Drive-By Marketing

Lawn signs are an effective way of advertising your business or an upcoming event. These signs are designed to grab people’s attention while they are stopped at a light or on the go.

However, some lawn signs are more effective than others. Remember, you have approximately three seconds to get noticed. Here are some do’s and don’ts to follow when creating and placing your next lawn sign.

Do – Keep it short and sweet. People are driving by your sign or, if you are lucky, reading it while sitting at a traffic light. They aren’t pulling over to the side of the road and taking down the information, so only include the most essential stuff.

Don’t forget to include contact information. Let me repeat: DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION! Neglecting to put a phone number, e-mail address, or website is the ultimate mistake, and I see it all the time. The purpose of the sign is to inform people about your business or event and encourage them to find out more. If you leave out your contact information, how will people ever find you?

Do – Be creative. Use a catchy phrase. Spend some time on the design. Use two prominent colors—a dark color and a light one. The look of the sign is just as important as the location. There are a lot of lawn signs out there. Make sure yours stands out. Also, the best places to put lawn signs are on busy intersections with traffic lights, at stop signs, or on your front lawn. Ask your friends to take a sign for their lawns, especially if they live on or near a main road in your area.

Don’t forget to put your company or event logo on the sign. Branding is an integral part of all marketing materials, including lawn signs. Consider adding a QR code for people to scan and look you up later.

Do – Use big letters and simple fonts. Remember, this kind of advertising is of the “drive-by” variety. No one can read the tiny print in that pretty font you like so much. I don’t care how nice it looks or how much information you can fit on your sign…no one will see it!

Don’t put lawn signs in front of housing developments or other local businesses without asking permission. Home associations have strict rules about signage. If you don’t ask first, they will take your sign and throw it away. Other businesses may be unwilling to put your sign on their lawn. Ask first.

Do – Ask your local printer to print the signs in exchange for a sponsorship. – Lawn signs will add a nice sum of money to your communications budget. If you are promoting an event, ask your printer if they would be interested in becoming a sponsor of your event, in exchange for printing costs. It costs you nothing to add their logo to a t-shirt or a thank you poster or program and will save you money in the long run.

And finally, don’t forget to include lawn signs in your publicity plans. If done correctly, these signs can be an excellent tool for your business or organization.