W.J. Strickler Signs

Posts Tagged ‘on site advertising’

Do you think it is important to market and advertise? Have you had serious doubts about the effectiveness of your past and current advertising efforts? Do you wish you could measure its effectiveness? Would you use advertising that has proven itself? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, please read on.

It’s long been said that signage is the most cost-effective form of marketing. According to a new survey, it ranks pretty high in overall marketing effectiveness as well.

The recently released survey was conducted by Brand Spark International in conjunction with Better Homes and Gardens. The survey sampled 100,000 North American Shoppers representing the largest consumer survey of its kind.

The survey results surprised this “old sign guy” even!

• Would you believe data gleaned from the survey indicated outdoor signage ranked higher than the internet, radio and TV in its ability to advertised new products?
•  Some 29% of the the survey respondants said that they had been drawn into a store based on the quality of the exterior signage.
• More than 33% of those surveyed said that their assessment of a store’s quality was based on how attractive the stores signs were.
• Almost half of the respondents (49%) said they had driven by or failed to find a store because of unclear or effective signage.

So there you have it, signs do make a difference! Please visit our website http://www.stricklersigns.com/ to discover how you can benefit just like our customers have.

Stand Out From the Crowd
Welcome! 2011 is in full swing and one of the first words that comes to mind is Growth. We already know Spring time brings new growth to the trees and fields abroad, however this year I believe that growth has a double meaning. As our economy begins the long climb from a global recession, we too will begin to re-establish our market share and grow our businesses.

Spring Time is slowly coming to our neighborhoods, and that means that seasonal products and promotions will be making their way to the forefront of our “to do” lists. There is no getting around them! And I can’t think of a better way to assist you in the task then your Electronic Message Center (EMC) Sign.

Whether it be a seasonal product, promotion, event, etc., let your EMC work for you. Plan aggressive schedules now for spring time events and let your EMC put the word out and grow your customers enthusiasm.

Be Direct with Your Message!  It’s All About Presentation…
Speaking the truth is a good thing, just be careful how you say it.  Promoting honesty and integrity is a GREAT way to run a business.  Never belittle your audience.  Keep the content positive and precise.  In most cases you only have a brief amount of time to “get the word across”. 

Programming Tip – Spell Check is a Good Thing!
Don’t let an image of your sign be the next Internet sensation because of a spelling error.  Make sure to use the Spell Check feature located within the software before updating your sign.

Strickler Signs would like to welcome the following customers to our family of EMC Sign programmers.

Advanced Vein & Laser

Apple Automovive

Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar

Bob Ruth Ford

Grease Monkey

Heritage Valley FCU

Mountz Jewelers

SAVES Company 29

Universal Athletic Club

Thank You again for your continued support of W.J. Strickler Signs, and we look forward to being able to further assist you with all your onsite advertising needs again in 2011.  Please feel free to contact us if you have something you would like to see in future newsletters.

Jeremiah Reichert came to work for us as a sales representative in August of 2010 after spending time working in construction and manufacturing throughout the mid-state,  Jeremiah is a graduate of Hanover High School and currently resides in Hanover with his wife of 7 years Lindsay.  When Jeremiah isn’t working he is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys Hunting, Fishing, Softball, Golf and Bowling. Jeremiah is a rabid sports fan and follows the Penn State Nittany Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Orioles, Duke Blue Devils and the Washington Capitals.  Jeremiah came to a realization that he wanted to learn and develop a career that would offer long term stability and financial security with a local organization that would allow him to have a career and not just a job, so he began the search for the company and the field he wanted to work in and sales seemed like the best fit for his long term success.  I personally have known Jeremiah over 13 years and can say that his determination and competitive nature will be a tremendous asset in the sales field, Jeremiah approached me asking A LOT of questions about the company and my experiences working here prior to beginning his attempts to seek out a position with the company.  If you haven’t already please take a moment to introduce yourself and I can safely say if you want to talk sports or hunting he will always be willing to talk and share information and ideas with you.

Use this truck to advertise your charitable event!

Strickler Signs utilizes a specially built LED message center truck for sales demonstrations, but we also help charities advertise their events by letting them park the truck at the event. We enjoy supporting good causes so we are more than happy to work with charities. We ask the event coordinator for sign content. After receiving the content, Derek programs the message center truck. The truck is delivered to the site, set up and the message center begins to advertise with the bright lights.

Some times we might not be able to meet a group’s schedule if the truck is being used by the sales staff, but other than that, we are happy to accommodate.  There are some other restrictions or considerations that may apply as well.

Bank monument sign with EMC

Electric highway sign with LED message center

On premise pylon sign with electronic message center

I will finish with a quote from a bank that utilizes message centers at all of their branches where local zoning allows. “It’s amazing to see how the offices with the LED signs tend to open more accounts than the offices without the sign, especially when we are advertising rate driven products on the message centers.

Electronic LED signs have, and continue to increase our restaurant customer’s sales with double digit increase being the norm!

First off, let’s talk about what an on premise freestanding business sign really is, it’s “on site advertising”!  Please think about it, a sign is advertising to thousands of prospective customers every day. A properly designed sign is portraying who you are to twenty, thirty maybe forty thousand customers per day. These people have a lot of choices where to eat, using an eye catching sign increases your top of mind awareness. Adding an electronic LED message sign magnifies the affect. Stand out from the crowd, people need to eat at your restaurant, not your competitor’s.

An electronic LED message board gives you the capability to advertise your product and services on your own TV screen. You can say what you want, when you want to. For instance you can day-part. Imagine being able to advertise the food matching the time of day such as breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can advertise: specials, banquet capabilities, hours of operation, website address, awards and so on. By owning an electronic sign you control your own advertising destiny!

Here are some quotes from some of our customers. “One last note…we have seen a dramatic increase in our business since the sign was installed’,from John Stonik of The Corner Stable in Cockeysville MD. Frank Marciano owner of Genovas Restaurant said, ” Our business increased about 25% the year the pylon sign was installed, and we are confident the sign helped tremendously in that increase.” So there you have it, directly from real people.

The federal government even loves signs! Here is an excerpt from the SBA website “It is estimated that 35-50 percent of the consumer population today shops outside their local area. Legible, conspicuous on-premise signage will assist in attracting a large percentage of these non-local and newcomer consumers. Further, an effective on-premise sign provides 24-hour exposure of its message to a large pool of potential customers at a fraction of the cost (when depreciated over several years) of other media. The lower the cost to obtain customer memory or top-of-mind awareness, the higher the return on advertising dollars.” Please take the time to visit theSmall Business Administarion’s website for more facts about the value of signs

Freestanding business sign with full color LED message board

Business sign with LED electronic message board

Freestanding business sign with monochrome LED electronic message

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You probably are familiar with LEDs in one shape or form, from LED flashlights to LED clusters replacing traditional bulbs or tubes. LEDs are actually “grown” and the acronym stands for “light emitting diode”. It takes very little current to illuminate an LED and that is a beautiful thing indeed! If you value saving money and the earth, stay alert, you will have many opportunities to purchase many new and exciting LED products as they are being unveiled daily.

The introduction of LED’s into the sign industry has been dramatic. Strickler Signs offers the following LED products: electronic message centers, fuel product price signs and Led illuminated channel letters.

Message center signs have experienced the greatest transformation with the introduction of multi colored units. Strickler Signs utilizes message boards from: Watchfire, Daktronics and Yesco. These signs have become very powerful weapons in the hands of small business owners. With the availability of displaying products and services on their sign through photos or video, owners are able to advertise to thousands of passing motorists and pedestrians daily. We have many testimonials relating our customer’s success.

Another “hot” LED seller is fuel product price signs. These eye catching LED signs display fuel prices at gas stations and convenience stores. They allow the owner to quickly change prices through their POS system. LED illuminated gas digits improve fuel sales.

LEDs are a great development. They are enabling us to communicate in ways that were previously impossible. They are allowing to save energy and help the environment. We have only begun to see their potential.

Full color electronic message center

 harris tv

Is your business selling its products in a “Thin Market”? A Thin Market can be described as selling your products or services where the end user does not need them on a regular basis. Some examples of Thin Market products would be: automobiles, homes, a microwave oven or an insurance policy, you know, items or services you purchase perhaps today and you will not need to purchase them again for months or even years.

If you are selling in a Thin Market you have some marketing and advertising challenges to overcome. If your product is not being purchased daily or weekly, how do you create Top of Mind Awareness? Top of Mind Awareness describes the process of exposing your name, brand, logo advertising message etc. often enough so that when the consumer actually needs your product they will draw your identity from their subconscious and search you out. A consumer must be exposed to a message at least 2.5 times before the message is burned into their memory. A fast food chain may not have this challenge since we all like to, as well as need to, eat daily. We are aware of our desire and know where to get what we want almost instinctively. Getting people on your car lot may take more effort however.

Let’s say you are selling in a Thin Market such as auto sales, how can you get those desirable prospects onto your lot and not the competitor’s? Top of Mind Awareness is one of the answers. You could answer that my reputation, existing customer base, lot full of cars or referrals should do the trick, but in the ever changing business world we all operate in, is that enough? Possible you are advertising in traditional mediums such as the radio TV and newspaper, that’s all well and fine but I think we are all aware of the decreasing effectiveness of these modes. Obviously the internet is a great way to direct people to your business, however for the most part the internet is more of a “pull” way of creating volume rather than “push”.

“Pull” information exchange refers to people looking for you such as an online search for cars whereas a “push” information exchange would be advertising on the side of a bus, TV or an on premise electric sign. You are pushing your message on the consumer rather than having them exerting their own independence by looking for you. Consumers are increasingly being drawn to the “pull” rather than the “push”, but that does not mean the “push” method is dead, in fact the push method is still your best venue to create Top of Mind Awareness.

We have found that our product is a great way to create “Top of Mind Awareness”. We offer on site advertising through the use of custom electric and LED electronic message signs. Please think about this, how many people drive by your business every day? You would probably be surprised by the numbers. The average traffic count falls around 20,000 vehicles per day and when you multiply that by 1.4 occupants, ( I want to be the 1 personally, not the .4) you are looking at about 28,000 people driving by your business everyday. Your sign communicates to this mobile marketplace.

Your sign should immediately convey what you have to offer. Please remember most people do not know what your offering is if you are selling to a “Thin Market”. A properly designed business sign through its unique design will immediately tell people not only what you do or sell but also give the flavor of who you are. Your sign is the link to get as many of those thousands of people who drive by your business daily to come in and make a purchase. Do you see how this can help combat your Thin Market challenges?

Back to the car scenario. yea I know, you have a nice inventory of autos on your lot. Your potential customers are driving by them everyday and when they begin their car search they will visit you, but how much do you blend into the scenery? Familiarity breeds invisibility. You need something that brands your dealership not just your products. You want to people to have your name at the tip of their “brains” when they crave the “new car smell”.Why not use a sign to create Top of Mind Awareness? Think about it, if your sign makes you stand out from the crowd you have become top of mind. Every time the consumer sees your sign your are burning your brand into their memory.

 I hope everyone can relate this example somehow to their own unique set of circumstances. Many of our customers have increased their sales 5-40% long term through our award winning electric pylon signs and especially our programmable LED message centers.

Beautiful sign and a beautiful restaurant

This sign is as exciting as the speedway

Yea, you know exactly what to expect inside.