How to Use a Sign as a Story Hook for Your Business

Imagine the last time you were in your car. How many signs did you drive by? How many stood out to you?

A sign is like a hook to a story. When telling a story, either verbally or in writing, the hook is what the entire story hangs upon (excuse the pun). Not that it's the most important part of the story or even that it guarantees the story will be good, but without the hook, no one wants to hear the rest.

The hook—it may be a surprising statistic, a punchy one-liner, or a bold claim—is critical to the story because it pulls people in and makes them want to know what happens next.

The “Intro Paragraph” for Businesses & Campaigners

In a similar way, a sign can act as a “hook” for your business. Political campaigners with a good slogan leverage this. Instead of just telling people to vote for them, they make a promise or paint a picture of what life could look like… and then they ask people to vote for them.

Telling people what to do vs. explaining why

A sign has the power to share the very essence of what you do in a relatively small space. And it can open a question in your customer's mind: “What would happen if I bought from this company?”

Lawn signs are a campaign staple because it's easy to use them to get a message in front of people. The problem is that many people, campaigners, and businesses alike, underestimate the power of a good hook. They simply say, “Vote for me!” or “Buy this!” and fail to show how voting or buying will change their audience's lives for the better.

3 Building Blocks for Sharing Your Message

How do you make a sign into a great hook? Thank about the most basic visual elements you might put on a sign.

1. Words
2. Images
3. Color

Each of these plays a unique role in the visual make-up of an advertising sign. Here's the breakdown.

Words
Words, although vital, can be tricky. Too many, and the sign loses focus and can even be hard to read. Too few, and the message again loses focus because it's too vague. On signs where words are needed (which is not always the case), we recommend keeping the text short and sweet. For example, if you're promoting an event: give simple details, a web link where you provide more info, and a catchy tagline.

Concise wording vs. too many words

Images
Images can increase engagement—we've all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Do you find yourself inserting a lot of text in your sign design? Try to think of an image that could express the essence of what you're saying.

Color
Color is fundamental to visual design. There have been psychological studies showing how different colors influence a person's emotions. Just like music can sound happy or sad or anywhere in between, colors can convey certain emotions. What do you want people to feel when they encounter your story, potentially for the first time?

Getting Noticed… and Then What?

Of course, like a political candidate who doesn't keep campaign promises, a business that breaks promises will not be popular either. So, the hook must be true and realistic. It must be something you can deliver on. Trust is a huge prerequisite to asking someone to invest their resources in your and it will pay off, to be honest up front for the sake of building that trust.

Many businesses don't have that problem, however. They have a high-value product or service, but they aren't getting noticed by their target audience. Creating a great hook is one element of what it takes to get noticed, and lawn signs can make a fantastic hook. (freebie: if you want to get noticed by your customers, make your message about them. Focus on making their lives better, not on selling your great product. People take notice when someone notices them.)

Takeaways

Think of signs as “hooks” to a story. Get people feeling, or laughing, or wondering—and you can get them buying.

A hook (such as a well-made sign) can be powerful, but it's only useful if the rest of the story is good! You will disillusion customers if you have a great hook but fail to deliver an equally valuable product. We don't think this will be a problem for you, however, because many businesses have a good product and just need a little work on their hook.

Words aren't the only way to hook someone. Both colors and images have powerful psychological effects. Get creative and morph your sign's design to fit your business's persona and the desires of your customers.

Start designing your lawn signs today and get noticed by your customers! If you're not sure where to start, visit our product page and choose a category that fits!