I’m driving through rural Arkansas and what do I see?

A garage offering Oil & Lube with Unlimited Tanning.  Or is it Unlimited Tanning with Oil and Lube?

Either way. This was too funny to pass up!  So I had to flip back and go take a quick picture.

There have been so many times in my career where I’ve seen people put up bad advertising simply because they were trying to save money.  In many cases, they actually end up spending more money to fix their message.

50% of retail sales are from impulse buys. People see, shop and buy. If your outdoor advertisement is bad, it will cost more in lost sales then the total cost of your sign.

Here are some quick tips for your next sign advertisement.

• Keep it simple.  A consumer driving by at 35 MPH should be able to understand what’s going on within 2 seconds. You are not trying to close a deal, you’re simply trying to get them in the door.
• Use big bold and simple contrasting colors.  If your signage has a lot of lines and gradients, it will be visually confusing.
• The customer is always asking “What’s in it for me?” If you use a photo, make sure it grabs attention and the text answers “What’s in it for me?”
• Remove as much confusion as possible.  “25% off Sale” is much better than “Buy 3 get 1 Free”
• Design and layout is crucial to an effective sign. Crowding the space with too much text makes it useless.

Have you seen some really bad ads? Got some great tips?  Comment below.