How Brick and Mortar Retailers Can Increase Foot Traffic and Sales

 

One of the most effective as well as the easiest tools to advertise doesn’t cost much upfront and then costs next to nothing from point of purchase on. They’re called Sandwich Boards, also known as A-line boards. Everyone has seen them outside of businesses; they’re the big boards that either has something funny said on them or are talking about a sale, menu specials, or any other of a variety of promotions. In fact, they are so versatile, we’ve put together a list of eight ideas you can use to create profitable messaging with a sandwich board.

Find your Creative Side

Think of putting a funny joke, riddle, saying, or punny remark on it to get the attention of foot traffic, aka potential customers. Figure out what is relevant in current events, social media, your community – anything is fair game. Then create content around it that can be brightly designed with chalk, ink, or on printed paper. And remember: sandwich boards are double-sided. That means you have twice the chance to amuse yourself as well as potential customers.

I Want You To Read This

That’s a call to action and that’s a must for any business communication. You’re going to want people to do more than just read your sign. You want your sign to be interactive. Put messaging that leads to your website, social media channels, or actually requires them to walk into your store to find out the answer to the question/conundrum raised by your sandwich board on posters or signs. The goal? Increased connection.

Investigate Your Traffic

Consider doing something new when trying to attract new customers when you put your new sign out. Use innovations like QR codes that are scannable with a phone app that can ask users to sign up for your company’s newsletter and get a special coupon that they can use when they sign up. Use codes that lead customers on a scavenger hunt complete with riddles and quests in order to collaborate with neighboring stores.

Sometimes the Answer is Simple

This may be obvious, but put your contact information on your board. This includes your phone number, address, email, and where you can be found on the web. Put down your social media too! This will increase traffic across all of your touchpoints which in turn leads to a greater connection between your community and your business.

Get Practical with your FX

There are a number of ways you can accessorize your sandwich board if you want to stand out from the sandwich board crowd. Think of what shapes you can come up with to add your sandwich board. Think balloons or a funky edging on the top to make it really stand out. Change it up with a border that will be great to play off of when you go into writing and rewriting your slogans later. Get some pipe cleaners, pool noodles – anything you can think of to make your board 3D and a must-see. Maybe get a funhouse mirror for one side of the board and write a funny quiz question on the other side that the demented mirror image answers. 

More Ways To Innovate

The nice thing about outside advertising is that you can do many things with it. Expand from A-line boards and incorporate larger and more diverse advertising. A large backlit film with posters or electronic banners gives you the ability to take that A-line up a few notches. Display by the season, identify with a new trend or use a popular meme to get more people talking about your business. Link to your web page or social media, set up little games that draw people into your store to win prizes – you’re only limited by your imagination.