Super Cheap Signs

Category: Super Cheap Signs

  • Five Marketing Cheat Codes That Will Help You Win at Small Business

    I grew up with a mom who was adamant that I always follow the rules.  Never hit, always do your homework, never cheat… It was while playing CatchPhrase this weekend with some friends that I discovered cheating is OK.  Bear with me for a moment. If you don’t know CatchPhrase, it’s a hand held electronic game that shows a short phrase on it’s digital readout while the beep beep beep increases with speed while you try to get your friends to guess the phrase so you can pass it to the next person for their turn.  After playing this thing all weekend, my wife and I noticed the phrases starting to repeat themselves.  My wife and I suggested we should find a new category or game to play.  But our friends never stopped!  They kept right on going along playing the game and passing it along.  It was then I realized that they weren’t cheating (as my mom would have told me), they were just getting better because they had played the game enough to have seen all the phrases and they weren’t going to let the fact that they knew the answers get in the way of their enjoyment of winning.

    So with my wonderfully competitive friends in mind, and the competitive space getting increasingly more threatening, this list can help you cut through the self imposed regulations you put on yourself that keep you from getting the success you deserve in your small business.

    Set Easy Goals

    Why bother with sky-high goals? Not saying you shouldn’t write down “Be a millionaire”, this is more about having something specific to shoot for like, “Sell Widgits”. Keeping it simple like this make sure that everything else you do is built around this primary purpose. It’s too easy to get distracted in today’s world with “value ads”, “it’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell it”, etc. Write this on the top of your to do list every day to remind you what your primary purpose is; it will keep you from getting off track.

    Take short-cuts

    My mom had me thinking it was better to take an “F” on my book report than to read the Cliff Notes.  I can understand that reading “Huck Finn” is a more than just book, but give me the gist of the story now and I’ll do the full read on my next vacation. I f there is a way to shave off time or money to get the job done, take advantage of it!

    Get Help

    It’s out there, and in more forms than you might think.  Sure, you could spend money on good consulting help – nothing wrong with bringing in an expert.  But I’m a people person.  I like surrounding myself with people that are smarter than me.  In addition, there are oodles of podcasts, RSS feeds, blogs, magazines, tweets, etc. that will give you  little bits of great information.  This kind of atmosphere keeps me learning, and keeps me humble enough to keep asking when I don’t know – or even when I think I do!

    Compromise

    There are two main types of compromise.  First is the kind where my wife is involved, not what I’m talking about here.  The kind of compromise I’m talking about is the Information Compromise.  It’s nice when you can make a fully informed decision.  Nice but rare.  My operations guy is detail oriented to the nth degree which is great! But he’ll spend 15 minutes mining data to get 80% of what we need, and several hours trying to get that last 20%.  Making decisions with partial information is a compromise, and I say make the decision and move on to the next one.

    Copy Somebody Else

    Mom said not to copy others so I naturally thought that I had to come up with completely original ideas.  Wrong!  Some of the best ideas is taking some other idea and improving on it! Just make sure to add you own spin to it to keep your business unique.

    Laugh

    Don’t take yourself too seriously.  Remember that creativity comes much easier when you’re not trying so hard.

  • Five Ways To Entice Clients Using Yard Signs

    For all practical purposes, there is no more affordable and effective form of outdoor advertising than yard signs. Dollar for dollar, they are the most cost-effective way to drive foot traffic to your business or organization and generate sales. The key to having effective yard signs involves using creativity in the design of them. Be careful that you don’t overdo it though because you could detract from the impact that the sign will have on passersby. Additionally, an overly flashy sign can also be garish and detract from the looks of your business or home property.

    Creativity leads to greater effectiveness when designing your yard signs. The following are five creative ways to bring in customers using yard signs:

    You obviously want to put your name, address, and phone number on your yard sign. However, the creativity you use in the way you display those can make a difference in the amount of foot traffic that sign does or doesn’t generate. We recommend that you use large block 3-D lettering for the name of your business so it looks like your name is jumping off the face of the sign.

    Add directional information that stands out and attracts attention. If you place signs away from your business to direct them to it, using a map that shows your location or employing direction arrows make the sign more creative and effective at attracting customers to your business. Placing a map on the sign means that you will have to use a larger sized sign so that people can see your map.

    Put your company logo on your yard sign. This is what we call a “no-brainer” and is a creative way to make your yard sign more effective and bring you more customers. Your logo is the recognizer for those potential customers as it serves to identify you. The more people see your logo, the more market awareness is created.

    Images and photos are creative ways to entice more customers to your place of business. It’s a psychological fact that placing a face with the name of a business or a particular product on the yard sign breeds trust for you and your business. Additionally, the use of an image, such as a photo of a product you are promoting on sale is another creative way to get potential customers to pay attention to you.

    Use multiple signs in groups of three to five to send out your message. Remember the old Burma Shave or Stuckey’s signs you used to see when you were driving down the highway? That was creative genius in the finest sense of the terms where the use of road/yard signs was concerned. It should also serve as a good idea on how to be more creative with your yard signs. Use groups of three to five signs to get your message across either by having them all be identical or by spelling out a call to action.

  • Printing: Back to Basics Part 3

    One of the most commonly asked questions in relation to graphics software and printing is how to increase the size of an image without getting blurring and jagged edges. New users are often surprised when they resize an image and find that the quality is severely degraded. In print projects, resolution is key. If the images that you include in a print project does not have high enough resolution, they will appear fuzzy, jagged, or blurry. The reason for the degradation is because bit mapped, or raster, image types are limited by their pixel resolution. When you attempt to resize these types of images, your software either has to increase the size of each individual pixel – resulting in a jagged image – or it has to “guess” at the best way to add pixels to the image to make it larger. Most printing companies require a minimum of 300 dpi for all images at the final print size. However, some printers require even higher resolution, so it’s always a good idea to check with your printer on their recommended printing resolution. Generally, the higher the resolution of your image, the better the quality the image will be when printed.

    So, you have an image you want (or need) to use but it doesn’t meet the required dpi? What can you do?

    First, you cannot use the common paint application that comes with Windows. Granted, you can do some basic editing of the image with this application, but it will not help you change the actual resolution of the image. In order to change the dpi, you will have to change the ppi (confused by ppi and dpi? click here). There are several software programs out that will allow you to do this but, for our purposes, I will concentrate on Photoshop. The most important thing to understand about resolution is the relationship between an image’s resolution (ppi) and an image’s print size (actual width and height -dpi). Pixels per inch (ppi) is often (although mistakenly) used interchangeably with dots per inch (dpi). Dots per inch (dpi) is a measurement describing the way an image is printed, scanned, or displayed on your monitor. For instance, you may scan an image at 300 dpi, print a 300 dpi image at 600 dpi, view it on your monitor at 72 dpi, but unless you resample it in Photoshop, the image will always have a resolution of 300 ppi.

    Open an image in Photoshop. Go to the Image menu and select Image Size. This is where you can change an image’s resolution and print size (width and height). The following Image Size dialog box will appear:

    Note that the width and the height of the image as you view it on your monitor is not necessarily representative of the image’s actual width and height — the size it would print out at (Print Size). Average monitor resolution is 72 dpi. If you view a 72 ppi image at 100% in Photoshop, chances are that it will appear on your screen in its actual print size. However, this is not true when viewing a 300 ppi image. A 300 ppi image viewed on-screen at 100% will be enormous. Don’t get tricked into believing that what you see on your monitor is what you’ll get when you print or place the image into another application. The only way to determine what your image’s actual print size will be is through the Image Size dialog box.

    When the Resample Image box is checked, any changes you make to an image’s width or height will not change the image’s resolution, and as such, any changes you make to an image’s resolution will not affect the image’s width and height. Keep in mind, however, when you increase width and height, or resolution, you are adding pixels to your image. These pixels don’t actually exist so Photoshop must create them. As such, you will succeed only in degrading the quality of your image.

    If you want to increase an image’s width and height, or resolution, then uncheck the Resample Image box. Now any changes you make to the image’s width and height will change the image’s resolution, and vice versa:

    • If you decrease resolution, the width and height will increase
    • If you increase resolution, the width and height will decrease
    • If you increase the width or height, the resolution will decrease
    • If you decrease the width or height, the resolution will increase

    The best way to increase the width and height of a scanned image is to scan the image in at a high resolution (about twice what your final resolution should be), and with the Resample Image box unchecked, decrease the resolution or increase the width and height—both will yield similar results. Once the image width and height is where you want it, you can then check the Resample Image box and type in the resolution you want. At this point, as long as you don’t increase resolution, or width and height, your image quality will not suffer.

  • “Cheap” Is Not A Dirty Word

    Once upon a time the word “cheap” was pretty much scoffed at and thought to be taboo- but it appears that this previously taboo word may have a bit more clout in today’s economy. According to an article published on iMedia by Tom Crandall,  CEO of Ayohwahr Interactive,  “cheap” is no longer a dirty word and he appears to be right. Where companies once felt that this word would reflect upon them badly, they are quickly coming to realize that “cheap” attracts customers.  Craig Mcdonald, in his recent post, asked, “How much is the word “cheap airfare” worth in the United States? The answer is about $8 million, according to comScore Marketer Search Data, December 2007.”

    To Quote Tom Crandall:

    “According to the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, the average monthly search volume for the phrase “cheap insurance” typically amounts to 673,000 queries. Last month, the number of queries for this term rocketed to 2.7 million. Likewise, the average monthly search volume for the phrase “cheap car” is traditionally about 1 million queries. Last month, the volume exceeded 3.3 million.

    So, as you consider incorporating adjectives such as “affordable,” “budget,” “inexpensive,” “low-cost,” and “thrifty” into your SEO strategies, consider this: There is a growing number of brands weaving the keyword “cheap” into their on-page SEO elements. (Many are even incorporating this term into their marketing copy!)”

    Obviously this bad word has been given a reprieve and marketers are learning that it does not damage brand perception or curb profitability. So, I can hear you thinking…. how in the world does this apply to signs? Well, the name says it all 🙂 We are cheap and we are not afraid to tell the whole world!

    What about you?

  • Vector vs Bitmap

    Vector-vs-bitmap

    Table of Contents

    In the realm of digital design, especially when crafting visually compelling signs with images or logos, the choice between vector and bitmap (or raster) graphics is crucial. These two foundational types of 2D graphics serve distinct purposes and are essential tools in a designer’s arsenal.

    Bitmap (Raster) Graphics: Pixel-Perfect Detail

    Bitmap graphics are digital images composed of a matrix of pixels, where each pixel holds data for its specific color. This pixel-based structure means bitmap images have a set resolution and lose clarity when scaled beyond their original size. Commonly encountered bitmap formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, and TIFF, each with its own use-case scenarios, from web images to high-quality print documents.

    • Key Traits of Bitmap Images:
      • Pixel-based composition
      • Fixed resolution, making resizing a challenge without quality loss
      • Versatile in usage, but restricted to rectangular shapes
      • Limited transparency support, depending on the format

    Bitmap images are ideal for detailed, complex imagery like photographs, where capturing nuance is key. However, their dependency on resolution and difficulty in resizing without quality degradation can be limiting in dynamic design scenarios.

    Vector Graphics: Scalability Meets Precision

    Vector graphics, in contrast, are not defined by pixels but by paths based on mathematical equations. These paths outline shapes, colors, and fills, making vectors infinitely scalable without any loss of quality. This resolution independence of vector graphics makes them perfect for logos and sign designs that need to maintain sharpness across various sizes and mediums.

    • Key Traits of Vector Images:
      • Comprised of scalable objects, allowing for flexibility in design
      • Resolution independent, ensuring clarity at any size
      • Ideal for bold, graphic illustrations, logos, and text
      • Supports transparent backgrounds for versatile overlay applications

    Common vector formats include AI (Adobe Illustrator), SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), and EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), among others. These formats are favored for their adaptability and precision, especially in branding and marketing materials where visual impact is paramount.

    Choosing Between Bitmap and Vector

    The choice between bitmap and vector graphics depends on the project’s needs. Bitmaps are unbeatable for intricate, photo-realistic images, while vectors offer unmatched scalability and simplicity for graphic designs. Understanding the strengths and limitations of each can significantly impact the effectiveness of your visual communication.

    For detailed guidance on file formats supported and how to best prepare your designs for production, exploring further resources or consulting with design professionals is recommended. Embracing the right graphic type not only ensures your designs are visually stunning but also optimizes your workflow for efficiency and impact.