Criteria for Successful LED Sign Advertising

Effective marketing is indispensable if you want to up your business’s reputation and outdo competitors. Investing in top-notch eye-catching LED signage to promote your products and services is just the kind of exposure your company needs and is warmly taken by the public. The big question is: What does it take to make this work? How you choose to represent your business through electronic message boards could have long-term repercussions and goes far to defining it. Before you sprint to splurge hefty amounts on LED signs, here’s what you need to know to make the right decision:

1) Keep the Content Updated

There must always be fresh and updated content on your LED screen, otherwise passersby might get accustomed to it and stop looking. Even basic information, such as the temperature, the weather forecast for the next few days, the fact of the day, the name of the day, and the random quote of the day will amazingly enhance the stickiness of your LED screen.

2) Location

Always situate the LED sign at a strategic location so the audience won’t have to strain up or down or squint up to view it properly. The size and the viewing angle of the sign should be perfect to capture the attraction of the target market. Your best bet is to place the LED sign where people would have to see it, such as near a roadway, or above a doorway. 

3) Quality Hardware

While the market is swarming with retailers, promising the highest quality and color displays of LED signs, only a few come up to the mark. Make sure you do ample research before you decide on the word of a retailer. Color, pitch, resolution, software and where it is manufactured should be considered. You might be tempted to purchase a cheaper LED sign and save money, but remember a top-notch LED sign is worth investing in for long term results.

4) Easy to Use Software

For non tech-savvy business owners, working with an LED display can be intimidating and it is thus imperative to look for a sign that comes with user-friendly software. A trustworthy LED sign provider ensures you comprehend the operating process of your digital display and provides assistance with your first few attempts at content creation and operation. 

5) Keep it Simple

With the advancement in technology, there are a plethora of options to revamp your LED sign, including full motion video LED signs. However, the viewers have about 2 to 4 seconds to view your sign, while video LEDs take 15 seconds to get the message across. It is imprudent to install a video message when moving text displays are way more effective. For messages you want read by people who have only a few seconds to spare, stick to a red monochrome display as it catches the eye and is highly effective.

Red Monochrome LED Sign

6) Content is the King

Lousy and clichéd promotional messages can even ruin an immaculately sophisticated LED sign and deter the trust of prospective clients. It is imperative to fabricate impressive content to capture the attention of public and elucidate your message in a welcoming light. Use the sign's content library to upload well designed messages, or hire a professional help to craft the content for your sign.

How to Create Effective Content for Your LED Display

Content is King, or so says Bill Gates. How as a small business owner, can you make sure that your ads are getting enough attention amidst all the competition? What factors will affect the efficiency of your ads? Below are four of them.

1. Duration

How many seconds do you need to get your message across? That actually depends on your product or the location of your LED screen. If you’re targeting pedestrians and you’re addressing passersby in front of your store, chances are, you can display your ads a little longer. Keep it under 30 seconds. If your targeting drive by customers, the ads should be no more than 15 seconds to make sure that your ads can be seen from start to end while passing by. Longer ads are pointless because your target  won't see the entire ad from start to finish.

2. Format

Can they clearly read your LED message board? If you want to make your ads effective, it’s great to determine what is the right size, and font style you should use in your ads. Always try to achieve balance and let people focus on the more important details down to the least important ones.

1. Make Letters Big! Letters should be easy to read, so make them big, at least 1/4 of the screen. Small text might look nice on your computer screen, but it won't when broadcast on the LED screen. 
2. Do Not Apply Shades on Text.  Fancy fonts might look nice on the monitor, but they won't on the LED screen. The reason for it is that, despite of its large size, the LED  display has less pixels than you PC monitor.  
3. Plain Text is Better. Use Sans-Serif fonts such as Verdana or Tahoma, as they appear much more crisp and readible. Serif fonts (ie. Courier, Times New Roman etc) look very nice on the PC monitor,  but they have the serifs which add pointless "noise" to the text and make it look blurry. Recall point #2 above, that the LED screen has less pixels than you monitor. This noise will be amplified even more if your screen uses virtual pixels.  
4. Use Contrasting Colors.  Over 20 years ago Ms Karen E. Claus published a table, indicating the colormatch with the best contrast ratio. She did it for the classic static signage, but the principle is still valid today. According to her research, the best matches are the following: Black on Yellow,  Black on White, Yellow on Black, White on Blue, Yellow on Blue, Green on White, Blue on Yellow and  White on Green. Avoid color combinations such as Pink on Red. 

3. Design

An ad with sloppy, cheap design will never have a chance against your competitors. With good design, your ads will sell themselves. You have invested a lot of money in this advertising tool. Don't put up up mediocre content and let it go to waste. Sit down and take some time to decide how you want your LED screen to look. There are many pre-made graphics that can be loaded or purchased at a reasonable fee or hire a graphic designer to create custom ads for a strong presence.

4. Content

Do you need text heavy ads or should you go for image driven content? If you’re in a business that relies on visual signals like the auto industry, real estate, or a travel agency, definitely go for large and vivid images. Otherwise, you can use short, witty tagline to represent your brand and your product. Displays with text only are highly effective too. Keep the content fresh, updated, and useful. Display public notices, weather reports or up coming events. Make your sign a community center piece, not just an advertising portal, otherwise people will get accustomed to the LED screen and will stop looking at the messages. Ideally you should upload new content every day. Yes, every day! Don’t forget to infuse fun in your content to keep it light and easy for your readers.