is crazy important! · for up to four days. sauté when needed. no more soggy, limp broccoli!...
TRANSCRIPT
Creating Great Signage For Direct MarketingEric Barrett – OSU Extension
Signage is CRAZY Important!
The BIG GUYS…
•Are using farm style
Signage is…
…Help in Busy Times
• When the line is long and the bottom line depends on it!
…Consistent Communication
•When training might fail
•When confusion might occur
•When prices change often
…the Answer to Questions
• What is it?
• Who are you?
• What does your farm value?
…a Problem Solver
• How much should I buy?
• How do customers get in line?
• Is it cheaper for a quart?
• Do you take credit cards?
• Can I buy less than a dozen?
…Income
• Through several selling tactics:
• We’re out of the most expensive one…
• If you would have come earlier…
LOOK Everywhere!For ideas and inspiration
Signage evolves…and gets dated
• Customers look for new things
• Signage is one of these
• Change something every year
• Update your look every five years
Get New Ideas Everywhere
• Not just other farms
• High End Grocery
• Retailers when your target market shops!
• What works?
Simplify Signage:Four Categories
Roadside & Welcoming
• On the side of the barn, or end of drive
• The banner we hang at the farmers market or at an event we sponsor.
Directional & Informational
• Tell your customers what to do or where something is located
• “Please wash hands” or “this way to the berry patch” or “No smokin’, Purdy Please” signs.
Product / Produce
• Small, but actually making sales• Often neglected and left until the last minute • Can be made simply with common items
Fun & Thankful
• At exits stating, “Thanks for visiting our Family Farm” or “Come Back Again Soon”
• At farms or markets who hold activities where there are signs in which you can put your face and take a photo
Choosing A CanvasDo’s & Don’ts
Plywood
• Great for entrance signs and fun signs• Primer and outdoor paint
– Don’t absorb water: paint sides & back
• ¾ inch – so it will not warp
Cardboard
• Don’ts
– Just use a pen
– Do it with out a plan
• Give it a country feel
– Use your best artist / writer
– Pre‐cut to specific sizes
– Prep for market days, prices blank
• Tools
– Black markers
– Tempra paint?
Chalkboards
• Again, great handwriting
• Large chalkboards at a farm market can be great and creative.
• Easily wiped off– Lots of water around produce!
– Pricing errors
– Sometimes difficult to read
Paper & Lamination
• Paper– Focus on folds from 8.5”x11”
– Color paper? Matches brand?
– Thickness
• Printers– Laser!
– Ink jet printer ink runs
• Lamination– Solves some problems
– Write‐on to change prices
And Everything Else!
Planning the Look10 Guiding Principles
1. Use Branding For Consistency
• Should be identifiable to your farm
• Just like livestock out west are ‘branded’
• Beyond the main farm sign
• Logo on nearly every sign
• Smallest signs at least:
– Use the color scheme
– Match consistency
2. Keep it Short & Simple
• Nobody reads everything
• Short, but not texting
• No jargon
• As short as possible for quick reading
3. Have some White Space .
• Cluttered signage can send confusing messages
• Just the price?– Detail in small print
• Lots of words are clutter
• Lots of pictures are clutter– Logo and a slogan should be enough
• Leave space for a clean image
4. Use Correct Letter Sizing & Shape
• Road signs are read at faster speeds
• Small signs should not require reading glasses
• Signage should use “sans‐serif” fonts
– Without flags on the tips of letters
– Clean, crisp font – not fancy!
– Do not mix fonts
• DO NOT USE A LOT OF CAPITAL LETTERS
5. Ensure Contrast
• Black on white is easier to read than black on grey.
• Black on white has more contrast.
• This is why white on red works for many farms: high contrast.
• Colors
– Match the farm’s brand
– Easily read by customers.
6. Generate Ideas
• Get customers thinking about buying:
– “Prep and blanch, then leave in the fridge for up to four days. Sauté when needed. No more soggy, limp broccoli! Broccoli $1.60/lb.”
– “Beautiful golden yellow interior is delicious in salads – try them cooked with feta cheese, cucumber slides and your favorite vinaigrette, all on a bed of greens. Golden Beets $2.00/bunch.”
• How do you use it?
7. Promote Action
• The common ones:
– Price/Dozen, ½ dozen
– BOGO
– “2 for $x.xx”
• Make staples into necessities:
– “Potatoes: A starchy staple with endless possibilities”
– This simple sign makes customers think twice about not needing to buying potatoes.
8. Be Positive in a Creative Way
• None of us like the word no.
– Come up with a friendlier version
– Make it funny, yet informative
– Four Legged Friends Only vs “Do not enter”
– Be creative
9. Show Your Passion
• “Just like you remember from childhood: Sweet corn, 5 for $2.”
• Show who you are
– Nostalgia
– Organic OR Sustainable
– IPM
– What is your passion?
10. Be Understood
• You are not your customer
• Create a sketch first
– Get feedback
• Family, Staff, Friends
– Have them explain the sign back to you
– Save you from remaking a sign which sends the wrong message.
Implementation
Who will be the artist?
• Painting / Writing / Printing– All have the same level of importance
– Friend, staff, neighbor?
– Do they understand our brand?
– Who manages artist?
– Brand, logo on everything
• Consistency
The Professionals!
• The Roadside & Welcoming
– Capability to do this at the farm?
– Know‐how, time
– Cost?
• How to hire
– Communication
– Mock‐up drawing, bid
– References
– Build a long‐term relationship
If you are going to “DIY”
• Don’t go cheap on materials
• Don’t wait till last minute
• Make sure it’s quality!
Want a Copy?Handout
http://vegfruit.wordpress.com
References & Sources
• The Communicator’s Handbook, Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE). USDA Extension. Washington, D.C.
• Rob Leeds, Christie Leeds & Hal Kneen, OSU Extension