SIGNS BASICS Grabbing people off the street

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1. SIGNS BASICS Grabbing people off the street

• Summarize interesting and brief description of your storeproduct, including graphics simple and few messages • Contact printing shops to discuss possibilities and pricing • Agreement with land owner, if needed • Poster by the selling counter • Sign couple blocks away WHAT WHEN HOW E.g. High walking or driving traffic close to your store but low awareness and knowledge of what you have to offer, resulting in few people coming into your store Well-placed, eye-catching visuals to persuade bypassers to come to your store; can be located right next to the store or in neighboring block or street TRAFFIC PROMO 1 161 A sign is one of the most simple ways to promote your store andor products. Signs simply increase the probability that a random person walking or driving by will notice your store, will find it interesting or useful at a given moment, and will come in. Of course, most people will not. But, when you consider how many people typically walk or drive by a store everyday, getting even a very small percentage of these people into your store will help. You would be surprised how bad a job many small stores do with such an elementary thing as signs. Make sure you are not one of them. Have a sign, make it memorable, have it describe your store with your name and slogan, and put it in a high-traffic place close to your store. – 2.2 PROMOTION: Traffic Promotions – On the next page, quickly look at the picture on top right without reading the text and guess what is for sale. 162 SIGNS vs. NO SIGNS EXAMPLES No signs ―making the gift shop unnoticeable Visible sign for drive-by traffic, moreover, with an attractive offer Frequented sidewalk should be used for promotional purposes VS. TRAFFIC PROMO 1 163 At the top left is a gift shop with very nice products inside. However, it is located off of a main street with no signs directing tourists to go to this side street. Tourists are unaware that there is a gift shop nearby. Moreover, when you do find yourself on this side street, you can easily drive by this store without noticing it is a gift shop. Below, at the bottom left, this fruit and vegetable vendor sells goods piled up on the sidewalk. But, it does not have a sign to advertise this is actually a shop. The sidewalk should be used to promote the market or the specific stand just next to it. Right now, hundreds of people walk by every day without realizing this is a place of business, not a storage area. A sign directing people to the market or to a specific stand, emphasizing the produce available, will help increase customer traffic. On the right side, in contrast to the previous two examples, the store has a sign that is very noticeable and communicates an attractive offer. Whoever drives by and is hungry will consider coming in ―especially if heshe does not want to spend too much on lunch. – 2.2 PROMOTION: Traffic Promotions – A few more sign examples are on the next page. 164 OTHER EXAMPLES OF SIGNS While driving by, one always has room in one’s stomach for the best banana bread on the planet, as long as they know it is sold over there, just 20 yards off the road. Although people may come to the port to enjoy the sea and eat seafood, if they do not see this sign they may not realize there is a seafood grill and bar just a few meters off the street. TRAFFIC PROMO 1 165 Best banana bread on the planet? Well, given the location of this store ―a lovely and exotic coast valley in Hawaii ―it is actually quite believable. Moreover, when driving on a vacation, chances are you may feel like trying the ‘best banana bread.’ Here is the real story. On my way to this location still about 30 minutes drive from it, I met a family with two small children at a rest area. Both kids immediately started yelling’ at me, “Did you know they have the best banana bread on the planet there?”, still with their mouths full. It stuck in their minds and sounded really cool. Plus, the bread is really good. If it were not for the sign, they would not have even noticed they sold banana bread a little ways off the road. Unfortunately, that is what many small businesses do ―they do not take advantage of potentially catchy signs. The second sign attracts people at the harbor who might be hungry and looking for seafood. Without it, people might not be aware that a hidden seafood restaurant is located in a quiet place just off the street. – 2.2 PROMOTION: Traffic Promotions – Think of a sign for a product that you sell and where you would put it. 166

2. HOOK PRODUCTS BASICS Using favorites to make people come to you