One of the most cost-effective advertising solutions available, pavement signs can be an excellent way to promote your business and bring in new customers. They are available in a range of different styles, sizes and materials to suit your individual requirements, and can be easily customised with your bespoke marketing messaging. Read on for our short introduction guide to pavement signs, how they can increase your business footfall, and how you can use them to your best advantage.
Why do I Need a Pavement Sign, and What Kind Should I Choose?
We sell a variety of different pavement advertising products, from a-frame boards to chalk boards, flex and swing signs to water-based displays and even flag banners. The kind of pavement display you choose will be relevant to your particular business and location.
- A-Frame signs: also known as ‘sandwich boards’, these classic signs fold out to display your advertising posters
- Chalkboard signs: these wood (or wood-effect) framed signs have an a-frame shape with a chalkboard panel for writing your own messages
- Flex signs: these signs feature a single panel printed with your own vinyl graphic. These are fixed at the base and sway and flex back and forth in the wind.
- Water-based signs: our most versatile pavement signs, water-based boards have a hollow base to be filled with water or sand to keep them solid and stable.
- Swing Signs: these display panels or poster pocket panels are fixed at the top to a metal frame for a classic look
- Flag banners: eye-catching and bright, these flag banners have solid weighted bases to keep them in place and they flutter in the breeze
Installing a pavement or forecourt sign, or a series of outdoor displays can help to attract more customers to your business by showcasing promotions, offers or sales - or simply making your business stand out on a busy high street or retail space.
How Can Pavement Signs Help me Increase Customer Visits?
Customer footfall is the amount of people setting foot in a shop or venue over a given period of time. Increasing customer footfall is a primary goal for retailers, and outdoor advertising is one of the best ways to draw in new visitors.
Pavement signs can interrupt the path of a passing pedestrian and increase their likelihood of looking at your window displays or entering your business premises. Using your signs to create eye-catching designs or make new customers aware of special offers is the first step to bringing new people into your business funnel’.
What Should I Display on my Pavement Advertising Sign?
We recommend using your outdoor signs to reinforce any promotions or sales you have been advertising in-store or on social media. Make your advertising comprehensive, with similar messages online, in-store and outdoors; and tailor the kind of pavement sign you use to your business.
For example, large retail showrooms or businesses with forecourt spaces can benefit from the eye-catching displays that a series of flag banners can create. These draw customers into your forecourt location, where a secondary display of a-frame or water-based display signs can showcase other marketing messages such as offers or new products. High-street businesses such as individual retail premises or beauty salons, for example, may benefit from a flex board or a-frame sign to display promotions, offers and treatment lists. Hospitality venues can show off new menu items to whet people’s appetites as they pass by.
Some key things to remember when designing your pavement sign messaging:
Humour, bright and funny images, always works well. Never underestimate the value of a smile to make people feel positively towards your business. Using humour also increases the chance of people posting photos of your displays on social media, effectively free advertising!
Special offers, such as new promotions or discounts, will attract those looking for a good deal and potentially sway others who may previously have been undecided about whether to enter.
Staying relevant, such as highlighting social or seasonal events, can make customers feel seen or heard. For example, if snow is forecast and you sell winter boots or sledges, then that’s the perfect weekend to display this on your outdoor advertising.
How Often Should I Change the Messaging on my Pavement Boards?
This very much depends on the kind of messaging you are displaying. Seasonal messages such as ‘autumn menus’ or ‘winter deals’ or permanent information like menus or treatment lists can be changed less frequently, so printed vinyl graphic panels are a good option. However, if you’re using your signs for particular promotions you may wish to change these more often, in which case opting for a pavement sign with a poster frame or pocket offers better value as posters are much cheaper to print than bespoke panels. If you wish to update your signs on a daily basis, we recommend a chalkboard advertising sign as these can be easily cleaned and modified daily to reflect your messaging.
Are Pavement Signs Waterproof?
Our range of pavement signs are all desig ned to be weatherproof and suitable for use outdoors in most moderate weather conditions.
Our a-frame chalkboard signs are designed for use with our chalkboard pens which are completely weatherproof one hour after the ink has dried.
Our poster pocket frame designs have been manufactured to protect the poster inserts from most weather conditions, though we recommend using laminated posters rather than traditional paper to achieve a more durable look. However, all paper posters can be susceptible to dampness or fading in direct sunlight over longer periods of time, so we recommend bringing these signs inside overnight, during inclement weather, or moving them around so the same poster is not always facing into direct sunlight.
Our vinyl printed flex and swing signs are completely waterproof and therefore more suitable to very wet conditions.
Although all of our pavement signs and flag banners are designed to be stable and sturdy, we always recommend bringing them inside overnight and during inclement weather or high winds. This is to prevent any damage to your property, your signs, and most importantly, to prevent potential injuries to customers, staff or members of the public. All of our frames are designed to fold up easily or have wheels in their weighted bases to make them easy to move and store.
What Are The Rules on Where I Can Put a Pavement Sign?
At the moment there is no single national policy to cover the rules surrounding pavement sign advertising. Guidelines differ between councils across the UK and the rules can change frequently. Typically, placing an a-frame or other pavement signage on your own land (eg. an enclosed area in front of a shop, a restaurant terrace or garage forecourt) is considered OK, as long as the sign is not blocking the right of way or causing a hazard. (Note: illuminated signs can form exceptions to this rule.) If you plan to place your pavement sign alongside a public highway, you will need to gain permission. We recommend in all cases to check with your local authority about their rules for pavement signs.
We recommend looking into public liability indemnity insurance to cover you in case someone sustains an injury as a result of your pavement sign. For more information about outdoor marketing advertising boards, you can visit this guide created by the UK Government.
For more information about our collection of Pavement Signs, Forecourt Boards and A-Frames, or to speak to one of our team about which marketing display will best suit your business, get in touch via our Contact Us page or call us on 01733 511030.
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