Co-Op Ads VA Go Digital & Let Others Pay For It!

January 9, 2014/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

6 BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNS

Part 2- Co-Op Ads VA

We love the opportunity to help retailers sell their products and services with digital signs. Manufacturers also love to help push their products and offer creative programs to reimburse retailers for promoting their brand. Co-op ads VA

www.holidaysigns.com-cooperate-co-op-advertising-from-manufacturer-signs-digital-EMC's-Richmond-Virginia

Holiday Signs recently provided this large digital sign shown promoting the Ruger brand at the Green Top Sporting Goods store in Ashland, VA that hovers over the heavily traveled Interstate 95.

FREE MONEY FOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING SIGNS
Cooperative advertising programs make it possible for single or multi-location retailers to lease or purchase powerful digital signage systems that transform traffic into customers and help grow sales. When funded by co-op ad dollars, an on-premise digital sign becomes a way:

retailers can maintain a high profile in their community without spending lots of their own money;
manufacturers and retailers can share the cost of advertising at a local level where both benefit from increased sales;
retailers can offset the sign cost from manufacturer’s reimbursements and incremental sales earned from the sign’s effectiveness.

PARTICIPATING IN CO-OP PLANS PAYS OFF BIG

Wow! Can co-op advertising really pay for my sign?
Yes! Every year in the US over $50 billion is used for ad subsidies and an estimated $12.8 billion goes unused. Co-op dollars from manufacturers can be used directly for digital sign advertising.

What are other advantages of co-op advertising?

Co-op advertising increases the reach and frequency of not only the advertised brands, but also of the store’s name and local brand;
Using co-op advertising on national brand merchandise associates the retailer with the manufacturer’s national advertising campaigns and identifies them as the local source for the national brand;
Co-op advertised brands help sell other products once the consumer is in the store.

USE OR LOSE

Co-op funds generally accrue on a calendar-year basis and don’t roll over. If a retailer does not use all of their accrued co-op funds, they are essentially throwing away money. Now is a good time to contact the manufacturers you sell the most product for to see for yourself how easy it is to fund a new digital sign and increase sales!

Inquire about co-op ads VA

Printable-PDF

READ THE ENTIRE COLLECTION- 6 BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNS:

If you liked this you may also like:

Benefits of Electronic Messaging-PART 1-Connecting with the Community

6 Good Reasons to Replace Neon Lighting with LED

How Small Features Can Get Big Attention from Retailer Signs

Options for Electric Signs

Contact:

Mark Hackley at 540-416-3154

mhackley@holidaysigns.com

Signs for Wavers

January 7, 2014/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

Use Signs for Wavers

24/7 Digital Signage Better Value Than 8/5 Wavers

Recently I asked a young guy at my church what he did for a living and he told me that he was a waver at Little Caesar’s. So I looked up the word “waver” on Wikipedia to see if they have possibly included a definition for those costumed guys and gals that march up and down America’s street corners waving signs for “Pizza” or “Tax Service”. So far the only definition I found is for a town in the Dutch province of North Holland near Amsterdam.

Ever wonder how cold they must get out there waving those signs and plastic torches in the bitter, freezing January weather environment of Virginia? Today’s “real-feel” temps were fifteen below zero, yet wavers were out there drumming up the attention of impulse buyers needing a quick fix from Little Caesar’s or help with their income taxes.

Surprisingly funds needed to keep these enthusiastic characters at their posts usually costs more than the monthly investment required for a full-color electronic message center! Plus digital signs erected at busy corners can’t get injured or killed as they roll through their series of eye-catching promotions that reach thousands of people a day. Why not use signs for wavers??

The fact that wavers are out there working year after year demonstrates the effectiveness of putting salesmen on the street, but digital signage offers so much more functionality:

Extremely low cost per thousand advertising impressions;
An unlimited number of message changes without the labor and physical challenges associated with wavers or copy changes on traditional reader boards;
Variable messages that allow you the flexibility to communicate timely information as well as public service information or other items of public interest;
These signs can quickly “brand” your business site in the community (you can take stock in that);
Act as your “Salesman on the Street” attracting new customers to your business location and they don’t call in sick or take vacations;
Ability to schedule content and operate multiple signs at multiple locations from a central computer.

As people consider all the advantages of digital LED signs, wavers may soon become obsolete!

Could installing an electronic message system at your business make better sense than other options for your marketing mix? We can help you determine if you have the right location and traffic count to make purchasing one a no-brainer.

Most times a business can slightly reduce its old-style, less effective advertising expenses and add bright and effective digital media for the same cost or less.

Would a comparison of your current ad budget versus a budget with electronic messaging be helpful? We can help you look at that.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Many thanks to Anthony B., the statue-of-liberty-guy (A.K.A. Waver).

Richmond, Va sign contractor, erector, installers, maintenance, designers, fabricators, companies, shops,

vendors, suppliers, painters, Daktronics, Watchfire, dealers, sign equipment leasing, message boards

Understanding Your Sign Code for Maximum Branding

December 17, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

CREATING MAXIMUM EXPOSURE- PART 2

CASE STUDY: FLOOR & DECOR, RICHMOND, VA

SIGNAGE BEFORE & AFTER- See how enhancing a sign’s structure can gain more attention and stay within code.

BEFORE AFTER

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-pylon-signs

Prominent, Eye-Catching Signs Were Essential

Code allowances related to sign area usually involve the calculations of the area of the sign graphics as opposed to the sign’s structural elements. Therefore it’s possible to add mass to new or existing signs and still stay within the local building codes.

Such was the case with the new signage we designed, fabricated and installed for Floor & Decor in Richmond, in partnership with the developer, S.L.Nusbaum Realty Company. The retail chain’s new Richmond location that occupied a former K-Mart across from the Reynolds Development used to be the big retail hotspot in the area but had been vacant for at least three years prior to Floor & Decor’s move into the building this year.

Prominent, eye-catching signage was essential because of their prime location at the busy corner of W. Broad Street and Glenside Drive, and also because Wal-Mart’s new Reynolds Crossing store nearby would soon be drawing even more traffic in front of their store. Plus, Floor & Decor was a new player in the Richmond area, so they needed effective branding of the building and site to help get their name out quickly to potential customers.

www.holidaysigns.com-monument-signs-richmond-va

The Monument Sign was Beefed up By Adding Height and Raising the Masonry Base

Adding Mass While Staying Within Code

The old K-Mart pylon sign was a single pole type with a sign on top. Holiday Signs removed the old sign and replaced it with a two-pole pylon with decorative pole covers on a large base to offer more visual mass. Also, due to the growing traffic count at the corner, the new pole structure was engineered for adding an electronic message center at a later date, with steel framework in place to accommodate a new digital sign once the other half of the building is leased.

There was also a smaller sign located at another entrance that needed visual enhancement. We raised the small sign by constructing a large masonry base to make it more visible to traffic passing by on Broad Street. “It was an exciting project,” said Carter Thompson, Holiday Signs’ project manager who handled all the signage details. “They all love the signs,” Carter said.

If you liked this case study, here are some more:

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles in Virginia Beach

Turning LED Lights into Coats for Kids

Restoration of a Historic Virginia Theater Marquee

Creating Maximum Exposure-Part 1

Increasing Shopping Center Tenant Visibility

PRINTABLE PDF

Contact:

Mark Hackley, Account Executive

mhackley@holidaysigns.com

(800) 229-9443

EMC’s- Best Way to Motivate Retail Shoppers in 2014

December 16, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

INVEST IN “POINT-OF-DECISION” MARKETING EQUIPMENT TO INCREASE IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM SALES

Perhaps an Electronic Message Center (EMC) is the best piece of capital equipment a retail business should consider for 2014.

Why? “Point-of-decision” marketing is a way retailers can restore declining revenue and improve sales of high-margin transactions. Here are some of the top reasons for serious EMC consideration:

Improve the shopping experience of your customers

Attracting and retaining loyal customers is what effective marketing is all about. An EMC on your main ID sign can quickly relay to customers and potential customers your hours of operation, current sales, and how your products can make their lives better, simpler or more enjoyable.

Increase how long your customers shop

By displaying a good reason to stop in, an EMC can increase a customer’s attention span in your store(s). Consider these figures from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in relating customer shopping times to spending in US shopping centers:

Time Spent Shopping / Amount Spent:
Less than 30 minutes- $50.90
31-60 minutes- $79.10
61-120 minutes- $126.70
121-180 minutes- $163.20
180+ minutes- $161.50

Increase average purchase size

Every business knows the price tag of its average sale. Digital messaging can help retailers increase this number through a daily blitz of marketing messages pushing products of higher value. Add in the increased shopping time mentioned above plus your new ability to promote special sales items and watch your average purchase size zoom.

Motivate shoppers to decrease the time they take deciding to buy

EMC’s allow you to digitally toot your own horn hundreds of times a day, meaning shoppers will be sold on your business or product before they walk through your front door!

After all this, please consider new electronic signage equipment in 2014 to reach your “front-door market.” Account managers at Holiday Signs are always available to help you assess ROI as you consider and compare the investment in an EMC with other capital equipment options that would make the most effective immediate and long-term impact for your business. Contact us today to fill in the blank of potential ROI for installing an EMC system at your store(s); It just may trump the equipment you had in mind for your next big purchase!

SEE ROI CHART

6 WAYS TO INCREASE SALES WITH DIGITAL SIGNS THIS HOLIDAY

December 11, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

6 WAYS TO INCREASE HOLIDAY SALES WITH DIGITAL SIGNS

Ways to Increase Sales with Digital Signs by Mark Hackley, Account Executive

This year will bring retailers many more tech-savvy buyers, more inclined to read a computer screen than a newspaper or magazine, mostly into bright, eye-catching and ever-changing movements of a fast-paced world. That’s why now is a good time to compare the return on investment of a digital sign advertising program to your present, perhaps soon-to-be obsolete, marketing strategies for the years ahead.

If you currently use on-premise digital advertising signs, here are six good tips to increase sales. If you don’t yet use digital, perhaps it’s a good time to seriously consider electronic signage:

● Feature Hot Items and Profit Leaders to drive up sales

Decide which profit-leaders are in demand and feature those on your electronic message center(s), strategically positioned on your property for highest visibility from traffic. Research shows that sales on items advertised on digital signage can increase over 15 percent.

● Utilize Cooperative Advertising

Manufacturers and distributors are always looking to sell more product— and so are you. Shouldn’t that mean potential sponsorship opportunities for you to capitalize on right now? Do you think sales would sizzle if more people knew about special deals and promotions? Manufacturers often pay to help you advertise their products on your signage. Utilizing co-op dollars can potentially fund your entire digital program!

● Advertise your customer loyalty program

Loyalty programs are great ways to create fanatically loyal customers. Let your best customers know that you have a loyalty program and advertise limited-time incentives to give customers reasons to sign up today.

● Offer and publicize special deals to spread the word and make money

What better way to publicize a sale or deal than on a digital sign, making it known to your customers and the world? Just keep posting specials on your signage and watch how word spreads and revenues increase.

● Tell customers your story and what makes you different

People don’t connect with manufacturers, products — or even money. They connect with other people, emotions and ideals that help them lead a better, happier life. Believe it or not, they want to hear your story and the story of your business — and what separates you from your competitors. Tell them your story and see customer loyalty and engagement surge! If allowed by local codes, create a video or a simple, short slideshow with pictures they can relate to. Inspire them and make them connect with your story. Then watch loyalty — and profits — soar.

● Engage customers and give them helpful information

Showing people that you care can go a long way. And you can show your customers that you care by giving them useful information about the weather, their stocks or other customer’s testimonials while they’re driving by or sitting at the traffic light adjacent to your sign. Digital signage can easily help with all of these so your customers can have a world-class shopping experience — and know what kind of winter weather or traffic delays to expect on their way around town— courtesy of you.

PRINTER-FRIENDLY PDF

(Suggestions and recommendations have been adapted from a great post by R. McClymonds of Mvix USA.)

How Much Does an Electronic Sign Cost?

December 10, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

How Much Does an Electronic Sign Cost?

Article by Mark Hackley, Holiday Signs Contact: mhackley@holidaysigns.com

GOOD QUESTION
How much does an electronic sign cost? Good question. Dave Elmore, owner of Bookkeeping and Management Systems in Central Virginia, says he has over 300 business clients and not a single one has a line item for signage. Similarly most of our customers have foggy ideas about budgeting for electric signs, especially signs with high-tech electronic message centers, so we tend to put quotation marks around the word “budget” when approaching the subject.

To determine sign budgets, sign buyers need to answer: “What type of sign is needed to project our positive image and broadcast ongoing messages that people will see and read?” From this starting point, sign specifications are worked out and the word “budget” begins to lose its quotation marks advancing toward real numbers.

To get started in figuring out sign project cost, customers need help with answering five basic questions pertaining to designing signs with message centers:

1) What is your desired image?

2) Will you use images/graphics/or just text?

3) What fits best with the building & neighborhood?

4) What size should it be, determined by viewing distance & sight lines?

5) What type of communication technology do you want?

These are the variables that drive price and, once determined, can get you close to what a new electronic sign should cost. Then you can budget for it, and if appropriate, let any groups or departments who have to help pay for it know how much and why.

SLIDING SCALE
The chart below shows the cost drivers that help begin to answer the question, “What’s the ballpark price of digital signs?” Just like features listed on the price tag of a new car, different bells and whistles of signs add cost. For example, a small simple pole sign with a direct-wired 20mm monochrome message center would be less expensive than a larger full color 12mm sign with an architecturally customized base and decorative top. As far as average cost, lower cost solutions generally fall in the $15,000-$25,000 range, while more customized signs can exceed $50,000. Others fall somewhere in between. Some of our clients purchase digital signs outright while others choose leasing as a way to finance them.

CREATIVE ACCOUNTING
Message centers should be viewed as revenue generators versus just marketing expenses. Since most applications of digital signs produce revenue, one should consider the positive impact on operating budgets. Because it’s so effective, on-premise digital sign advertising may end up replacing, reducing, or avoiding other ad expenses altogether, perhaps even shrinking advertising budgets from where they were prior to sign installation.

We have seen some companies divide sign purchases across multiple budgets. One client splits the cost of a new digital message sign between its facilities and marketing budgets to make it work. Many retail customers who advertise across multiple media channels sometimes place digital sign purchases in their operating versus capital budgets, making purchases possible by reallocating funds from other lackluster advertising categories for better results. A good example: clients who have reallocated Yellow Pages and other non-productive advertising dollars into new digital signage for much greater ROI.

SOLUTION DRIVEN
If an actual budget number is known and discussed as a max spend early on, our project managers usually tailor the best solution based on someone’s budget restrictions, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best solution for the site. Don’t just look at equipment cost alone when shopping for digital signs. It’s more about what type of equipment and supporting signage and structural design fit best, based on the above factors. Plus don’t forget to calculate the revenue stream resulting from the sign’s normal operations! We think the best approach to purchasing a sign is making a comprehensive assessment of all the factors, designing the signage based on that assessment, and coming up with price parameters to provide the best solution possible.

Want us to assess your site for digital signage and get you more than a “ballpark” estimate? Contact us anytime.

6 Big Benefits of Digital Signs You May Not Have Considered…

Customer Spotlights…

Lifepoint Church New Life Church Grace Church

Capital Ale House Virginia Diner

Lucy Corr Village Augusta Health Pharmacy & Lab

Mobility Supercenter Puritan Cleaners Green Top Sporting Goods

Pioneer Bank Connects Credit Union

ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers Virginia Repertory Theater Altria Theater

Shenandoah University Ferrum College

Rockwood Square Shopping Center Towne Center West MWV Corporate Headquarters

Electronic Message Centers

WE WORK IN YOUR TOWN:

(Click on a city below to see some of our work in your area!)

Charlottesville Chesapeake Fredericksburg Harrisonburg

Leesburg Lynchburg Newport News Richmond Roanoke

South Boston/Halifax Staunton/Waynesboro Yorktown

Thanks to everyone who’s been involved with the many interesting sign projects we have been challenged to tackle over the years!

Contact us at (804) 796-9443
mhackley@holidaysigns.com

www.holidaysigns.com

How a Virginia Organization is Turning Eyeballs into Smiles!

December 4, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

BRANDING OPERATION SMILE

Virginia Beach, VA

BRAND VISIBILITY IS IMPORTANT FOR ORGANIZATION’S SUCCESS

Operation Smile recently moved its Global Headquarters from Norfolk to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was looking for a solution to identify and brand the new location. “The building attracts supporters, volunteers and visitors daily, so it was important that people easily recognized our new location,” said Lisa Jardanhazy, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Cause Marketing for Operation Smile.

“Holiday Signs provided a great solution by designing, building and installing monument signs to mark the perimeter of the building, as well as a 9ft. high globe icon, the signature of the Operation Smile brand, installed on the face of the building itself,” she explained.

“The way their new building was situated made it difficult for them to stand out,” said Evan Opel, Project Manager for Holiday Signs. “By utilizing strategic placement of the signs and a unique, eye-catching brushed aluminum theme, we were able to help get the building noticed,” he said. Evan said Holiday Signs got the job because our designs were far better than anyone else. The new branding signs will help the organization grow in its mission to help hundreds of thousands of children and young adults around the world with facial birth defects and deformities.

ABOUT OPERATION SMILE (www.operationsmile.org):

Operation Smile, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is an international children’s medical charity with a presence in more than 60 countries, whose network of 5,400 medical volunteers from 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 3.8 million healthcare evaluations and conducted over 200,000 free surgical procedures to children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities. To build long-term self-sufficiency in developing countries, Operation Smile trains doctors and local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their own local communities, donates medical equipment and supplies, and provides year-round medical treatment through Comprehensive Care and Training and Treatment Centers.

“Operation Smile is grateful to Holiday Signs for its work delivered on time and within budget,” commented Lisa Jardanhazy. “We appreciated the opportunity to help such a positive cause,” replied Evan.

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-virginia-beach-operation-smile-building-signs-corporate-branding-architectural-signage

Grand Opening of Operation Smile in front of new corporate headquarters building recently branded by Holiday Signs. Pictured L-to-R: Wayne Zinn, Operation Smile Chief Operating Officer; Mayor Will Sessoms, City of Virginia Beach; Dr. Bill Magee, Operation Smile CEO & Co-Founder; Kathy Magee, Operation Smile President & Co-Founder; Economic Development Director Warren Harris, City of Virginia Beach; Virginia Delegate Ron Villanueva; City Manager Jim Spore, City of Virginia Beach (Photo by: Jeff Byrd)

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive

mhackley@holidaysigns.com, (800) 229-9443

Printer-Friendly PDF

Don’t Forget: Customers Come Out at Night

December 3, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

I hate it when Daylight Savings Time ends each Fall. The days get so seemingly short. Then, as it starts getting much colder at the same time, the real depression of winter sets in. But guess what? People still shop after 5PM. As the sun sets earlier and earlier it starts getting dark around the evening rush hour. Many of these people make lots of stops on their way home. Retailers that stay open into the night have to depend on lighted signs so people can find them, or at least remember them as they pass by. The Holiday season makes for even more after-dark traffic and potential buyers, so signage becomes even more critical for sales.

Don’t under estimate the value of a lighted sign. Whether it’s a neon sign, a channel letter type sign with LED, or a cabinet sign with fluorescent lighting, it all works in identifying and branding a store. Even a simple spot-lit sign or spot-lit building front can draw in the needed attention. Digital LED message signs shine bright in the night and can complement a store’s branding signage. Electronic message centers can display hundreds of ads a night, rolling their messages right by the thousands of people that could make the impulsive decision to stop in.

When considering the most effective utilization of your electric signs at night, you must first make sure they work! If fluorescent lamps are out in a cabinet sign or LED lighting is not working in a letter, then your image is compromised. It makes a negative statement about your brand. If they’re like me, most people are already frustrated about the long winter nights, so don’t add to their frustration level with poorly lit signage. Keeping up with sign maintenance is not that hard. Whether you own one shop or a whole chain of stores, it’s easy to find the help you need by calling Holiday Signs at (800) 229-9443. Our service area is most of Virginia, and our service area map can show you if we may be in range to become a viable partner. We’ll help you keep the lights on for a robust evening of sales and marketing, making sure your brand sufficiently lights up your fair share of the highway. Happy night-selling!

6 BENEFITS OF AN ELECTRONIC SIGN RICHMOND

November 27, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

6 BENEFITS OF AN ELECTRONIC SIGN RICHMOND

PART ONE- MAKING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Electronic Sign Richmond- An electronic sign can help a business realize big gains in many ways. One way is providing an effective medium for promoting a corporate cause to the public.

PARTNERING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

Puritan Cleaners has been named Richmond’s Best Dry Cleaner for over 20 consecutive years. This well known retailer helps local communities surrounding each of its 13 locations with a line-up of special programs and events throughout the year. One such program is Coats for Kids. The Coats for Kids program, now in its 26th year, is one of many ways the dry-cleaning chain gets involved with the community, making a big impact on store traffic, public relations, and help for those in need. As the temperatures fall here in Virginia, many children will soon benefit from the winter gear donated by Puritan’s many customers and community friends.

CAUSE MARKETING

When a successful business like Puritan links up with a strong cause like Coats for Kids, positive things happen. Cause marketing refers to a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a for-profit business and a not-for-profit organization for mutual benefit. “Cause marketing is a good way for any business to differentiate its brand by linking it to something more human,” says Kellie McElhaney, author of the book Just Good Business, who says that stories trump facts when it comes to social marketing. Most people can relate with community awareness stories and messages about children in need. Seeing these types of community calls to action makes most people want to participate with the brand that promotes such good will.

ELECTRONIC SIGNS HELP

Digital electronic signs can help businesses like Puritan Cleaners promote their causes, and are the best way to attract the attention of thousands of people a day passing by their stores. “We have enjoyed the flexibility of our three electronic message boards. In addition to the great visibility and clear messaging, we really have enjoyed the the ability to change our signs remotely as events occur. Communicating our message, including Coats For Kids, has never been easier,” explains our customer, Norman Way, Director of Operations of Puritan Cleaners.

The ability to post full-color animated ads over and over each day to the passing public helps businesses stay in touch with their existing base and inform newcomers about their services, while at the same time share the needs of community partners. Talk about return on investment! Ask the little girl on her way to school this winter about the value of digital messaging that inspired the donation of her warm winter coat!

Photos: Top- Electronic Signage at Puritan’s Boulevard location; Bottom- Mike Bragg, Puritan Cleaner’s Customer Service Rep collecting coats for kids.

READ ALL 6 BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNS ARTICLES HERE:

If you are a resident of the Richmond, Virginia area wanting to help Puritan Cleaners with their awesome Coats for Kids program, please click here: HELP PURITAN’S COATS FOR KIDS PROGRAM

If you are interested in seeing how digital signs can help your business help the community in 2014, CLICK HERE

For Printable PDF Version of this blog post, CLICK HERE

Electronic Sign Richmond Virginia

What’s the Ballpark Price of Digital Signs ?

November 21, 2013/in Holiday Signs/by Mark Hackley

What’s the Ballpark Price of Digital Signs ?

Article by Mark Hackley, Holiday Signs Contact: mhackley@holidaysigns.com

GOOD QUESTION
What’s the ballpark price of digital signs? Good question. Dave Elmore, owner of Bookkeeping and Management Systems in Central Virginia, says he has over 300 business clients and not a single one has a line item for signage. Similarly most of our customers have foggy ideas about budgeting for electric signs, especially signs with high-tech electronic message centers, so we tend to put quotation marks around the word “budget” when approaching the subject.

To determine sign budgets, sign buyers need to answer: “What type of sign is needed to project our positive image and broadcast ongoing messages that people will see and read?” From this starting point, sign specifications are worked out and the word “budget” begins to lose its quotation marks advancing toward real numbers.

To get started in figuring out sign project cost, customers need help with answering five basic questions pertaining to designing signs with message centers:

1) What is your desired image?

2) Will you use images/graphics/or just text?

3) What fits best with the building & neighborhood?

4) What size should it be, determined by viewing distance & sight lines?

5) What type of communication technology do you want?

These are the variables that drive price and, once determined, can get you close to what a new electronic sign should cost. Then you can budget for it, and if appropriate, let any groups or departments who have to help pay for it know how much and why.

SLIDING SCALE
The chart below shows the cost drivers that help begin to answer the question, “What’s the ballpark price of digital signs?” Just like features listed on the price tag of a new car, different bells and whistles of signs add cost. For example, a small simple pole sign with a direct-wired 20mm monochrome message center would be less expensive than a larger full color 12mm sign with an architecturally customized base and decorative top. As far as average cost, lower cost solutions generally fall in the $15,000-$25,000 range, while more customized signs can exceed $50,000. Others fall somewhere in between. Some of our clients purchase digital signs outright while others choose leasing as a way to finance them.

CREATIVE ACCOUNTING
Message centers should be viewed as revenue generators versus just marketing expenses. Since most applications of digital signs produce revenue, one should consider the positive impact on operating budgets. Because it’s so effective, on-premise digital sign advertising may end up replacing, reducing, or avoiding other ad expenses altogether, perhaps even shrinking advertising budgets from where they were prior to sign installation.

We have seen some companies divide sign purchases across multiple budgets. One client splits the cost of a new digital message sign between its facilities and marketing budgets to make it work. Many retail customers who advertise across multiple media channels sometimes place digital sign purchases in their operating versus capital budgets, making purchases possible by reallocating funds from other lackluster advertising categories for better results. A good example: clients who have reallocated Yellow Pages and other non-productive advertising dollars into new digital signage for much greater ROI.

SOLUTION DRIVEN
If an actual budget number is known and discussed as a max spend early on, our project managers usually tailor the best solution based on someone’s budget restrictions, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best solution for the site. Don’t just look at equipment cost alone when shopping for digital signs. It’s more about what type of equipment and supporting signage and structural design fit best, based on the above factors. Plus don’t forget to calculate the revenue stream resulting from the sign’s normal operations! We think the best approach to purchasing a sign is making a comprehensive assessment of all the factors, designing the signage based on that assessment, and coming up with price parameters to provide the best solution possible.