAMA adhere to all of these codes and are manufactured from flame retardant fabrics.

Lindsey Bursevich – who has written 40 posts on SIGNARAMA Blog.
Lindsey Bursevich is the Marketing Manager at United Franchise Group, which owns the SIGNARAMA franchise. She received both her B.S. in Marketing and her MBA from Florida State University. Upon starting with UFG, Lindsey worked solely for SIGNARAMA, but has since expanded her role to work amongst all six brands. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and going to the beach, and is a season ticket holder with the Miami Heat. Lindsey currently resides in Palm Beach County, with her dog Bella.




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Monday, June 3, 2013

Summertime is Banner Time!

Sure, we live in San Diego, where the weather is good year-round…but even here summer has a distinctive feel to it—and people are apt to be out and about more than they are during other seasons. What does that mean to those who are promoting businesses or events? It’s “prime time” for displaying professionally made banners that attract customers and participants.

The variety of banner options might surprise you. In addition to custom vinyl banners—the most popular, versatile and cost-effective type of sign design used by businesses today—we can also produce any of the following types of banners:

  • Fabric banners—washable, durable and very lightweight
  • Mesh banners—durable, lightweight and popular for outdoor advertising
  • Banner stands—an easy, cost-effective promotional solution, especially at trade shows
  • Hanging banners—a unique way to advertise, with multiple hardware configurations available to meet just about any mounting method
  • Inflatables—a great way to make a big statement, in shapes and sizes that were previously unheard of
  • Flags—attention-getting and available in a range of sizes and colors
 What can we create for you? Whether you know exactly what you want or you need some guidance from our creative team, we’re here for you—all summer long!


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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Avoid Grammar Miscues and Ambiguity

Many people have forgotten most of what they learned in English class—but that doesn’t mean you can be lazy with your sign copy. You never know who’s going to be viewing your signs; some people are likely to be troubled by grammar mistakes, which may make them think you’re not detail oriented.

It’s always a good idea to work with a professional writer on sign copy. If you choose to write it yourself, be sure to have a number of reviewers (ideally including a professional) take a look at it before you submit it to us. While our QC process should catch the most grievous errors, we don’t claim to be writers or grammar experts, and you will bear the responsibility for the copy you submit.

Grammar mistakes aren’t the only sign verbiage miscue you can make. Take a look at this sign, spotted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida:

 

 

 
Does it mean the elevator isn’t working or does it point the way toward an elevator for people with special needs? It’s likely the latter—but it could be the former due to the ambiguous wording. All we can say is writer beware!

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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

What Can We Do For You?

There’s no reason you need to be a sign expert—not when you can rely on us to use our knowledge
and experience to become your go-to sign resource. We take great pride in our ability to provide any sign-related service, from determining the type of signs you need to designing them, manufacturing them, installing them and maintaining them. With us “in your corner,” you can be certain your signage will communicate your message in an appropriate, professional way, and will adhere to all relevant sign regulations. That leaves you free to concentrate on your areas of expertise. In particular, here are a few services we offer:

Business Services. We can craft a signage program that reinforces your brand and helps you gain new clients. We also offer business-enhancing services such as toll-free numbers, which may increase ad response by 30 percent, and sign leasing, which can help you stretch your signage budget.

Design Services. Our highly skilled design team can certainly lay out your signs in a pleasing manner—but they can also design logos and provide full-service graphic design services. Whether you have existing images that need a bit of TLC or you need us to find artwork that reflects your company’s identity, our designers are “on the job.”

Digital Printing. Technology has changed the printing industry for the better, and we’re pleased to offer quick and affordable state-of-the-art advanced digital printing. Say goodbye to film and plates, and hello to high-quality full-color printing that can be used on everything from small decals to large format graphics. Our team is ready to support your team and all its signage needs. We look forward to establishing a relationship and earning the position of your trusted sign expert.


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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Putting Rear Window Decals on Your Car

by PAULA DIACO on FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Applying a rear window decal on your car can be a great way to personalize your ride or promote your business. Having a unique rear window decal can make your car stand out and grab the attention of everyone who sees it. It can serve as both a window tint and a marketing message for your business, or customization for a tricked-out ride.

Anyone following your car on the highway, or if you’re stopped at a stoplight, will be subjected to your marketing message for several minutes. (Of course, this is also a good reason to be a safe and careful driver who’s not prone to “finger waving” while you’re driving.)

Applying a rear window decal is more common than applying a decal to a side window, because side window decals can eventually be worn off, the more the window is raised and lowered.

The rear window decal is see-through due to tiny holes throughout the entire graphic. When viewed from the outside, the holes appear textural, but the viewer’s brain will fill in the holes, bringing the message home to any onlooker. Meanwhile, on the inside, the holes and the translucent properties of the decal will still allow the driver to see out the rear window without any difficulty.

For a business owner, using a rear window decal can be a great alternative to using an entire vehicle wrap for a car or truck. Of course, having a vehicle wrap on the sides and front of the car will gain more attention, but when budgets or length of ownership are an issue, a rear window decal can be an effective way to let people know who you are and what you do. If you feel like wrapping the entire car or truck later, the rear window decal is a great stepping stone toward that goal.

One thing we always want to warn our customers about when choosing and applying a rear window decal, is to keep weather conditions in mind. When it rains, the raindrops may cover the holes in the decal which can affect your visibility, so be sure to use the wipers occasionally. Another weather-related issue is snow and ice, especially up here in Vermont. When you have snow and/or ice on your car, use the rear defroster to melt the snow off the decal, do not use a snow/ice scraper! You run the risk of scraping and ruining your decal.

For more information on our vehicle wraps and , visit our website. You can also find the SIGNARAMA store nearest you using our online store locator.

Originally posted in Sign-A-Rama Blog.






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Saturday, April 20, 2013

Survey Confirms Importance of Signs

Since we’re in the business of making signs, of course we believe in their value as a tool to draw customers to businesses as well as provide important information like directions, rules, product data, and more. A recent survey conducted by a National Sign Co. shows we’re not alone.


The “What’s Your Sign” survey focused on whether signs are an effective way to attract customers to stores or events. They employed a professional survey firm to reach out to 1,000 of its customers to gain valuable insight on this topic, and we were delighted to see the results, some of which we’ve provided below.

Generating Interest
When asked what actions they’d taken because a sign caught their interest, survey respondents said they:
  • Remembered the business at a later time (79%)
  • Entered the business (76%)
  • Told someone else about the business (75%)
  • Purchased a product or service (68%)
  • Told someone else about the sign (53%)
  • Looked up the business online (51%)
In particular, the survey showed that women and younger consumers are especially perceptive about signage. It also showed that bad signage or not having signage can deter people from entering stores; from 52% to 70% of survey respondents said offensive, misspelled, dirty or poorly made signs would stop them going inside.

More Is Better
An overwhelming number of survey respondents (83%) said small businesses should have between one and three signs around their storefronts to entice customers. The mean number was 2.8.

An Indicator of Quality
More than three out of five survey respondents (68%) believe signage reflects the quality of a store’s products or services. More than one-quarter (26%) think it’s a strong quality indicator.

Simple and Clean
Easily readable signs was the biggest factor survey respondents said would make them more likely to try a small business’ product or service (90%). Other important factors are:
  • Graphically attractive signs (77%)
  • Bright and colorful signs (72%)
  • Funny signs (68%)
  • Modern signs (60%)
  • Sophisticated signs (51%)
 If you’re seeking a way to get more customers into your business, we’ll be happy to take a look at your current signage and recommend additions/revisions with that goal in mind.

www.sdsar.com

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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

April 2013 Newsletter from Sign-A-Rama Kearny Mesa

Published Monthly.  Sign up on our Web site


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Saturday, March 30, 2013

The Importance of Quality Control

When you shop around for sign vendors, what are you looking for? Experience, cost-effectiveness, and customer service are three big “hot buttons,” but you shouldn’t overlook the very important component of quality control. Since your signs are going to be a reflection of your organization, you want to make sure they’re error-free, and that only happens when they’re carefully proofed…and then proofed again.

The human brain is so complex that it can trick us sometimes into seeing things that really aren’t
there. When you know a specific word is supposed to be in a specific place, you may “see” it there, even it’s missing or it contains a typo. That’s why it’s so important to ensure you have a team of people reviewing each and every word on your signs—both within your own staff and at your sign vendor; even if a mistake gets by one person, it should be picked up by someone else before any damage is done.

Speaking of which, a great example of the lack of quality control has been floating around the Internet this week, courtesy of a new Giant food store in Washington D.C. For several hours, the large purple letters affixed to the outside of the building read “the quailty food people.” Of all the words to misspell, “quality” is definitely high on the list for resultant hilarity.

The faux pas—which was corrected after a reporter contacted Giant—was attributed to an installation error. Bet the sign vendor who was responsible has a little egg on its face!

We have quality control processes in place to ensure that your signs will be installed as per your detailed specifications—and that includes having all the words correctly spelled.

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Sign Ordinance 101

Have you read San Diego’s exhaustive sign ordinance? Probably not. Do you think it would be good use of your time to peruse that lengthy document (all 60+ pages of it)? Probably not, again. However, if you’re going to be using exterior signage of any kind, you need to make sure you stay on the “straight and narrow”—and we can help.

 We’re familiar with all the signage rules you must obey in San Diego (and surrounding cities, too). We’ll make sure you don’t do anything that’s going to incur the wrath of a city inspector and cause you a great deal of grief.

 In case you’re interested in knowing what “compelling reading” is contained in the San Diego sign ordinance, here’s a sample of what you’re missing:

 Violations of Sign Regulations

(a) It is unlawful to do the following:

         (1)     Place, post, paint or secure any sign, pennant, flag, banner, balloon, or similar attention-seeking device on public property or within the public right-of-way unless otherwise provided in the Municipal Code or specific state statute;

         (2)     Place any lettering, card, poster, or notice of any kind on any curb, sidewalk, street, pole, post, utility box, hydrant, bridge, tree, building, or other surface that is located on public property or in the public right-of-way unless otherwise provided in the Municipal Code or specific state statute;

         (3)     Display any sign without the required Sign Permit Sticker; or

         (4)     Erect any sign on any premises contrary to the provisions of this division.

(b) Violations of any provisions of this division shall be subject to the enforcement provisions of Chapter 12, Article 1. Violations of this division shall be treated as strict liability offenses regardless of intent.

 Not exactly bestseller material, right? It is important, however, that you work with a sign vendor who has taken the time to learn the rules—so you don’t have to!

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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

March Newsletter now available






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Friday, March 1, 2013

8 Simple Ways to Nip Stress in the Bud

By James DiMaio

If you speak to a doctor about reducing stress in your life, he will likely tell you to revamp your diet, lose weight, get more sleep, exercise more, and/or give up alcohol. While yes, all of these things will dramatically increase your ability to take stress in stride, the mere thought of pursuing any one-much less all-of these goals is stressful. How will you begin? How will you keep going? Yikes.

There is a simpler way. You can choose just one moderate lifestyle change. That's all it takes to get you on the road to feeling better. Once you master one easy change and it becomes second nature, you can use the energy and increased vitality you've created from that first step and put it toward making another tweak. It's not a quick fix, but it's a doable fix. And that's the very best kind of change.

If you want to start getting a grip on your stress levels, commit to just one of the following list of 8 healthy behaviors. Sticking to even one of them can help you feel better instantly.

Which one should you choose? Whichever feels the easiest, whichever you feel will offer you the greatest benefit, or whichever is calling you. There is no one right answer.

1. Get a full night of sleep on most nights.
Ideally you'd be in bed by 10 and sleep for 8 hours every night-sleep regulates your hormone levels, refreshes your mind and promotes clearer thinking, and gives the body a chance to repair and restore itself. But some days there just aren't 8 hours to spare. Make it your goal to prioritize sleep on most nights, giving yourself some wiggle room to stay up late once in awhile. As much as possible, try to get into a routine of going to sleep and awakening at the same time each night and morning and notice how your energy and clarity rise.

2. Get exercise 4 days a week.
Few people can hit the gym every day. Instead, aim to workout more days per week than you skip it. If formal exercise isn't for you, opt for doing something active (walking to work, playing tag with the kids) 5 or 6 days a week. You'll sleep better, your digestion will hum, and your body won't feel so creaky.

3. Eat a home-cooked meal every day.
Food nourishes the soul as much as the stomach. When you eat out, you are not only more likely to eat less healthfully and consume more calories, you're also losing the benefit of having someone who loves you (this includes you) prepare your food for you. Eating more home cooked food will keep you grounded and healthy.

4. Schedule some quiet time (without your mobile).
The busier you are, the more you need time to do nothing. Silence gives you time to digest the day's events and to hear your true thoughts and feelings. Vegging in front of the TV doesn't count. Neither does checking your email on your phone. Dedicate 10 minutes a day to just be.

5. Stay hydrated.
Even mild dehydration can cause fatigue and brain fog. Thirst can also be misinterpreted as hunger and trigger a raid on the leftover pastries in the office kitchen-which in turn causes a blood sugar spike and subsequent crash. Start each morning with a big glass of water and stay on top of your game by always having a glass of water at the ready.

6. Play with your friends and family regularly.
Play boosts creativity, fun and levity-all great antidotes to stress. Doing it with people you love boosts your connection and support system. Study after study has found that people with strong social networks are happier and healthier for longer than people without. So find a way to invest in your relationships-it will pay you back in myriad ways.

7. Cut back on caffeinated beverages.
Caffeine may make you feel mentally sharp, but it eats away at your well-being in important ways. First, even moderate caffeine intake can make it harder to sleep at night, and poor sleep is a major culprit in feeling fuzzy and blah. Caffeine is also dehydrating. Get mindful of how much caffeine you consume and choose your beverages with care. Avoid soda as much as possible and try half decaf if you really need that coffee fix. Better yet, do you really need another cup of coffee, or could you take a 5-minute walk around the office or outside and get the same result with less downside?

8. Find a manageable way to give back to your community.
You don't need to single-handedly save the world. But the more connected you feel to the community around you, the more resilient you'll be in the face of stress. Is there some simple way you can get involved in something outside the walls of your home and office? Finding a meaningful activity that you enjoy can sustain you when times get tough.

So take the first step to getting your Mojo back and choose just one of these moderate lifestyle changes. It is all you need to start increasing your energy... and that energy will be the very next step in making even more healthy changes!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_DiMaio


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Cost Justification of Vehicle Wraps


by MIKE REESE on JUNE 19, 2012

Can you afford vehicle wraps? Maybe the better question to ask is, can you afford not to have them?

After studying the cost of advertising in the Yellow Pages, I have sometimes advised customers to reduce the amount of advertising dollars they’re spending in the Yellow Pages and to put that money into a vehicle wrap that can last them three to five years.

In other words, their cost for a one-year ad in the Yellow Pages would pay for vehicle graphics, which would last for three to five years. Additionally, they would get more impressions than they could imagine — and more than the Yellow Pages could generate.

In a previous blog post, I talked about how you can get 700 – 1,000 impressions per mile that you drive in your community, depending on its size and demographics. The more you drive your vehicle, the lower your cost per impression, because you’re receiving so many impressions day after day, month after month, year after year.

When you look at your advertising costs out there, the cost of having a wrap done is very small in comparison to some other avenues of advertising for the amount of impressions that you get. A wrap can cost anywhere between $1,800 and $4,000 — depending on the type of vehicle you are wrapping. Total price depends on the square footage of the part to be wrapped, size of the vehicle, and the difficulty level of wrapping the vehicle.

So let’s say you get a $2,500 vehicle wrap, and that wrap stays on your car for three years. That works out to $833 per year, or $69.14 per month. (Let’s round that up to $70. You’ll see why in a second.)

If you drive your car five days a week, 20 days per month (and generally, these vehicles are driven much more than that, so this is a conservative estimate), for 10 miles per day, that means you’ll have at least 7,000 people who see your vehicle each day.

Five days of driving per week, and that’s 35,000 impressions. Multiply that by four weeks per month, and you’re at 140,000 impressions.

$70 divided by 140,000 impressions equals $.0005 per impression, or five-hundredths of a cent.

Where are you going to find another advertising channel that can do that for such a low cost?

And even with one vehicle wrapped, people will get the impression that you have more than one around. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten calls from customers, telling me “We’ve seen your trucks everywhere.”

I have only the one truck that has been wrapped, but people think I have an entire fleet. So believe me when I tell you that vehicle wraps have been a real boon to my SIGNARAMA store, and have helped me become one of the leading vehicle graphics experts in the area.

If you’re interested in learning more about vehicle wraps, talk to one of SIGNARAMA’s knowledgeable staff for more information on how vehicle wraps can help you market your business just by driving around. For more information, just contact your local SIGNARAMA store for a quote or with any questions you may have.

Article Source: http://blog.signarama.com/cost-justification-of-vehicle-wraps/


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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Common Signage Terms


Have you ever dealt with a vendor who made you feel dumb…someone who peppered his speech with terms that were foreign to you? That can be a problem in many industries, as those in them feel very comfortable using terminology that sounds like Chinese to the rest of us.

 The sign industry is not immune to this situation, so in the interest of combating it, we plan to regularly provide a glossary of some of our commonly used terms. We are well aware that having educated customers really helps us do our jobs better.

Here are a few definitions to get us started:

 ADA Signage—ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act, a measure passed in 1990 that created specific standards and regulations regarding accessibility, signage, and more. Proper ADA signage includes parking signs, exit signs, bathroom signs and braille signs.
  
Dimensional Letters--- 3D letters and numbers, made from a variety of materials from foam to solid metals.
 
Monument Signs—A monument sign usually features a company’s name and logo, and stands alone in a highly visible location near the entrance.
 
Vinyl Signs—A petroleum-based material, vinyl is affordable and often used in making signs. Vinyl banners are very popular, cut vinyl lettering is a common application, and other types of vinyl signs are all over the place.

 We work hard to ensure we don’t talk over customers’ heads, but if you ever feel lost, please stop us and ask for an “English” translation.

 

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Messaging with Decals

When you think about getting your message out using decals, what do you envision? If you’re like
most people, you probably believe you’re limited to small decal stickers—but you’d be wrong. We can provide you with a variety of decal options that will enhance the way you communicate with current and potential clients and differentiate your business from the competition.

 We invite you to consider:
  • Bumper stickers
  • Window decals
  • Floor graphics
  • Wall decals
  • Rear window decals
  • Custom decals

 We’ll work with you to bring your creative ideas to life, using our world of shapes, materials, sizes, colors, typestyles/fonts and special features. We use state-of-the-art equipment to produce decals that are small enough to put in sticker books and large enough to serve as artwork on entire walls.

In addition to choosing your custom look, you also have options when it comes to adhesion, since offer a wide range of vinyl material with differing grades. Need a decal that can be easily removed? You’ll want a low-tack sticker. Prefer a floor decal that can withstand heavy traffic? You’ll need a high-tack sticker.

If you have a decal dream, we can probably make it come true—even printing decals to use on brick walls that look like they’re painted on! We look forward to assisting you with all your decal needs.

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Monday, February 11, 2013

Take A Risk, Move Out Of Your Comfort Zone


By Dave Kahle

What sets the exceptional professional apart from the average? Regardless of what the profession, from sales to psychiatry, the exceptional professionals share certain characteristics. Here's one: The propensity to take risks.

Now, don't get the wrong idea. We're not talking about skydiving, nor are we talking about sinking your life savings in the new start up. We're talking about taking risks that force you to move out of your comfort zones on the job -- risks that will stimulate you to stretch yourself, to become more competent, to gain new skills, to expand your abilities and, maybe, in so doing, help you become more effective and more efficient.

Talk to someone in your profession who has become exceptionally successful. Ask him/her about the risks they have taken in their professional lives. You'll find that almost every successful professional has stretched himself/herself beyond comfort zones a number of different times. It's one of the characteristics of the highly successful professional.

If you can build an inclination to take these kinds of risks into your mindset, you'll grow faster and further than if you remain safely inside of your comfort zones.

 Everyday Risks
 As a salesperson, when you call on a different type of customer than that with which you have become comfortable, you take a risk. For example, when you call on the CEO instead of the marketing manager or production supervisor, you've stepped out of your comfort zone and taken a risk. When you choose a new way to make a presentation, or a new way to contact your clients you are taking a risk.

 When you chose to question and then change some long-entrenched habit, you are taking a risk. When you expand your efforts in any direction that calls for you to stretch and attempt something new, you are taking a risk.

 Increase Self-Assurance
 Some of those risks will turn out well, others will become failures. Regardless, the simple act of trying something different and new will help you. You'll gain confidence in your abilities and you'll learn from both your successes as well as your failures. Your life will expand, you'll grow wiser and you'll become more successful. That is the sure payoff for every risk thoughtfully taken.

 Source: Dave Kahle is a world-class speaker who has presented in 41 states and six countries. He has published more than 1,000 articles, and six books in 10 languages, as well as numerous multi-media training programs. 


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