Is it time to start thinking outside the box when it comes to your marketing plans? As a retailer, there is no doubt your store has a number of products and services that are worthy of promotion, but how do you get the word out without using up you marketing budget? Well, there’s good news – custom flags and banners offer a creative yet economical way to get a message out to consumers quickly. This is particularly true if your store is located in a busy retail area. Before ordering custom outdoor flags and banners, be sure you know about any restrictions in the size or number of flags allowed outside of your store.
Now that spring is here and summer is just around the corner, retail marketing directors are looking for new ways to reach their target audience. Gone are the days when a retailer could place a full-page ad in the newspaper and generate a spectacular response. Today’s media buyers need to diversify and look for innovative ways to reach consumers who are on the move. Advertising banners are the ideal way to do this any time of the year, but they work even better during warm weather months.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many antiques and “collectibles” shops in every major city? If you’re not prone to collecting, it’s hard to imagine why so many people tend to be collectors at heart. But there is something very American about collecting memorabilia, and one of the more popular collections is college flags and university pennants. Just stop into your local sports bar or family restaurant and you are bound to see a collection of pop culture memorabilia on the walls, which invariably includes at least a couple college flags.
No matter where you went to school; a major university or a small-town college, there is nothing quite like college school spirit. Whether it’s the sports fans waving college banners at the big game, or a proud parent displaying college flags in a basement game room, there is a place for this kind of collecting in every family.
Wondering how you can make your business stand out from the crowd? Instead of spending thousands of dollars on print or broadcast advertising, smart business owners are choosing colorful advertising flags as promotional tools. Outdoor advertising has been proven to be one of the most effective forms of marketing for small to midsize retailers, particularly when the location is in a high-traffic area. Look at it this way; if potential customers are going to be moving slowly past your store in rush hour traffic, why not motivate them to come in and shop?
As the prime boating season approaches, boat owners everywhere start to look for new sailing and nautical flags. If you’re not familiar with the signals that are used to communicate between marine vessels or from ship to shore, it may help to learn about the internationally recognized signals that sailors routinely use. Of course, not every boat owner will communicate with other boats with a system of flags, but traditional boating flags are still popular among larger yacht owners.
What type of information is exchanged using boating flags? Believe it or not, a system of flags can be used to communicate requests for assistance, important news and information about hazards. Also known as signaling flags, these colorful banners are particularly popular in international waters where language barriers might prevent intelligible radio transmissions.
With all the hype surrounding the NCAA Final Four and the start of baseball season, it’s not surprising that sports teams flags and banners are a popular gift for the sports fan. Whether you are decorating a basement TV room or a preparing for a tailgating party, there is nothing like team flags and banners to show your team spirit. Sports teams sell more flags and banners than almost any other item because they’re versatile enough to be flown almost anywhere.
Some fans choose to fly a team flag outside of their car window, while others look for large-scale banners to hang across the back of the stands at a game. If it’s a college team you love, expect to see a lot of large banners hung by students during the game. Students are always looking for ways to show their team spirit.
Well, it looks like spring is finally here and the homeowner’s focus has turned to the outdoors. After removing all the dead leaves and mulching the flower beds, it’s time to dust off the barbecue grill and unfurl the flag for another season. It may even be time for some new flags. But are you sure your flags are made in America? An alarming number of American flags are no longer “made in the USA,” and if there is one item where patriotism trumps price, it is the good old “Stars and Stripes.”
According to an article published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (July 29, 2011), the U.S. Senate unanimously voted that any American flags bought with U.S. tax dollars must be made entirely in America. The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) is important to national flag makers like the Advertising Flag Company (www.FlagPro.com) and many other U.S.-based flag manufacturers. In an effort to support flags made in America, the federal government will only buy flags from certified small enterprises based in the United States.
Have you ever driven down the road and noticed a business for the first time – just because they did something to change the exterior? I am constantly noticing the presence of advertising flags in front of a business because they show up in my peripheral vision. Even when I’m looking straight ahead, the motion of a colorful flag in front of a business is hard to miss.
Customized advertising flags and banners are available wholesale from FlagPro.com, the ecommerce storefront for the Advertising Flag Company. As a manufacturer and purveyor of flags since 1936, this popular company is known for its high quality outdoor flags, made from the most durable materials.
If you’re like most business owners, then you are probably working with a reduced ad budget these days. Unfortunately marketing and adverting budgets are among the first to get cut in tough times and they are one of the last to be reinstated in a recovery. As a result, marketing managers are getting creative with advertising flags and banners. But don’t think this means they’re ordering customized rectangular flags or banners to hang in store windows. The kind of advertising flags being purchased today are more likely to be customized. Promotional companies may say they can offer high quality custom flags, but there is nothing like working with a flag manufacturer.
The United States Flag Code was written to ensure that the American flag would be treated with the utmost respect, which also includes the way in which the flag is disposed and the specific methods used to fly the flag at half-staff. When you buy American flags for sale online at a flag store like FlagPro.com, it’s easy to just pick out the flags you want and be on your way. But according to this popular flag manufacturer, Americans need to spend time getting familiar with the U.S. Flag Code. Flying the American flag is a patriotic act but it also requires a certain level of responsibility. While this may not be the most interesting reading, most flag owners pick up on the various rules of etiquette without reading the entire code.
Winter may not yet be over, but people’s attention has already turned to the outdoors. After a mild winter in the Northeast, expect to see your neighbors out there refinishing decks and planting flowers a little earlier this year. A big part of the preparation for spring involves flying the American flag, and now it’s easier than ever to find American flags for sale online.
There is nothing quite like the look of a fresh new flag flying on your front porch or flag pole. With the excellent selection of flags available from FlagPro.com and the Advertising Flag Company, it’s easy to find the right size and fabric for your new American flag. Here, you will find dozens of different American flags, flag hardware and flag poles, plus several other types of flags for decoration and promotion.
Before buying American flags for sale online, there are a few “rules” in the U.S. Flag Code that homeowners and business owners often overlook. The highlights of this well-known “code” were recently featured in a few news articles as a reminder to Americans that there are “rules” concerning the flying of the American flag. Every once in a while, it’s a good idea to look at the United States Flag Code to be sure you’re giving the Stars and Stripes the proper respect.
Writing a flag blog about American made flags isn’t always easy. There seem to be fewer and fewer companies in American making flags these days and yet there are even fewer patriots who would want to own an American flag that was made in China. Flying the American flag isn’t just something you do in front of a school, post office or public building. It is a highly personal act of patriotism for homeowners and business owners across the country. When one displays the flag, it is not just to display patriotic spirit; it is to demonstrate that you still believe in the values on which this country was founded.
The Advertising Flag Company has been a manufacturer and purveyor of American flags since 1936, and they continue to expand on their inventory while increasing their capabilities within the promotional flag-making space. As an American company that is truly committed to supporting the U.S. economy by keeping their operations stateside, the Advertising Flag Company is the kind of business that should be patronized by American families and business owners.
Have you tried everything to get more customers into your store? Well, if you’re still using newspapers, direct mail or electronic media, your ad may be competing for attention with the hundreds of other messages. Maybe it’s time to look at something that has worked for hundreds of years – custom banners and flags. Custom flags can be made to order in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors, but it’s important to get it right because you will use these banners repeatedly for years.
Retailers who sell furniture and mattresses are usually familiar with the concept of custom banners and flags, and car dealers are no strangers to outdoor advertising, but flags are usually more effective than billboards. Billboards are static images that have a tendency to blend into the background, while flags and banners move in the wind. As you drive by a store, it’s hard not to notice when it’s surrounded by colorful moving flags.
If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, you are already familiar with digital banners; those annoying square or rectangular ads that show up on the right side of your screen. While many of these banners are targeted directly to you, based on your Internet search habits, very few people actually click on them. Conversely, the promotional banners and flags we see while we’re out driving around are usually noticed. Because they are unique and three dimensional, they rarely become part of the scenery.
Today’s marketers find it difficult to stand out on the Internet unless they’re promoting a product that is in very high demand, completely unique, or hard to find elsewhere. If your business is seeking out new customers, you might want to take a break from the two-dimensional screen and give promotional flags and banners a second look. While it may seem a bit old fashioned to buy real fabric or vinyl flags pennants and banners these days, many small businesses swear by this type of advertising to drive foot traffic into their stores.
It does seem like every article you read about marketing these days is focused on digital. Even the largest advertising and marketing conferences have made their trade shows available to a “virtual” audience. But what about good old-fashioned outdoor advertising, such as outdoor banners and flags? Is it time for marketers to take a step back from their computers and look at the bigger picture? There is something so immediate and action-oriented about a tangible sign that directs you into a business. Outdoor banners and flags are an inexpensive yet effective way to set your business apart from the crowd and gain an edge over the competition.
