3 Questions to Ask by Various Businesses When Using Yard Signs for Advertising

No one is oblivious to the fact that we are surrounded by advertising today. In fact, companies trying to sell their products and services are becoming annoying that they push people to unsubscribe to their newsletters, to tune out the noise. The biggest marketing challenge for businesses is to become the exact opposite—to overcome it and come up with something that will stand out in the noise. Ads that are successful in doing this often gets the best sales rate.

One way to achieve this is to place ads in places where everyone does not expect it to be seen. A perfect example of this is installing yard signs. Ads that are placed on billboards, magazines, buses, and even TV are all surrounded by other ads as well. Considering that, it's easy for yours to get lost in that sea of ads if you place another one yourself. That's how yard signs become beneficial. It stands out because when you get one, you get an instant advertisement, and not to mention, audience, in your neighborhood.

If you're looking into using yard signs as advertising materials, you might want to consider the following

Are they. . . legal?

One of the greatest obstacles in using yard sign advertising is to obtain legal permission to put the sign. It is pretty common for landscaping, home improvement, and construction companies to put signs on the yards of their customers. Any well-respected and professional company would surely ask the homeowner's permission before putting it up.

This move makes a lot of sense. Naturally, the neighboring houses would want to see the workers doing the job and wonder what company they're with every day. And most of the time, homeowners don't make a fuss when companies introduce themselves through ads in custom metal sign while they do what they need to do. In fact, some businesses even give discounts and special incentives for homeowners who give permission to leave their sign installed for a certain period after completing the job.

However, what do you do if you want to extend the reach of your marketing efforts beyond the yard of your customers? After all, you invested a considerable amount of money to produce all your yard signs so why not add a few in the sideways of a busy highway or near the entrance of a popular park?

As we all know, placing yard signs in public spaces without obtaining a permit is illegal in most cities. Nonetheless, many businesses don't care about the consequences of doing this. Yes, it's undeniably true that a lot of eyes will see it before it gets taken down but in order for it to be effective, it should bear your contact details. You can decide for yourself if letting everyone know your contact number and website (including the authorities) in a sign illegally placed somewhere is worth the risk. You might want to research on how strict your city is in implementing these ordinances. Generally, it's safer to put signs here and there as long as it's legal to put them there. However, if the yard signs are seen everywhere and qualify as a public nuisance, problems may arise.

What does it say about your company if you use yard signs as a form of advertising?

Every type of advertising bears a message or reflection of the company that's different from the advertisement message itself. What do you think of law firms having yard signs as a form of advertising? What would be your first impression of that law firm? What about this, how will you see a law firm that you hear from a local sports radio ad?

For a lot of businesses, using yard signs in advertising is basic and appropriate. On the other hand, there are also businesses that won't stand out (in a good way) because of these signs. It will come across as odd or off-putting. For instance, if you're a doctor and put "I DO SURGERY" signs all over the city, you'd probably miss a lot of patients as they surely frown upon when they see your yard signs.

Of course, there's a grey area in some types of businesses. If you're one of these, you'd want to think hard on what image is best for your brand. You see, there are restaurants that use yard signs but they sure aren't the ones where everyone dines for their anniversary. And banks that use yard signs are not viewed as international financial institutions.

We're not saying that it's not advisable to support a more 'thrifty' brand. What we mean is that you should know the image that your brand is painting to the world with the advertising medium that you're using.

Do numbers matter?

If you choose to go ahead and use yard signs as a form of advertising, you need to remember that quantity plays a huge role. Putting a couple of signs in a few places is not as effective as a lot of signs found all throughout the city. If you want your message to be remembered, it should always be repeated. And when we say repeated, it has to be seen in various locations strategically.