Four Occasions That Call for Custom Banners, and What Else You Can Use To Advertise

There are countless reasons you might need a custom banner or sign, and you never know when you will. Here are four occasions for which you might:

A Grand Opening: If you're opening a store or shop of any kind, you want to promote it, and promote it well. The first few months for any business are crucial, and a good grand opening can generate just the momentum you need to get through them. Advertise anywhere and everywhere you can, and with whatever you can: business cards, outdoor banners, nylon flags, magnetic signs, vehicle wraps, you name it.

Going Out of Business Sale: Conversely, you need to advertise just as much if you're having a going out of business sale. This is your last chance to make a profit on your investment, so bust out the flags and banners and window graphics to let people know about your going out of business sale. Again, advertise wherever you can — you want as many customers as possible at this final sale.

Special In-Store Promotions: You don't necessarily need to have a sale to get people in your store. Depending on what kind of business you run, try to get a celebrity — local or otherwise — to do a meet-and-greet or signing of some sort. Say you own a bookstore — get an author with a new book out to do a reading. Or, if you run a sports goods store, look into getting a well-known athlete from the area to sign autographs for an afternoon.

Any Ongoing Promotions: You might have special deals or events once a week, once a month, maybe even once a year. Regardless, if there's any sort of repetition to an event or sale, have a custom banner or sign made up, something like, "Huge Blow-out Sale, This Thursday!" (assuming you always have it on a Thursday). Or, you can have a sign made up with a blank spot so you can tape on the day and date.

No matter the occasion, be sure to employ the Internet as well as any physical signage you use. That's what it's there for — to spread the word about, well, everything. Use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, a LinkedIn, everything and anything you can. Set up a Yelp account so people can later write reviews of whatever you're planning, and make sure you're on FourSquare so people can "check in" when they visit your store. Custom banners and signs are great for getting the initial word out there, but you need follow-up information that people can save on their computers or phones.