Benefits of Custom Banners

APRIL 5, 2019| SpeedPro

Advertising can be exhausting.

Effective advertising, whether you’re drawing attention to your company or an event, requires a deep awareness of your brand and your audience. Smart advertising campaigns are both cost-effective and eye-catching, something that draws in customers without breaking the bank.

It doesn’t help that today’s consumer is bombarded by thousands of ads and images every day. We’ve learned to tune out anything that doesn’t immediately grab our attention, making high-quality ads more critical than ever.

That’s where banners come in. Custom vinyl banners are some of the most effective forms of advertising, providing a wide range of benefits for both business owners and event planners. If you’re on the fence about banner advertising, consider these 17 benefits of custom banners.

1. Grab Attention

In a world where the average consumer sees as many as 5000 ads every day, it’s vital to stick out from the crowd. Traditional bulletin-board flyers or digital banner ads aren’t getting the same attention they once did. Because they’re exposed to so many advertising platforms, customers block out visual clutter.

With a custom banner, you can grab and hold a customer’s attention. Because vinyl banners take up physical space, they’re harder to ignore. With bright colors or stylish graphics, banners effortlessly draw the eye of potential clients, especially when hung indoors or on an empty exterior wall.

Banners also have the advantage of scalability. While people can easily pass over smaller signs, a sprawling custom banner grabs attention, which is increasingly important in today’s ad-saturated environment.

2. Remain Affordable

Advertising can quickly get expensive. Posting ads in local newspapers, renting a well-placed billboard or investing in a short television commercial can all expose your brand to new markets, but they aren’t known for their affordability.

Custom banners are more inexpensive than many other types of advertisements. Printing or imaging companies can design a banner to your exact specifications, and the price is typically much lower than competing forms of advertising.

In addition to cost-efficient production, banner ads give you flexibility regarding the duration and recurrence of your campaign. Many forms of advertising revolve around renting temporary time slots, whether it’s a highway billboard or a spread in a magazine. After a certain number of weeks, you have to renew the ad space to keep your campaign running. Comparatively, banners only require a one-time investment, and they don’t come with any limits or restrictions. You can display your custom banners for as long as your company needs them, whether that’s a week or six months.

3. Be Scalable

Many advertisements come with size restrictions. For instance, if you’re announcing an upcoming community event, you might have to go with mailbox-sized flyers. The size of your windows limits window ads, billboards come with set dimensions and even online ads have size and resolution requirements.

With banners, you have the freedom to choose any size you need. Whether you want a banner that stretches over a doorway or one that sprawls across the side of a skyscraper, you can find a banner that will accommodate your vision. When you purchase a custom banner, you get all the benefits of large-scale advertising without the steep cost of billboards or signs.

4. Have a Customizable Appearance

In the past, vinyl banners were very limited in scope and design. Printers were confined to simple graphics, a few basic fonts and two to three colors per banner — the banners could convey information, but they were typically plain and often poorly designed.

Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Due to modern technology, printing companies can reproduce the quality and detail of a high-resolution photograph on a banner. Today, the options for banner design are almost endless — choose from thousands of different fonts and colors to create unique looks that fit your brand. Many printing companies keep a team of graphic designers on staff, and they can help you take advantage of the latest trends while staying true to the tone of your company and campaign.

With a custom vinyl banner, you can take advantage of the full visual spectrum to make your ad or announcement stand out. The customization of banners allows you to take risks. If you sell beverages, for example, try printing a banner in the shape of a bottle. Custom banners allow you to create stunning ads that are cost-efficient and eye-grabbing — the only limit is your imagination.

5. Direct Foot Traffic

One of the primary advantages of physical advertisements is the ability to draw foot traffic. While ads on websites or in printed publications can generate online activity, they might not bring customers to your door.

That’s where a vinyl banner shines. When you hang banners outside your business, you naturally attract people’s interest. Whether or not someone was thinking about making a purchase, they might step inside your business out of curiosity. Banners on interior walls have a similar effect, especially if your company is part of a larger business complex. A well-placed banner can alert people to your company’s location and make them curious about your products or services.

Printed banners also draw people to events — whether you’re hosting a charity auction or a company picnic, an outdoor banner can both announce the occasion and direct people to the right spot.

6. Change Customer Perceptions

Every field has its own stereotypes. If the general public doesn’t typically see your business as “fun,” a custom banner is the perfect way to change their perception.

When you’re designing a banner, choose colors and designs that challenge customer expectations. If you want to come across as relevant and hip, create a banner with on-trend designs and colors — you could attract an entirely new market. If you’re going to appear fun and positive, use lighthearted graphics and unique fonts. Because banners are so customizable, you can design an ad that conveys any tone or style, from kid-friendly to ultra-professional.

A banner gives you the opportunity to positively influence customer perception of your company, whether by challenging stereotypes or breaking into a new market.

7. Generate Buzz

The best marketing isn’t static — it’s active, inviting customers to take advantage of a valuable service or an exciting opportunity.

One way to help people notice your business is to hold a special promotion or throw a fun event. However, these only work if customers notice them. Charity races, fundraisers, annual banquets, a once-in-a-lifetime sale — special events or opportunities need advertisements that generate excitement.

Use an attention-grabbing banner to create buzz over your special event or promotion. Custom-designed banners allow you to make a visual impression on both regular customers and casual passers-by, generating more interest in your company. Because banners are easy to install, store and reuse, you can use them to announce events or services year after year.

Few signs, campaigns or advertisements can match the impact and efficiency of a bold, custom banner.

8. Make Important Announcements

When you broadcast important news, you need an important-looking advertisement. Whether you’re announcing a gigantic sale or the beginning of tax season, a custom banner instantly communicates anything new happening at your business.

Typically, a banner is not displayed year-round. This means that whenever you hang a banner, it will draw attention, which is perfect for seasonal or annual announcements. Banners also give weight to information — a small sign or flyer doesn’t create a big impression, but an exciting banner makes any promotion or announcement seem important.

The bold visual presence of a banner ensures your message is seen and read by your employees or customers.

9. Attract Customers at the Point of Sale

A well-placed banner grabs a customer’s attention at the moment they’ve decided to trust your business.

The point of sale is the period when a client has their wallet out and is ready to pay. During the point of sale, people are especially vulnerable to impulse buys. Just look at grocery store checkout lines surrounded by bright magazines and tempting candy — the store has placed small items at the point of sale, knowing the customer is much more likely to buy them.

When placed at a point of sale, a strategic banner can inspire impulse buys or get people to sign up for a newsletter, upcoming event or rewards program.

10. Take Advantage of Outdoor Advertising

According to research, roadside marketing works. However, billboards are expensive, and there’s always a time limit for your ad.

Vinyl banners function like small billboards. If your business is within visual distance of a busy road or sidewalk, hang a banner on the side of your building. This not only extends your company’s visibility, but it lets you have complete control over the design and duration of your outdoor advertisement.

If other signs don’t surround your business, your banner will stand out even more, drawing attention from both pedestrians and drivers.

11. Use Them Indoors or Outdoors

Many types of ads are limited to a single environment. For example, non-laminated paper products don’t do well outside, where rain, snow or wind can damage them. On the other hand, outdoor signs often look out of place inside a business, and even online ads are specifically tailored for their platform.

Vinyl banners, however, function just as well indoors or outdoors, both in durability and aesthetics. A high-quality vinyl banner is strong enough to withstand the elements, but it won’t look strange in an indoor setting. While many outdoor ads don’t fit in interior settings, banners easily merge with an inside environment.

12. Reuse Them Easily

Instead of paying for a running campaign or a marketing team, banners are a one-time investment. They don’t come with hidden or reoccurring costs, and they’re reusable.

Custom vinyl banners see a lot of use — you can keep it around your store, in a window or outside your business. If you sponsor an off-campus event or attend conferences or trade shows, you can easily bring your banner with you. You can reuse all kinds of banners — high-quality prints of your brand or logo can go anywhere, and seasonal sales or promotions can be brought out annually.

Because banners are reusable, they are a cost-efficient investment that will continue to help your company year after year.

13. Upgrade Easily

Sometimes, advertising requires guesswork. What size of sign or banner is most effective? Which color scheme works the best with your event’s decor? Is your brand readable as-is, or will you need to enlarge or clarify certain parts so customers can easily understand your message?

With some types of advertising, a wrong guess can cost your company time, resources and expenses. If a billboard looks off, it can take a long time to remove or replace it. When a magazine spread has a typo, you can’t recall all issues to fix the error — you have to hope that customers will give your brand a chance, regardless of the mistake.

Fortunately, this doesn’t apply to banners — they are inherently easy to upgrade or replace. If you have a banner design or style that’s especially successful, you can quickly order more for your shop or building. Alternately, if one of your designs flops, you can easily order different banners to replace them.

14. Place Them Anywhere

Many signs have limited placement angles and orientations. If your workspace has unique architecture, it can be challenging to find a sign to fit the dimensions of your space without paying for major construction.

A banner can fit the quirks of your space. Does your lobby have an empty, vertical space above an entryway? Fill it with a vertically-oriented banner. Hang large exterior banners to cover an entire wall of your building, or use small, narrow ones to line a hallway. Custom banners let you design a logo, advertisement or announcement to any specifications, allowing you to place them where they’ll be the most effective.

15. Prioritize Legibility

In advertising, legibility is crucial. You need your audience to be able to glance at your ad and read, understand and recognize it. With small ads, you run the risk of making the print or logo too cramped or tiny, which significantly decreases its effectiveness. With a banner, you can design legible and distinctive ads, logos or announcements. Because banners are designed digitally, you can customize every element, including font size and type, the amount of white space and the color palette.

With all of these options at your disposal, you’re free to create a sign that stands out without compromising legibility.

16. Maximize Visibility

Banners let you maximize your company’s visibility, no matter what your building looks like.

Are you based out of a nondescript building or a plain-colored strip mall? It’s often difficult for organizations or businesses to stand out to customers if they have an unremarkable location. However, colorful, custom banners can change that. For example, if the back of your business faces a busy road but you currently lack signage, use a large banner to catch the eye of passing drivers.

Banners maximize your company’s visibility and spread awareness of your brand and services.

17. Transport Them Anywhere

A high-quality, well-designed banner is the best type of signage — flexible and transportable, you can take banners with you to conventions or trade shows without using a lot of manpower. When you’re done with a vinyl banner, you can easily stick it in easy-access storage.

Vinyl banners work just as well indoors as outdoors. When you move a banner outside for a company picnic or an open-air event, you can tie it to a tree or pole. Portable, lightweight and easy to hang and display, banners are the ultimate transportable signage.

Create a Stunning Custom Banner With SpeedPro

Banners are efficient and effective, helping people notice your brand, company or event. However, having a well-designed banner is crucial — relevant styles, fonts and graphics will set your business apart from the rest.

When you partner with SpeedPro, you know you’re getting premium service and superior products. With a nationwide network of professional studios, we’re always ready to work with you on your next project.

Find a local studio near you today.