Tag: Magnetic Signs

Since we opened our doors for business, our company has been dedicated to promoting your business and expanding your brand as professionally as possible. We believe in crafting with only the best of the best materials as we custom design and fabricate every kind of sign imaginable with an eye toward best in class service.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we would like to extend our gratitude to those who have made this year so memorable and successful:

• To our team of employees – Thank you for the work you do to make our company great. You help us provide first-class service to our clients. We appreciate your commitment, creativity and high-standards.
• To our loyal and amazing clients – There is no better time to say Thank You for your business and patronage. We are grateful to serve you and appreciate your confidence in us.

We would like to wish you all warmth and contentment of a truly Happy Thanksgiving.

As we approach the holiday season, businesses struggle to get ahead while they attend to current clients’ needs, plan for the holiday season, and put together a strategy for the upcoming New Year. This is a good time to evaluate your branding elements and decide if a facelift is needed with the beginning of a fresh new year.

That being said, be careful and very cautious about re-branding and changing your logo, especially if you have accomplished a strong positioning of your identity in the marketplace and among a powerful customer base.

Regardless of how large or small your business is, your reach and positioning can be at a global level. The Internet and social networks have shrunk our world and made our accessibility easier than ever. Changing your logo with the goal of a fresh start requires a lot of planning and consideration in addition to a smooth seamless transition in order to avoid losing your place in a cluttered environment.

On the other hand, do not forget that this is the perfect time of the year to show appreciation to your staff, partners, vendors and clients. From planning a holiday party to sending out holiday cards and gifts, this is also your chance to put together a personalized touch through a custom design that will allow you to showcase your brand and stay top of mind.

Are you putting together a logo? Are you launching a new brand? Are you considering installing a new wall mural? Are you thinking about revamping your business sign? Or are you looking into growing your business through vehicle wrapping?

Regardless of which way you decide to go, the bottom line is that you are trying to convey a specific message to your target market.  Verbal, visual or audible, your message communicates information that reflects on you and your business in response to a specific communication need. As the sender of such message, you want to make sure that you follow a process to make your communication clear and understandable as you implement a call to action and expect a specific reaction on behalf of your audience.

The following steps walk you through a better strategy that will save you time and money:

1- Consider your audience

• Who are they?
• What kind of relationship do you have with them?
• How will they react to your message?
• What do they know already about your business?
• Is there something unique about your audience that should be taken into consideration?

2- Do not skip planning

• What is the purpose of your message?
• What kind of information are you trying to convey?
• What kind of interaction and experience are you putting together?
• How will you respond to your audience as they react to your message?

Good communication plays a major role in your success while helping you promote your service or product through specific means.

With the many choices out there, you might find it difficult to make a decision on which company to engage to respond to your business needs.  If you are looking for indoor signage, outdoor signage, wall murals, lobby re-design, full or partial vehicle wrap service, you need to consider the following:

– The level of dedication to:

• Promote your company
• Expand your brand
• Exhibit high levels of professionalism

– The material used needs to be the best of the best, no matter what.
– The technology implemented should be the latest, capable of presenting and producing quality product.
– The customization process where design should respond to your unique need.
– The levels of flexibility, responsiveness and availability.
– The diversity and/or specialization of their portfolio which should give you a better idea of their:

• Design style
• Level of expertise
• Understanding of your industry

– The network of resources that such service provider is aligned with and how such network can support the service offered and your additional needs (if and when they arise).
– The dedication to protecting the environment and being socially responsible.
– The involvement in the community and how they support local charities, education and charitable causes.

Committing to a service provider goes beyond the initial engagement to  build a relationship that will help you partner with a company to  make your business the center of attention and support its growth.

When planning to add a Wall Mural to your office, consider the following seven steps:

• Meet in person with your service provider – It is usually a good idea to invite them to your offices so they can get a clear understanding of what your business is about and comprehend your brand.
• Be clear about your expectations when it comes to customization:
  •  Would something off the shelf of a store do it for you?
  • Or are you looking for a unique design that speaks volumes about your business?
• Explain the vision of what you are looking for:
  • Discuss your thought with your service provider
  • Share your likes and dislikes
  • Do you have a specific concept in mind?
  • How do you feel about icon images?
  • Do you prefer specific colors over others?
• Discuss budget limitations and restrictions.
• Detail your core values:
  • Make sure you share such values
  • Explain how your values are aligned with your mission, goals and offerings to the market place
• Entertain different material:
  • Do you have a preference for green and environment-friendly material?
• Where will your wall mural be placed?
  • Will it be accessible only to employees?
  • Is the goal for the public to see it?
  • What kind of setting, decor, furniture and fixtures do you have in that space?

Although the above might sound like simple questions, it is very important to address such points in order to clearly assess and comprehend your vision and what you are trying to achieve through a concept that will turn into a successfully fabricated and installed design.

When it comes to marketing, there are some common key elements that all and any business can benefit from if implemented correctly.

• Focus on being memorable – Your influence should go beyond the product or service you are selling to instill in your customers a memorable and unforgettable experience. You want your customers to talk about you. Your work with them should compel them to share a great story that they would love to tell over and over again.

• Understand your customers – Your offerings should speak to customers who, not only need your product or service, but who think like you and with whom you share similar values. When you truly understand your target market, you will be able to customize offerings that not only attract them, but also leave them with a memorable experience.

• You cannot be everything for everyone – In a cluttered marketplace, you need to keep your focus on what makes you different and how you can stay top of mind. Although customers choose you, remember that your business has the power to NOT appeal to consumers who simply are not the right clientele for your offerings.  In addition to your offerings, the customers you target define you and your brand. For example, transparency and value will help you stand out to those consumers who are looking for such qualities while excluding the audience who are simply looking for the deal of the day.

Regardless of your approach, your influence is only as strong as how memorable of an experience you leave your customers with!

When putting together a marketing strategy, it is very common to have a list of one or more goals to accomplish while targeting a specific market or audience. Some companies use promotional items, others invest in online marketing… Some might even launch a direct mail campaign while others choose signage and trade shows to grow their exposure. The bottom line is to strengthen relationships with your customers and stay top of mind. The following are four key elements to include in your goals when promoting your business:

• Awareness – If you are a new company or working on introducing a new product/service into the marketplace, your goal should be geared towards aligning marketing initiatives to assist in focusing on building awareness and establishing a strong identity.
• Information – Your marketing efforts play a major role in helping your customers make a decision when they are in the search stage contemplating the purchase of a specific service and/or product. The information and presentation of your marketing initiative should explain your offerings and help you establish strong positioning in the mind of your audience.
• Demand – With the right offer and marketing approach, you should start experiencing an increase in sales as you work consistently on reminding your target marketing of your presence and presenting purchase triggers that meet their needs.
• Branding – When targeting existing customers, your marketing initiative should simply reinforce your brand and build strong relationships while resulting in higher levels of customers’ commitment, engagement and loyalty.

If you are a green company, you are deeply committed to more environmentally friendly printing and sign solutions. Your branding and marketing needs are no different than other companies who do not have similar priorities like yours. Through your initiative, you can still reach your clients in existing markets while you appeal to future generations.

For your marketing collaterals including brochures, signage, billboards, and more, you may want to consider:

• Renewable materials
• Natural fibers
• Toxin-free finishes
• Low-emission products

Although technology might be presented in an appealing way to help you save trees, you need to keep in mind that this is not totally true.  That being said, electric signs might be an option to consider especially the programmable electronic LED message boards or centers. LED uses less electricity than bulb units.

You also may want to look at Latex Printing Options which will create odorless prints making it convenient and safe to be used indoors and outdoors as well.  You may want to inquire if your vendor’s product will be odorless and FSC-certified, GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certified and will meet the AgBB criteria for health-related evaluation of VOC emissions for indoor building products.

As you build and grow your company’s visual brand including logo, exterior and interior signage, wall murals, marketing material, and more, your goal should always be to establish awareness in the market as you establish strong positioning in the mind of customers. One of the crucial key points to keep in mind is hiring the right graphic designer to help you take care of all the important tasks you need to accomplish when it comes to your branding elements.

Always keep in mind:

• Quality
• Goals
• Timeline
• Budget

The following are important steps to consider in order to align yourself and your business with the graphic designer who will help you propel and grow the business:

• Put together a list of specific graphic design projects that you foresee needing and prioritize the list
• Look up local graphic designers through:

1. An online search
2. A call to your local chamber of commerce
3. An inquiry to your network

• Examine your candidates’ portfolio of work and request a list of references
• Determine your budget
• Spend time getting to know your candidates. Although recommendations and portfolio samples sometimes look very appealing, personalities might not be in sync. Get a feel of how the designers work, what their process is and if it aligns with your vision and goals.

Regardless of your type of business, chances are you have gotten lots of competition. There are plenty of other businesses, regardless of size, that offer similar products and/or services and that are targeting a similar target market.  As a result, many business owners are continuously looking for options, methods and tools to help them stand out, grow their client base and take their company to the next level.

The following are seven tips that will help you break through the clutter and get noticed:

• Always remember that you cannot stand out if you are using the same marketing strategy everyone else is using.
• Know that transforming your business also means transforming your marketing approach.
• Distinguish your business from the competition by being more targeted and specific.
• Do not forget that you cannot be everything for everyone. Your customers are looking for someone who can respond to their needs and attend to their wants.
• It is crucial for you to position your company as the expert at what you do. If you want your client and target market to perceive you as the expert in your field, you need to give them a reason to contact you.
• How does your target remember you? What do you need to do to have a stronger relationship with your target market than your competitors do?
• Go the extra mile and build strong relationships with your prospects.

The above tips may sound simple but they can help tremendously in supporting your marketing initiatives and help you stand out from the competition.