The moment has come. The time is now. You have a huge event about to get underway. It could be a grand opening for your new business, a graduation party, a parade, a church event, a charity. You want to promote, to celebrate, to send a message. You need eyeballs. You don’t have a lot of money to spend. What is the avenue to take? It’s really pretty simple. A custom vinyl banner should be in your immediate future.
Vinyl Banners 101:
Here are the basics of our vinyl banners. Our standard banner material is a 13oz vinyl. 13oz scrim vinyl banner material has a white opaque base for front printing and display. It is tear and fade resistant, and is fire retardant, meeting standard NFPA 701 guidelines. 13 oz banners are good for indoor and outdoor use.
Our banners will last 2-3 years outdoors if cared for properly. Outdoor life expectancy is dependent on weather conditions and sun exposure. In high winds, vinyl banners have the propensity to behave like a sail. If you are using banners in a high wind environment, we advise that you add wind slits to allow wind to pass through. This will help to keep the banners intact. Indoor life expectancy is 5 years or more if cared for properly.
OK, that’s the quick 101 on our custom vinyl banners. But there’s much more to dive into, and you likely have questions you want answered. So, here goes.
There are numerous pros with vinyl banners, and really only one con, which we just alluded to about windy conditions. And even with gusty elements, the wind slits will negate those gales. Another route to take would be to go with a mesh banner. Mesh is essentially a vinyl banner. The caveat to a mesh banner is that it is woven with perforations throughout, thus mesh. Much like a screen door, the many small holes in a mesh banner allow air to pass through. This makes custom mesh a prime choice for an outdoor banner. There– no more cons with your custom banner. Regarding the pros of a vinyl banner, they can deliver an important message about a sale, a milestone birthday, or many other needs you might have.
While we just sung the praises of custom mesh banners, vinyl banners generally work better for business. With it, it means that the clarity and pop of text and images perform better on vinyl. With mesh, all those perforations mean less surface area with which to print. Add to that, vinyl banners allow both matte and gloss finishing for your printing pleasure.
With its digital print, a vinyl banner receives at least 150 dpi (dots per inch). In layman’s terms, there are 150 dots of color within every single inch in our vinyl banner printing. Can you envision 150 dots going into an inch? You know how rich a typical digital photo or image looks. Well, most digital photos are recorded at a resolution of 72 dpi.
Understand now how rich and bold our banners will show at over twice as many dpi as a general digital image has. Our inks are weather resistant, fade resistant, and scratch/abrasion resistant, as well.
Types of Vinyl Banners:
Good Guys Signs sells a few different types of vinyl banners. They each have a unique way in which to be effective for advertising, brand awareness, creating lasting memories, and more. They are:
- Standard vinyl banner
- Mesh banner
- Retractable banner
- Step & Repeat banner
- Double sided banner
We have touched on mesh banners, so we’ll move on to the last three on the list.
Retractable banners are convenient for travel and great if you’re watching your budget. They are an amazing way to snag plenty of business by putting them into play at tradeshows, events, exhibitions, and conferences as promotional displays. They are extremely light, and come with a free case that is so small and easy to handle, it will fit seamlessly in an overhead storage bin on a plane.
Step & Repeat banners are fantastic ways to promote your company at countless events. They display any and all information you want to put out there, be it your company name and contact information, or multiple images of your logo. These banners are more soft sell and unobtrusive advertising than some traditional forms. Additionally, they turn events and get-togethers into memorable moments and memories that last long after.
Double-Sided Banners are exactly what they sound like. A single-sided banner is a solid choice. A double-sided banner is thicker, stronger, and allows you twice the information and two times the attention of those you want to turn into legit sales. Our double-sided banners are smooth, yet resilient. The heavy-duty scrim vinyl material ensures that people won’t see the opposite side’s print, and therefore, each message is independent of the other.
So, your banner looks awesome. You want to keep it looking awesome. After all, it will last for years with proper care. Here’s what we suggest. Use warm water on a wet cloth or rag. Refrain from using any harsh chemicals to clean your banner, as you could ruin your print. Yep, that’s it. It’s that simple.
Vinyl Banners and the Reasons They Work:
A banner, also known as a vinyl sign or vinyl signage, has so many uses that make it well worth its minimal cost. “How much does this custom signage going to run me?” That might be your initial question. It should be, “How little does it cost?” Our vinyl signage starts at just under $33.00 for a 6’ W x 3’ H banner. They last for years, at least three for outdoor banners, and half a decade or more for an indoor banner.
If you break that down, you’ll think you need to open your eyes wider because what you get for the longevity of its lifespan can’t seem possible. That’s why purchasing a custom vinyl sign (banner) is a no-brainer. But, there’s much more than simple cost to buying indoor or outdoor vinyl banners. What are the most common uses for vinyl banners? Probably too many to name, and we did provide some examples earlier. Among the popular uses are:
- Sales promotion banners
- Grand opening banners
- Charity event banners
- Church function banners
- Birthday party banners
- Graduation banners
- Trade show banners
Let’s go to cost advantages vs other advertising platforms. Traditional techniques pale in comparison to banners. Print ads and direct mailing have their place. However, you’ll only reach people who subscribe to a particular publication or those who are on a mailing list. Your banner lives in a highly visible space for all passersby to see; those who are and are not familiar with your business. Depending on your location, a single sided banner can generate literally thousands of impressions per day. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America says that upwards of 45% of potential customers stop on impulse driven by banner signage. This trade association was founded in 1891 and regulates industry standards covering both digital and static out-of-home advertising.
How about other advertising outlets? Billboards, stagnate and static, reach mainly the same set of commuters every day. They can cost up to $4,000 per month to advertise on. Think about going the route of a TV or radio ad…the cost can be high, and your message is gone in 30 seconds into the ether of nevermore. A couple social media posts that get bypassed after an hour, or are never seen? If you’re an unknown trying to open a business, who’s really following you on Facebook or Instagram to see any of your posts? The purpose of these comparisons is to illuminate the ridiculously rewarding cost per impression that a little ole vinyl fabric banner delivers. Due to this CPI value, we have many customers who change banners monthly, or even weekly. It’s a smart idea to train promotion-conscious passersby to actually look for you newest product or offer. This entrepreneurial spirit keeps your name in the forefront of their minds.
Vinyl Banner Customizing and Ordering:
We’re almost done. We’re close to the finish line, which will ironically be your jumping-off point to success with use of vinyl banners. When ordering, you’ll want to:
- Send a vector file (or JPEG/PNG) of your logo or any images to be on the banner
- Include the banner size you desire
- Inform us on what colors and color scheme you want
- Include the words you want for your banner’s messaging
If you’re creative, our website has design templates and a design tool for you to use. They are both very user-friendly and take just a few clicks of your mouse. If you’re still not clear on how it should look, we have an incredible staff of salespeople and designers who can take care of you. That process could take a bit longer, FYI. The reason is that you might suggest something, then we send you a proof, and if it’s not exactly what you want, another round of back and forth can ensue.
We went through the types of vinyl banners available earlier in the article, but let’s revisit what we briefly touched on with a matte or gloss finishing option. Both have their own values, but there are a couple things to take note of.
A matte finish does not project much sheen (brightness, radiance) at all, making the message on a banner very readable. If the words on a banner are critical, as opposed to image importance, matte is the clear winner in the debate between this finish vs gloss. Because a matte finish dilutes lights or sunshine extremely well, it works outdoors without its messaging being lost in a glare. The same holds true if you have a booth at a trade show or convention. Oftentimes in these scenarios, the event is held in a fairly large arena, in which bright lights cast an illuminating blanket throughout the building. If you want people to take pictures or video with your banner in them, matte is perfect because again, it doesn’t produce a glare. While appearing duller than a gloss finish, the look truly isn’t drab or dreary at all. It still produces a very clean and crisp effect.
A gloss finish gives a little higher-end look to a banner. Think of the cover of a magazine, and that little extra shine it has, compared to the look of a hard cover book. Gloss has a shimmering vibrancy to it, making the sign appear a bit more lustrous than its counterpart. Imagine a vest and handkerchief being added to a suit. Coupling those accessories presents a more upscale aura than the suit alone. A gloss finish performs magnificently on large banners in event halls, and as promotional advertising in front of stores if the banner is image heavy.
It’s time to bring your brand to life and boost your sales with a vinyl banner that displays a short, informative, and catchy message. Your messaging should deliver a “what’s in it for them” tone for viewers. Inherently, a prospect can be turned into a customer when you deliver a benefit. A call to action is also smart. Simple, but suggestive words like “find,” “visit,” and “get yours now” strike a chord in the mindset of those you want purchasing from you. Striking graphics should be a big part of your plan. Research shows that appealing graphics create instant brand recall by as much as 300% compared to dull graphics or none at all.
Our vinyl banners come with complimentary grommets. A grommet is essentially a metal ring punched through banners to allow rope or bungee cords to thread through for hanging banners.
If you have any questions and/or want us to guide you through the process, feel free to reach out to our salespeople at (800) 614-8040. We look forward to the opportunity to help you with anything we can. Whether it’s banner material choice you’re unclear of, if you want advice on a small, medium, or large vinyl banner, or if you want to learn more about the methods of banner printing, Good Guys Signs is here for you.
