When designing your print marketing strategy in the building and housing sector, do you consider where you’re going to place your ads when they’re complete? Many in the industry don’t think about banner placement — but put them in the wrong spot and your ROI could plummet!
In order to attract the greatest number of potential customers as possible, check out this guide to promoting products and services effectively in the building, construction and housing sector. From store window to trade show, you will receive key tips on banner placement to ensure you maximise your marketing ROI.
Shop foyer
If your potential customer has been enticed enough by your products and services to visit your store, don’t stop encouraging them to buy from you by not utilising your reception area for further marketing purposes.
Celebrating X amount of years in business? Just opened a new shop to keep up with demand? Tell your visiting customer this by placing your banner in the foyer of your building. Achievements matter, and the beauty of a pull-up banner is that you have the space to advertise snippets of success stories — unlike with a small leaflet, for example.
In as little as a tenth of a second, consumer create an impression of something. Therefore, you don’t have long to portray your brand in a positive light. Designing an eye-catching pull-up banner that not only features complementary colours — perhaps matching your reception décor — pleasant fonts and nice imagery, but also highlights interesting information about your company might be another helpful marketing factor to convert sales from new customers and boost brand loyalty among current clients.
But, are there any other reasons that this section of your shop offers an ideal location to engage with your customers? Apparently, the part directly inside a shop is called the ‘decompression’ zone. This is according to an article by the Economist, and is because customers need to momentarily ‘slow down’ to assess their new surroundings. As a result, this is a great place for promotional material. Even if you don’t have a reception area, you can simply place your pull-up banner just inside the entrance for the same powerful marketing affect — another way to boost ROI.
Corporate exhibitions and events
To gain exposure and promote your brand among peers, competitors and potential new staff; use your banner at your next business event. According to Eventbrite, the UK events industry is worth £42.3 billion and 1.3 million business events are held annually. Corporate hospitality accounts for around £1.2 billion, while exhibitions comprise £11 billion and conferences make up the lion’s share at £19.9 billion!
While many believe digital ads offer the best ROI, it appears that print could be the way to go if you truly want to make a memorable impact. According to a study carried out in the US, participants that viewed print media showed a greater emotional response for it and were able to recall its details better than they could for digital ads. If you want to stand out against your competitors at a major recruitment exhibition and create that bond to entice people to come over, why not design an attractive, descriptive pull-up banner and place it next to your stand? If it’s eye-catching enough, it will draw potential partners and employees to your table where you can begin discussing the key details of your business.
High-footfall, public places
Location plays a large part in how many customers you attract to your store each day. But will people spend time trying to find you if you’re not in a high-footfall area? According to a study published in The Independent last year, employees in the UK are working more overtime than ever before with 60% of those asked stating that they don’t have a good work-life balance. Could this affect how much time they spend trying to find you unless you make locating your store as easy as possible?
If you think it’ll benefit, try placing your banner in a busy, public place and use it to direct people to your location. Slightly off the high street? Tucked away around a sharp corner? Sandwiched between two larger stores? You could run the risk of clients giving up on finding you. By placing your pull-up banner in a location that signposts your building, you can direct your customers, as well as advertise your brand to the general public. Use bold fonts and colours to highlight your address and tell people which other shops you’re next to or opposite so they can quickly work out where you are. If you’re thinking about placing these outdoors, make sure you opt for a quality PVC or vinyl banner to make sure your ad can endure the weather for maximum return on your spend.
Windows
Maximise your ROI by utilising any window space you have with your banner. According to store design and display consultant, Linda Cahan, in an article published in Entrepreneur: “Each window should tell a story”. Are you making the most of this key piece of promotional space? If you have floor-length windows, simply angle your pull-up banner so it is clearly visible to people and cars coming from all directions. Or, use a platform to give your advert height so it can be easily seen.
If you have a seasonal discount or special offer, make sure when you place your banner in your window that it is shouting about them! Did you know that 80% of consumers describe themselves as ‘promotion sensitive’? Highlighting a special discount on your pull-up banner placed in your store window will give your offer excellent visibility to help bring foot traffic in-store. Also, research shows that discounts can make it less probable that people will then compare your range with your competitors’! Remember to use contrasting colours and large text to highlight your offer on your banner.
Awards events
An award show is a great way to get yourself recognised by consumers and potential staff — but only if you use well-designed print advertising material to ensure you make an impact. Obviously, swanky events featuring champagne receptions and red-carpets may not be the appropriate place for promotional material. However, some awards shows are very business-based and can last all day before the awards section takes place in the evening. In which case, use this time to promote your brand on social media and YouTube.
Did you know that digital is apparently not as effective as print for staying in the memory of an audience? A Canadian study found that 75% of people could remember a brand after viewing it via a print media ad. Conversely, only two-fifths were able to recall the company after seeing it on a digital platform. To boost ROI, create a well-structured pull-up banner or two that can act as backdrops to any interviews you hold or videos/photos you take when your staff are at the awards event. Colour, design, content, and imagery are important characteristics — only use complementary colours, clear layouts, insightful text, and high-quality resolutions. Hashtags, contact information and your brand logo are also essentials. Then, share your snaps or videos on social media to spread brand awareness!
This article was researched and written by Where The Trade Buys, a UK print company with operations in Sunderland and London. Where The Trade Buys – which launched in 2010 — creates quality pull-up banners and other high-quality print materials, and employs over 150 people across the UK.
Sources:
https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2015/rarc-wp-15-012.pdf
https://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/print-vs-digital.htm
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-many-seconds-to-a-first-impression #
https://www.economist.com/node/12792420
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223808 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-wong/what-science-says-about-discounts_b_8511224.html
https://www.getelastic.com/coupon-infographic
https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-use-discount-pricing-strategies–cms-28611
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/direct-mail-in-the-digital-age/
