Positioning Your Outdoor Banner For Success

Last year, £3.7 billion was spent on outdoor advertising. It’s big business – if you want to invest in a slice of the action though and give your banner the best chance for success, it needs to be positioned in the right location. Specialists in Saddle Stitch book printing and outdoor banner printing, Where the Trade Buys, have offered up this advice to make sure that your banner is in the right place.

You need to consider who you’re targeting your banner at and where your customer, both existing and potentially new, will be looking. Knowing exactly who your customer is and where they’re likely to spend their time day-to-day is always a strong place to start. There are many key considerations to evaluate when establishing where you banner should be placed. Keep the following in mind when you’re making the decision:

Inside your establishment – If you own a shop or leisure venue that’s open to members of the public, having a large display banner in your premises will help you to quickly and effectively promote any offers or products that you’re trying to push. An added bonus? If it’s on your property, you can change the banners as often as you feel.
Outside your establishment – Banners can be used to great effect outside your workplace. Again, you can use them to promote your latest products or services, or any offers that may be of interest – offers are great way to attract new customers who haven’t worked with you before. You can also use outdoor banners to replace the company logo and signage – as they can be a much more affordable option than more permanent solutions.
In public spaces. Whether it’s building wraps or scaffolding, getting outdoor banners in high-traffic public spaces is a great way to get a lot of brand exposure very quickly.
Exhibitions and trade shows. Outdoor banners can be utilised for the indoors very successfully at industry exhibitions and trade shows. Make sure when you’re setting up that your banner is in visitors’ line of sight so you can attract passers-by as they enjoy the exhibition.
At public events. Public events such as marathons, festivals and more are usually highly populated with people, so you’ll be able to get your message to many very quickly. Make sure it makes sense for your business to be seen in affiliation with the event, and that the people who are attending it fit your customer demographic – otherwise they’re very unlikely to convert into customers.

It’s a good idea to keep your banners near-by to your premises. That way, new customers who see your banner and are interested will not want to travel far to find you. Make it easy for them and keep it close by, giving your banner the best chance of success.

You should always be aware of the latest actions from your competitors by asking yourself, where are they advertising? This should inform your decisions for two reasons – it will give you a good idea of places that work in your market, but it also may be worth avoiding so you’re not advertising in the same place as your direct competitors.

Creating a successful outdoor banner

In the early design stages, you must keep your audience in mind – this will shape how your banner is designed.

For example, a banner placed outside your premises to promote your most current offers is likely to be targeted at existing customers, whereas a banner placed in the wider area is more likely be there to attract new business. This will help to dictate the rest of your design.

Make sure your banner is attention-grabbing – especially if you’re trying to catch the eye of new customers. Make sure you consider the following five tips:

The bigger picture. How will the banner look when it’s full-size and in place? Having an eye on the bigger picture will help you to work out the details.
Keep things clear and simple. Try not to overcomplicate your banner with lots of different fonts or too many images. Instead, strip back as much as possible and keep the message simple.
Your colour choices. Your colour choices should be eye-catching whilst simultaneously reflecting your brand. Keep them to 1-2 colours that are easy to read.
A call to action. What do you want people to do after seeing your banner? Calls to action could include:
- A visit to your premises
- Contacting you
- Visiting your website to find out more
The quality of the print and finish. You want precise printing and a high-quality finish to give your brand the best chance of a good first impression.