Many people make the mistake of dismissing signage as an “old-school” kind of business advertising. While it’s true that much of modern marketing occurs in the virtual world, that hasn’t made physical signage any less effective.
For best results, we recommend combining both, which is why we’ve prepared 3 tech-savvy tips to help small businesses combine the best of virtual and physical marketing.
- Add an “exclusive” phone number to measure your sign’s efficacy. Including a business phone number in sign copy is Marketing 101, yet many business owners omit this important piece of information. Even if your business is based on walk-in traffic and face-to-face interactions, adding a phone number makes your company seem friendlier, accessible, and open to prospect questions.
That said, adding your standard business number is not optimal in all cases. Adding the same number that you use for regular customer calls makes it impossible to track how well your sign is performing. If you are interested in tracking the kind of results your sign is generating, we recommend using an “exclusive” phone number created specifically for your signage campaign. In doing so, you give yourself a simple way of monitoring sign performance – every time your phone rings, it means that your sign has successfully converted a passerby.
Of course, purchasing a unique phone number is not required in every situation. But if you want to assess the efficacy of your signage and monitor the impacts of any changes or updates, this is the way to go.
If you want similar campaign-tracking capabilities without having to register a unique phone number, consider making a separate business email and including it in place of the phone number. Broadly speaking, the Millennial generation is generally more comfortable initiating first-contact via email than phone, so this option may be preferable for businesses targeting a younger demographic.
- Add a QR code. Quick Response (QR) codes originated in Japan as a way to quickly inventory automobiles, and has since been implemented as a tech-savvy tool for marketing and customer engagement in all industries. Like a standard barcode, a QR code is a machine-readable optical label that contains useful data. However, unlike a bar code, QR codes can contain a considerable amount of data, including url links, geo coordinates, and text that can be accessed through any mobile device.
Adding a QR code to your sign instantly makes the advert more engaging, and positions your business as a tech-savvy brand. When scanned, QR codes can be used to give clients instant access to redeemable codes or coupons, direct them to your website, or place a waypoint in a Google Maps-style app to help them find your store.
To learn more about harnessing the power of a QR code in your company’s signage, get in touch with our experts at http://www.signworld.org.
- Add your website address. Today, website addresses are arguably more important than storefront addresses, even for businesses who rely on walk-ins.
When redirecting a passersby to your website, make sure you’re sending them to a compelling landing page with an offer than corresponds to that which was introduced on your sign. Whatever you do, avoid simply dropping them off on your homepage.
If you find yourself pressed for space, consider using a shortened URL. Various free tools exist online allowing you to compress lengthy web addresses – bit.ly is a popular choice.
You can find more signage best practices at http://www.signworld.org
