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With warm weather and longer days right around the corner, you should be thinking about ways to market your business outdoors as more and more people will be out and about enjoying their freedom from the cold, harsh winter weather. Spring is prime time to get your marketing creative juices flowing and utilize outdoor marketing strategies to reach a lot of people quickly and inexpensively. There are a number of ways you can market your business outdoors without spending a lot of money, taking up a lot of time and using a lot of man (or woman) power. Let’s take a look at some outdoor marketing strategies that really work.

Billboards

According to marketing experts, when it comes to outdoor advertising, the average person has an attention span of approximately eight seconds, so one of the most important things for outdoor advertising is that it must be eye-catching, simple to read and easy to understand. Even in this age of burgeoning technology, the good ole’ billboard is still one of the most effective outdoor advertising tools because of the its vast and consistent exposure, repetition of message to those who see it (for instance, while commuting to work) and for its cost-effectiveness. Despite the number of advertising media, mainly online, billboards are still capturing the attention of passersby.

Strategically placed billboards will attract a diverse population of potential customers/clients. In order to be most effective, billboards should contain vibrant, interesting images; your business name; logo, if possible; colors and signs that will attract the attention of those who see it.

Car Magnets and Vinyl Wraps

Car advertising has become very popular, and if you have a company car or truck, you can use this effective form of outdoor advertising to attract new customers. As you’ve probably seen, some companies choose to wrap their entire vehicles with advertising, while others keep it a bit more subtle and simple by placing the company information, logo and slogan on the sides or rear only of the vehicle, along with the website URL, of course. Keep the information short and sweet, as you don’t want people reading so much on your car advertisement that they cause car accidents all around you. Car wraps are perfect for food delivery, maintenance and moving companies.

Public Transit Marketing

Bus and rail advertisements are ideal for local businesses close to where these modes of transit travel. Bus shelter and rail station advertisements really work because of the repetition–the same people, usually, see the same ads every day they take public transportation. By seeing the ads over and over, the name of the business will stick with the potential customer. Keep in mind that public transportation shelters and stations in metropolitan areas also see a lot of tourists and businesspeople traveling in and out of the area; these groups make another demographic you can reach with your bus/rail advertisements.

Outdoor Signs, Banners

Advertising your business with outdoor signs may seem like an obvious choice, but you’d be surprised at how many owners don’t have large, easy-to-read signs on the outer exterior of their buildings. Attractive, clear signs with clever slogans or buying incentives can be seen by prospective customers any time day and night. You can make your own outdoor signs or hire a professional artist or sign builder.

If you do hire an expert, be sure to shop around so you don’t spend too much, and always ask for samples of his/her work and check references. If the artist or sign builder is not willing to give you names of previous clients he’s served, then that is a big red flag to continue your search.

Printed, flexible custom banners are very effective outdoor advertising tools and fairly inexpensive. Banners are most often used to advertise sale items and are usually placed at the entrance to a business. Banners can be easily rolled up and transported to other locations and are perfect for hanging on outdoor walls, fences and posts.

Fliers

If you don’t mind pounding the pavement to hand out custom designed fliers to passersby, they are a great way to reach a lot of people quickly and inexpensively. You can have hundreds or thousands of fliers printed, and they’re the perfect outdoor marketing tool to reach a very specific geographic target. If you have just opened up a pizzeria, standing right around the block or right in front of the restaurant with a flier announcing your grand opening or offering a coupon is a fantastic way to get that foot traffic to walk right into your new pizza parlor.

In nice weather, keep your restaurant doors open (if it’s not a health code violation) to allow that delicious aroma of tomatoes, garlic and pepperoni hit the streets to entice people on foot to come in for a slice.

PaperDirect has thousands of flier designs to choose from, so we’re sure you’ll find one you really love. We will design it especially for your business and print out as many as you need. If you run out, simply order online or give us a call!

When starting up a new business, whether large or small, it’s important to budget your money wisely because you will spend a lot of money quickly getting the business set up. Whether you’re starting a work-from-home type of business using the Internet or opening a retail store or restaurant, every penny must be carefully accounted for, and you must find ways to market your business in inexpensive ways. One mistake many new business owners make is over-spending on marketing their business; one way to avoid this is to take a look at some creative DIY marketing ideas that won’t break the bank.

Many new, inexperienced business owners don’t realize there are DIY marketing ideas/strategies that are inexpensive and require little, if any, experience. The DIY marketing ideas below will save you money and may help you to get your business off and running much more quickly than you expected. Wouldn’t that be nice? Imagine less stress, fewer dollars spent, and more business in the first few months you’re open!

You can custom design your own banner (with a little help from PaperDirect)! Our vinyl banners make great advertising tools for grand openings, special sales, one-day only events, and the like. PaperDirect weather-resistant vinyl banners come in three sizes, and we can print and ship them to your door in just three days! DIY marketing saves money and allows you to create the banner you want.

With spring upon us and summer right around the corner, now is a great time to utilize DIY outdoor marketing techniques, and vibrant banners are a sure-fire way to grab people’s attention! Hang the banners over the entrance to your business or place them strategically around the neighborhood. Ask sister businesses if you can hang a banner on their storefront.

Using Banners for DIY Outdoor Marketing at Trade Shows

Your business can’t be a success if people don’t know about, and many people won’t seek out a new business–they’ll wait until they hear about it via word of mouth, some type of advertisement online or in a newspaper or drive by and see some type of eye-catching outdoor advertisement. Of course, the more people that see your advertisement, the more prospective customers you may get. There are numerous ways to promote your business. Participating in trade shows is one effective method of promoting your business, and one where banners from PaperDirect will work as a great advertising tool. When you use banners for advertising, sometimes banner stands are necessary.

Using a banner stand is a great way to keep your banner stationary if it’s a windy day or there’s a lot of foot traffic that may cause the banner to fall. Though banner stands are traditionally seen at mobile events and trade shows, they can be used for a variety of advertising campaigns.

Banner stands are easy to move from event to event and can be taken down and put up in a short period of time. Now, with such strict rules for carry-on and checked luggage at airports,  having a portable banner stand will save you money. Make sure your banners are easy to transport in case you’re on a mobile advertising campaign that requires you to travel.

Looking for some creative DIY outdoor marketing techniques? Try vinyl banners from PaperDirect. You can design your own and PaperDirect will take care of the rest!

In tough economic times, marketing your business is crucial to keeping it up and running. With limited money to spend, consumers must be choosy about where to spend their hard-earned dollars. When it comes to getting customers to your door or to your website, the key is to promote your products and services in a unique way that will make prospective buyers put your company at the top of their list.

Here are some unique marketing ideas for businesses large and small:

1. Compare your business to the competition and make it clear why yours is the best choice.
2. Focus on small details like creating an effective logo, clever tag line and attractive business brochures.
3. Offer specials deals and discounts, especially to first-time customers. The money you lose by giving discounts will be made up in the long run with repeat customers.
4. Personalize communication with customers. Send emails, direct mail postcards and other such communications to customers using their names. This creates a connection and makes the customer feel special.
5. Keep your website up to date and post new information regularly. Blogs are a great way to keep your clients and customers informed of new products and services you’re offering and shows that you’re putting effort into keeping your business going.
6. Post testimonials on  your website. Ask regular customers to write honest reviews of your business and show your appreciation by offering a coupon or customer loyalty card.
7. Offer package deals. Some businesses may not be able to do this, but if the product or service you provide can be bundled, then offer customers more bang for their buck. Make it clear how much money will be saved by bundling, and the consumers will see the great deal they’re getting.
8. Get your business involved in the community by participating in a charity event or fundraiser. If there’s a county fair, have a booth and offer giveaways and samples of your products.
9. Support other local businesses. This establishes camaraderie with other companies and will get your face and company name out there in the community.
10. Team-up with your weaker competitors to beat your stronger competitors.
11. Beat your competition by giving away a similar product or service that they charge for or beat their price.

Need more unique marketing ideas? Check out these PaperDirect blogs:

• Marketing Tips to Improve Your Visibility
• Online Marketing Ideas: Content is Still King
• Sales Promotion Marketing Tips That Work

If you need marketing supplies like banners, flyers and business cards, PaperDirect is your one-stop online source for all your business needs.