Balancing the Budget: Outsourcing Business ServicesBalancing the Budget: Outsourcing Business Services


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Balancing the Budget: Outsourcing Business Services

My company is now over a decade old and I still outsource several key functions. It isn't that I can't afford to keep them in house. It is just that outsourcing is the most financially responsible decision I can make. I outsource all sorts of support services. One company manages my IT needs. Another partner takes care of the payroll and remitting taxes. I even have a cleaning service that comes in at night, does the windows, and in general keeps everything spotless. If you think outsourcing might benefit your business, let's talk. I'll tell you what I outsource and why. From there, you can decide if my strategy would also work for you.

Startup Storefront Signage Success: How To Make Sure Your Signs Convert Passersby Into Customers

Starting a new business without a storefront sign can be a drastic mistake, as half of a new company's customers are acquired with storefront signs. But creating an effective storefront sign that drives customers through your door requires more than simply highlighting the name of your company. Here's how to make sure that your signage converts passersby into customers:

Brand Your Business

Your brand tells passersby exactly what they can expect when walking through your door as a customer. It helps to set you apart from nearby competitors, and it makes your business easily recognizable to the community when they see advertisements in newspapers and on billboards. To create a brand for your business, think about the demographic you want to reach and the benefits your products or services have to offer them.

With this information you can create a vibrant logo that taps into the culture of your targeted demographic, and accompany the logo with a short but sweet tagline that tells your company's story. For example, if you sell sewing supplies your tagline might read "Sewing the Seeds for Generations of Crafters" which tells people that you carry traditional, contemporary, and trendy products for all ages.

Incorporate the Right Colors

The colors you choose to incorporate into your storefront signage are extremely important. This is because it sets the tone for what is to be found inside your store, and it has an effect on people's moods as they're exposed to your chosen colors. When it comes to accenting text, graphics, and other features of your sign, consider one or more of these color options:

  • Use yellow to create feelings of happiness and curiosity.
  • Incorporate hues of blue to create confidence in your business.
  • Create optimism in your products or services with shades of orange.

Black accents lend to the professionalism of your sign but sticking with a complete black and white design may result in the sign being glossed over in the sea of other signs that are near your storefront.

Entice with Interaction

A great way to get passersby in your store is to incorporate an interactive offer into your storefront signage. For example, you can hold a weekly contest by filling up a jar full of promotional products and asking people to come in and guess how many are in the jar. Offer the winner a discount coupon or free sample products to keep your marketing costs low. Or post a board full of product photos right inside your store and ask people to come in and vote for their favorites once a week. Then you can hold a raffle among those who voted for the most popular product, offering the product as a prize. These tactics will get people in your door on an ongoing basis, maximizing your opportunity to increase profits along the way.

Minimize Content Clutter

Cluttering your storefront sign with too much information makes it tough for passersby to decipher your message. When designing your sign, minimize the content to the bare necessities – a logo, a slogan or tagline, and a graphic or two, and your interactive offer if you choose to include one.

If you feel the need to include more information than this, incorporate a second sign to display it on. Make sure that at least an inch of clear surface space is present between separate texts so they're easy for people to read and make sense of. Your logo should be the main focus of the sign because it's what will help build notoriety for your business among consumers.

If you have the resources to power an electric sign, consider lining some of the text in your signage with neon rope lighting. It will help illuminate your message and catch the eye of those who pass by quickly in vehicles or bikes. 

Click for more info here on storefront signs.