Did you know that around 70% of customers make purchasing decisions based on storefront advertising? In fact, customers make that decision in the first 3 seconds upon seeing your advertisement. This means that on average, you only have 3 seconds to pique their curiosity.

Dive into the most effective advertising factors and tools to drive massive foot traffic to your business venue.

Why Storefront Advertising Is Important

Merchants who invest in effective storefront advertising witness up to 20% more foot traffic than those without it. Clearly, first impressions set the stage for new engagements. The more time and effort you spend on outdoor advertising, the more potential buyers you’ll have.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Storefront Advertising

Strategically designed and correctly installed custom business signs are the foundation for successful exterior advertising. Here are the key factors to consider for a winning outdoor promotional campaign.

Location and Traffic Flow

To find a good location for storefront advertising, think like one of your customers. Place your sign at eye level, not too high or low. Target the areas with the heaviest passerby presence. To grab drivers’ attention, put it at the roadside or hang it from the pedestrian bridges. Make it easy for people to notice your message.

Lighting and Visibility

Create an exterior advertising campaign that is visible from a distance, day or night. Texts and imagery in contrasting colors, big fonts, and blank spaces on the sign will provide good visibility.

For 24/7 advertising, an illuminated promotional item will do the trick. Not only does signage lighting provide round-the-clock advertising, it also communicates your services. Yellow lighting exudes comfort and warmth. Cool fluorescent lighting, on the other hand, oozes calmness and professionalism and works best in healthcare settings.

Brand Consistency

A good storefront advertisement will make your brand instantly recognizable. A great branding strategy will have customers recognize your unique color palette, fonts, and graphics before noticing your specific message. To maintain brand consistency, you need to:

• Keep your message short: Exterior advertising works in seconds. Don’t overwhelm your sign with long texts.
• Use a consistent tone: Use the same tone in all promotional campaigns.
• Follow brand guidelines: Stick to your brand’s true colors, logo placement, and tone.

Budget and Durability

You don’t have to purchase premium marketing products for short seasonal deals. It’s also unreasonable to use low-cost items that may fade or tear in bad weather, which can damage your brand name. Choose something that fits your budget and satisfies people’s expectations. A good marketing product should be:

• Versatile;
• Sustainable;
• Appealing.

Local Regulations

Follow your local government’s rules and regulations before placing your exterior signage. These regulations are set to make public areas visually consistent and safe. Here are the key points to consider for permissible outdoor signage:

• Historic, aesthetic, and ethical content;
• Correct lighting and digital displays;
• Permitted dimensions and placement;
• Content updates based on changing rules.

Update Frequency

Keep your exterior promotions constantly refreshed and seasonal. Make sure your business message is up to date. Replace the marketing signs if they’re faded, torn, or broken. Follow the updates in local rules and regulations for compliant advertising.

Best Storefront Advertising Products

Now that you know the key factors of successful storefront advertising, it’s time to see what products you can use.

Outdoor Vinyl Banners

Vinyl banners are among the most widely used, versatile, and universal promotional items for exterior settings. They’re easy to transport and set up. Vinyl banners can withstand harsh weather conditions if installed properly. They also showcase bright images, legible even from a distance.

Custom Channel Letter Signs

Channel letter and logo signs are individually cut 3D items suitable for large storefront advertisements at malls and supermarkets. Channel letters and signs are usually set up at high altitudes to reach a wider audience.

Digital Displays

Large LED displays rank high among mass advertising products. They showcase fine digital content with vivid graphics. Digital displays are massive, often being bright enough to cover entire neighborhoods. And if there’s only one advertisement on that board, then it’s guaranteed to beat competitors. 

Window Decals

Window decals are unique because they take up no space on the ground, no matter how big they are. There are different types of window adhesives: opaque, perforated, and transparent, to match your storefront advertising design. You can use window decals for seasonal and long-term deals.

Floor Decals

Floor adhesives are a brilliant marketing idea to catch ground-gazers and lead them to your door. For people who are constantly looking down at their phones while walking, foot-shaped advertising grabs their attention and gets them engaged.

Sidewalk Signs

You’re strolling down the sidewalk and notice a sandwich board in front of the restaurant, showing off appetizing daily specials. It’s a tasty break you desperately needed. This is the magic of sidewalk signs. A simple A-frame sign with chalk-written deals or humble prints can work wonders.

Blade Signs

Sidewalks become more appealing late at night when blade signs light up. A blade sign is more than a promotional item. It’s a decorative attribute that highlights the way down the street with lights, colors, logos, and shapes.

Ultimately, it’s not the quality of your promotional signs that sells your services, but you. Your mind is the real magician that scans people and gains you potential customers. Your mind is the gear; advertisement is just a tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can effective storefront signage increase foot traffic and sales?

Storefront signage is the silent spokesperson of your business. It says who you are, what you offer, and why customers should engage with you. Several key factors of outdoor advertising can increase foot traffic.

• Contrasting color palette;
• Blank spaces;
• Easy texts;
• Content hierarchy;
• Simple images.

What makes a storefront advertisement effective?

A professional design, proportional dimensions, and optimized placement.

Can small businesses benefit as much from storefront signage as large retailers?

Yes. Large retailers spend a lot of money on premium advertising items. These signs are usually large and made of expensive materials. Small business owners, on the other hand, get more affordable and mid-sized advertising signs. This choice still gives them the chance to attract customers.

What are the biggest mistakes to avoid in storefront advertising?

You know you’ve failed when your outdoor advertisement confuses people and drives them away. There are several mistakes business owners make in their promotions. Try to avoid them all to set a successful campaign.

• Overwhelmed design;
• Poor visibility;
• Illegible content;
• No night visibility;
• Faded signage;
• No seasonal updates;
• Weak or nonexistent CTA;
• Ignoring local regulations.

What are the current trends in storefront advertising design?

Simplicity is key. Keep your storefront marketing simple, digestible, and engaging. Here are the key factors of modern outdoor promotions:

• Maximalism: Avoid a white/gray color palette in your advertisements. Go bold, choose vibrancy and fruitfulness;
• Sustainability: Go for eco-friendly or recycled materials;
• Motion: Integrate digital displays to showcase motion graphics;
• Storytelling: Interested customers will surely want to learn where and how you started your business.