Recession Opportunities

Recession is a great opportunity to make some serious money!

What?! you say. How can you talk about making money during a recession? Easy, people still need to live and eat so they must find work, and if they can’t find work then they must create their own job.

When a person has been out of work, one of the options is to create your own job. These folks can fill the gaps in the marketplace by providing products or services that companies have eliminated within their walls, but that still need to get the work done. In other words, be the outsourced vendor to those companies.

This blog will not answer all the whys and hows, but what it will do is answer how one of these newly Minnesota unemployed persons can attract customers with effective wall or pylon signs.

Wall signs on your Coon Rapids store front

The first thing that a business must do in order to sell products is to let the public know that they are selling something. One great way is to advertise to the people most likely to buy with a wall sign on your store front. You know who they are, they drive in front of your store everyday on their way to and from work.

Lit Signs Sell Stuff

A recent business put up a wall sign in front of their retail location. This location had 3 other competing businesses of the same type on the same intersection. Because their sign is bold, clear and easily defines what they sell, this business has hit the ground running and is well on their way to profitability so much quicker than their competitors.

Road signs in Coon Rapids

A road sign just adds to your businesses traffic and opportunity to make money. Let’s face it, if your business doesn’t get noticed, it will fail. Business sell stuff. They need to attract attention. The cheapest form of advertising is a sign of lit channel letters or a sign by the road that will advertise 24hrs per day 7 days a week.

what are you waiting for?

The sign guy lives and works in Ramsey, MN. A Family Trade Since 1915

Checkers and their new wall signs

Brooklyn Center, MN has a new restaurant, Checkers

I used to go to the Checkers down in Florida, I love Checkers hamburgers. They make great hamburgers. If you were like me, you only found out about them and tried them because of their street signs and wall signs.

Checkers has a great outdoor sign image. They tag everything. Directional drive thru signs, pylon signs and wall signs. They even do border neon (now LED) on many of their locations. Checkers is a very noticeable restaurant chain.

Do your customers notice your exterior signs?

According to a survey done by a national restaurant, they found that about 40% of destination drivers buy from the competition because they saw their exterior signs. That means, people going to a particular restaurant stopped elsewhere purely because of signage. That chain immediately upgraded their exterior signs.

If a national chain recognizes the need for maximizing their exterior signs, wouldn’t it have a similar effect on your Minnesota business?

There are other places to put your name so that folks driving by will notice your business.

What are you waiting for??

The sign guy is a 4th generation sign guy living and working in Ramsey, MN

Marketing for profit

What is marketing? Is it the yellow pages, not really. Yellow pages are advertising, and so are wall signs, pylon signs or any type of sign or ad.

Marketing is getting the right message to the right people through the right media.

We learn marketing from the people who sell advertising. You know it is true. Their job is to find out how much you spend on advertising and then get it.

Do you want to make money with your marketing? Then you must figure out how to get the right message to the right people through the right media. Otherwise, we are not ‘marketing’. We are ‘blowing money’ on ‘hit and miss’
advertising—which is exactly what 99% of ALL small businesses do!!!

One way is through a well planned sign plan. Either wall signs or pylon signs on your property.

Proper marketing is the only part of your business that creates income for your business. No customers, no work, no money. The more that customers know about you, the more work, the more money. It is that simple.

The hard part is figuring out what method works. Yellow pages? TV? Newspapers? Signs?

All are important parts of the marketing plan. If you have a building with a road in front of it, remember, the best way to get a client to come into your store is when they are right in front of it.

If you need clients from different parts of the Twin cities, then gear your marketing to those media that will reach them.

I like to test and measure before committing large sums of money on advertising. The other thing I like to do is to market in a variety of ways. I go to networking groups, community groups, vehicle lettering, road signs as well as other print media. My thinking is if you have customers coming in from multiple sources, then you won’t have any problems if one of them stops working.

I also like the web. I am beginning to think that this internet thing is not going away.

good signing

The Sign Guy is the owner of Signs by RSG located in Ramsey, Mn. He and his brother (The sign dude) are 4th generation sign makers and can be reached at 763.753.7571

New Wall Sign Happy New Year

Have a happy new year with a new wall sign!

Do you want to have a prosperous new year? One way is to change your wall or pylon sign so that you look fresh and new.

You probably bought your sign 5-10 years ago and it may need some repairs. Over time, people get used to seeing the same thing over and over again. One way to get noticed again, is to update your sign image. People will get interested again and will want to stop in. Do you want people to stop in?

One thing a sign company can do is simply change the faces on your wall or pylon sign. This is a low cost way of updating your image. Also, you can change the content to reflect your current business better. Win Win for everyone.

An investment in an updated sign is an investment in advertising that works for you 24 hours, 7 days per week. Look at what you spent on your sign back when you bought it. If you divide that cost over the years it has been in service you will find that it has been one great investment.

Update your image and see the money come streaming in.

You may call me for some more information at 763-753-7571

Good signing

Lit Signs work!

Does a lit sign really help, or would a non lit wall sign work?

We answer this question every day with another questions; When will your clients be coming by your store?

If the answer is at night, then a lit sign is the way to go. If the answer is during the day, then yes, you may ignore the thousands of potential clients who drive by your store at night and get a non lit sign.

Do you see my point. A well designed lit wall sign or pylon sign works for you 24 hours a day and is seen by your most likely clients. THE ONES DRIVING RIGHT PAST YOUR DOOR (usually on their way to your competition)

In Minnesota, we have an added challenge, and that is night comes earlier and lasts longer during the winter months. So, your Minnesota Signs should be lit to give you the maximum benefit.

Your sign works for you and literally could only cost just penny’s a day. This is by for the cheapest and most effective form of advertising.

good signing

Thanksgiving & signs

A time for Thanksgiving from the sign guy

At this time of year we pause and reflect on all of the blessings we are thankful for. So here are some of mine as it relates to the sign business.

I’m thankful for:

• computers – they have revolutionized the quality of signs in Minnesota and around the world
• digital cameras – this tool is the handiest item in my tool bag. The ability to instantly provide sign installers a clear picture of where you want your wall sign
• internet – this ability to show off our sign gallery to anyone anywhere is truly amazing
• professional sign guys – the sign guys at my shop are tremendous and do an outstanding job of meeting our customers sign needs
• customers – We have some of the best customers, and some of the worst, for which I am truly thankful. For without them, there would be no sign guy and no need for lit signs.

Happy Thanksgiving

Good signing

What should my wall sign say?

With a wall sign, how much information can be put on the front?

A sign can do 2 things. Advertise or Identify. Some folks want their wall sign, or pylon to advertise every single item they sell. This is usually because the name of the business doesn’t mean anything, so they need additional information on the sign.

How to figure out the right size wall sign or pylon sign

Letter size for your sign is very easy to figure out. First determine the maximum wall sign you are allowed to have. (see city issues in this blog) Second, how far away is your sign going to be read on average. And third, how fast is the traffic driving past, or better still, how long does a car driving take to pass you sign.

Typically, a car driving by your business can see your pylon sign from 500-1000 feet away. It will take a care about 25-30 seconds to drive by your sign going at city traffic speeds and will only be able to read your sign in that time frame. Usually less, because of course they are driving. Most signs will be read in less than 10 seconds.

How much can your sign say in 10 seconds?

As a rule of thumb, make the letters the largest you can get and still look good within your maximum sign size, then limit your message to 7-10 words. Meaningful words. Picture words. Words that will create an immediate picture in the drivers mind.

You have a limited amount of time to pass along a message. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid is the rule. If you put too much stuff on your sign, or the design is difficult to read, YOUR WALL SIGN OR PYLON SIGN WON’T WORK! I shout for effect. I am an advocate of simple & readable is better. Why design a sign that can’t be read by the audience you are trying to attract?

I live and work in Minnesota. As I drive through the Twin Cities I see so many signs that say way to much. You only have 10-15 seconds to get their attention, don’t blow it.

Good signing

What Should Your Wall Sign Say?

Should you just use your name on your Minnesota wall sign or pylon sign, or would something else be better?

This may not seem like a sign question, but it is very important to decide what should go on your sign. Many people automatically assume that the company name is all you need on your sign.

Before we look at some suggestions let me ask you this. What does Burlington Industries, Inc. do? Don’t know? Maybe manufacturing? Unless you live in Burlington, you most likely don’t know who this company is or what they do. This is there name, but should it be on the sign alone?

Identify or Advertise?

Your Minnesota sign can either do  things, it can Identify or Advertise. This means that your sign can tell people who and where you are but not tell them what you do, or it can tell them where you are and what you do.

Unless you have a major brand like McDonald’s or 3M, you may want to focus on the advertising part. My company is Signs by RSG. I chose this name because it tells immediately what it is that I sell. When I introduce myself to people and tell them the company I work for they know what I do without further explanation.

Have you ever been introduced to a person and even after they told you the company name you still had no idea what they did? Well your sign is like an introduction of your business to those people driving by. If they can’t figure out what your selling, they most likely won’t stop.

Your name may sound sweet, but if it doesn’t accurately describe what you do, consider some additional info on your wall sign.

Later I will talk more about what to put on your sign, but for now think about your name.

Remember, your building sign can either be  clear introduction into what your selling, or it can just identify your location. If you are looking for traffic then make your message as clear as possible.

good signing

Minnesota Signs & the Winter

It is winter again in Minnesota, is your sign ready?

We just ended daylight savings time, and now all of a sudden it is getting darker earlier. My shop up in the Ramsey area near Anoka / Coon Rapids begins to receive dozens of calls telling me that their sign is suddenly not working.

Well your sign probably was not lighting all along, your just started noticing it now because your leaving work when it is dark. If this describes you at least your looking into it.

Many business owners, trying to save a buck or two, won’t repair their sign. This is like paying for advertising in the phone book, but having your ad in only half of the books. That would be silly.

You bought a lit sign so that your sign could advertise 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It may cost you a few hundred dollars, but this is far cheaper than the yellow pages. Plus, your advertising directly to the people who buy from you, you know, the ones also driving home in the dark. Driving right past your sign that no one can see because your sign don’t work! (grammatically wrong for effect )

Don’t wait any longer, get it fixed and watch your sales increase.

Good Signing

Minnesota Sign Maker & Franchise Owners

Why should I go with a Sign Maker from Minnesota?

Because Minnesotans are so nice and their sign guys are really good.

Really, the reason is service. You want your neon sign maker to be local. Many franchise owners have their sign shipped in from some other place, but who is around to cover the warranty?

Additionally, your Minnesota sign maker is more familiar with the city codes and special conditions that exist around Minneapolis & St. Paul. We know the hoops that the city wants you to jump through. We know about the Minnesota winters. We’re know it alls.

We also know how to install your pylon sign into a frozen ground. Your other sign guy from Texas has no idea about such things.

Call your Minnesota sign maker today, he may actually know what he is talking about.

good signing