The 10 Most Creative Ways to Advertise With Yard Signs

Table of Contents

• 1. Yard Signs Are Ideal For Home Businesses
• 2. Raise Awareness For Nonprofit Organizations
• 3. Ever Thought Of Using A Yard Sign For A QR Code?
• 4. Give Your Political Campaign An Extra Edge
• 5. Promote School Fundraisers Throughout Your School District
• 6. Buy and Sell More Real Estate
• 7. Personalized Yard Signs for Parties And Other Celebrations
• 8. Yard Signs to Help Recruit the Best Employees
• 9. Conventions, Conferences, and Other Large Events
• 10. Spread Your Own Personal Brand of Joy in a Troubled World

In addition to their affordability, yard signs are both lightweight and portable. With this in mind, it’s no wonder why they are so popular with both large and small businesses alike. That’s because no matter the size of the business, yard signs are an excellent means of capturing the attention of anyone who passes by.

However, while yard signs do contain a ton of potential, there are other factors you need to consider to amplify their effectiveness. After all, a sign without a coherent strategy isn’t all that effective, is it? So before you spend so much as a dime, ensure that the text you are using is proportional to the overall size of the sign and the distance of visibility you hope to achieve. Additionally, make sure your color scheme is simplistic and straightforward to capture the maximum amount of attention.

Needless to say, yard signs can be appropriated for various uses and applications. To help give you a better idea of potential uses, here is a list of 10 creative ways to use yard signs.

1. Yard Signs Are Ideal For Home Businesses

Working from home comes with distinct advantages—unfortunately, crowds are not one of them. While most businesses attract a decent amount of foot traffic, working from home may mean you are tucked away from all the action. However, a cleverly placed yard sign will ensure that you can capture a sizable customer base by appealing to them as they drive by. It will also attract the attention of your neighbors and any visitors they may have.

When placing a yard sign in front of your home, check local ordinances, as you may be able to carry out some tricks that will give you another leg up on the competition. For example, you may be able to place a few signs at the end of your block, cul-de-sac, or even at an intersection. Even better, yard signs are inherently mobile and can be moved wherever you desire.

2. Raise Awareness For Nonprofit Organizations

As far as your nonprofit organization is concerned, yard signs make it that much easier to make an impact. Whether you aim to point people towards a secure donation box or initiate a dialog with one of your representatives, yard signs work best when erected in high-traffic areas with ample visibility. To further inspire people, you could even include some of your talking points and desired results or explain more about how donations will be used. However, you should be cautious of cluttering your sign too much, as doing so could drive people away. What better way to raise awareness for a particular cause than with a yard sign? Placing a sign in your yard is a great way to compel your neighbors to do the same, which will only serve to further amplify awareness and rally even more people around the cause. Just be sure your sign contains a concise summary of the objective, as well as legible contact information so anyone wishing to obtain additional information can do so.

3. Ever Thought Of Using A Yard Sign For A QR Code?

This one is a little more esoteric but is becoming more imperative by the day. Yard signs are great for displaying QR codes. Simply use an online generator to create your code, print it to a sign, then place that sign in your yard. If programmed correctly, the QR code should link to a page that will enable you to provide potential clients with more information, as well as monitor the effectiveness of your yard sign.

4. Give Your Political Campaign An Extra Edge

When it comes to political campaigns, name recognition is essential. This is precisely why you see so many political campaign signs pop up as election day gets closer and closer. Indeed, these yard signs have become essential to running an effective political campaign. So if you are planning on using a yard sign to raise awareness about a campaign or cause, be sure they include the name of the candidate or cause, as well as all necessary information required to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote.

5. Promote School Fundraisers Throughout Your School District

Do you or your children have a school-related fundraiser coming up? This is the perfect time to place an attractive yard sign on every street. Regardless of whether your fundraiser is a one-off or recurring event, a few cleverly placed yard signs are sure to lure many prospective customers.

6. Buy and Sell More Real Estate

Yard signs are perfect for real estate companies looking to raise awareness about specific properties available for sale or lease. However, you may have noticed that they are quite overused. With this in mind, your sign must stand apart from the competition, at least if you want to capture a decent share of the market. Here is a short list of effective tips, followed by more comprehensive descriptions:

• Conceive a creative color scheme
• Make sure your yard sign has a distinctive shape
• Use an effective tagline
• Affix a brochure that customers can use to glean more information

When it comes to color schemes, don’t be afraid to take the time to decide exactly what works best for you. Changes may be dictated by demographic preferences as well as natural surroundings. A good rule of thumb is to notice what colors are popular within your area, ascertain the reasons why then implement them into your own designs where applicable.

As far as selecting a distinctive shape is concerned, make sure to choose something that the surrounding area does not see every day. A sign with abstract dimensions that simultaneously provides extra room for additional graphics, text, or negative space will help underscore your brand. However, be careful not to clutter your sign with too much information, as this will detract rather than attract. Additionally, try to focus on a single unifying message that will simultaneously entice buyers and push your brand.

Yard signs and taglines go together like peanut butter and jelly. Just be sure to take the time to craft an effective tagline rather than rushing through it just to get your sign-up. Keeping your primary goal and focus at the forefront of your mind will help you assemble the perfect text.

Finally, attaching a brochure box will enable prospective buyers to find more information about the property, as well as obtain an efficient means of contacting you.

7. Personalized Yard Signs for Parties And Other Celebrations

Make your next social gathering a smash with a personalized sign. No matter whether the event is a birthday party or that pool party you’ve been waiting for all summer, a prominent yard sign will ensure that your guests will know where the party is at. If your event is reasonably large or located in a hidden place, you may want to consider purchasing multiple signs with different instructions on how to navigate the area. Additionally, you could use signs to direct guests to key areas such as restrooms, trash receptacles, and food stations. Think back to your own childhood experiences on days like Easter. Wouldn’t an egg hunt have been much more fun with a couple of creative signs? In addition to informing people about the celebration in the first place, a few well-placed yard signs will result in even more fun. Just think about how you could confuse people or give understated hints about the location of specific eggs.

8. Yard Signs to Help Recruit the Best Employees

If you are a business owner looking for a way to accelerate your hiring process, look no further than a few yard signs. Placing a few of these puppies here and there will promote more visibility than other forms of signage and give you more control over how your message is displayed. Before printing your sign, consider what questions potential employees may ask, such as those pertaining to wages and hours, and be sure to include them in the text.

9. Conventions, Conferences, and Other Large Events

Even if the concert or convention you are promoting has been sold out for months, it never hurts to have a little more signage here and there. While signs can certainly raise awareness about an upcoming event, they can accomplish much more.

For example, in the case of a sold-out event, a prominently placed sign is the perfect way to direct the crowd to essential stations, such as restrooms, food, designated exits, will-call, and ride-share pickup locations, and much more. You can even tell people where not to go using signs with messages such as “Keep Out” or “Restricted Access.” The possibilities are virtually endless.

10. Spread Your Own Personal Brand of Joy in a Troubled World

What if you just want to place a sign in your yard because you feel like it? Nowadays, we are so bombarded with sales and related messaging (not to mention divisive political ads) that we forget life is supposed to be fun. Bring some much-needed cheer into your neighborhood with a random sign that conveys a funny or sentimental message that will brighten everyone’s day and bring us closer together.

No matter the use, or whether you opted for I-frame or wire stakes frames, a tactfully placed yard sign is sure to get the point across. As with any public display, be sure to check with local authorities regarding specific rules governing signage. Doing so will help you avoid any unwanted confrontations.

Depending on the intended use, you may want to consider one of the following: ordering multiple copies of a single design or ordering multiple copies of several unique designs. Multiple copies of a single sign are great for handing out to friends and neighbors, but they could cause people to overlook the message if too many are placed in the same vicinity. On the other hand, ordering several unique signs gives you the option of diversifying your message to yield a much higher return.