What’s the Best Social Media Platform for Selling Signs?

How do you manage onboarding new designers who come in with no sign industry experience at all?

In the old days, heck, maybe even to this day some sign companies may hand a new designer a copy of the classic sign design textbook, Mastering Layout: On the Art of Eye Appeal by Mike Stevens. (It’s still available on Amazon.) Despite being published nearly 40 years ago, the principles covered by Stevens hold up largely unchanged — even if in the final chapter Stevens states something to the effect of “soon sign design will be performed on computers.” Of course, more senior designers at any company can and should train new designers the main differences between sign design and other types of graphic design that new folks may be more familiar with. It would likely be helpful for new designers to become familiar with the company’s fabrication and installation capabilities so their designs can work well within the framework of what the company can produce.

Does it seem like cut-vinyl graphics are doomed to the sign painter’s corner of the past? With so much wide format printing, it seems like vinyl prices are through the roof now.

One never knows what the future holds, but as this question comes from a shop that primarily does cut-vinyl graphics, the point of view is educated and valid. Cut-vinyl graphics are what replaced painted lettering decades ago. As wide-format printing is more current, and in its way more impressive than cut vinyl, it seems natural to worry that what comes next will replace what came before… that vinyl signage with more features will obsolete the version with fewer. With that in mind, preparing or actually starting to transition from cut-vinyl graphics to more wide-format printing jobs may be a good idea. A small shop can sub out the printing to any number of wholesalers such as Signs365.com and not feel compelled to make the significant investment in a wide-format printer. Also, while cut-vinyl projects may diminish over time, they shouldn’t disappear overnight. Sign painting and related techniques such as gilding are still around and have become the specialties of some companies that we know enjoy life in their corners of the sign industry.

What is the best social media platform to market to the signage audience?

According to the results of our 2024 Big Survey (see ST, Mid-March 2024, page 29 or signsofthetimes.com/112407), at 41% Facebook is the most impactful social media platform for lead generation and sales conversions, with Instagram and LinkedIn tied for a distant second at 13% each. In addition, 83% of Big Survey respondents reported having a presence on Facebook, followed much more closely by Instagram at 81% and LinkedIn at 74%. However, about ¾ of respondents describe the contribution of their social media to trackable job referrals as either “insignificant — 1% to 10%” (46%) or “moderate — 10+% to 25%” (30%). Fewer than one in 10 reports the contribution of social media as “substantial — 25+% to 49%” (8%) or the “main source of referrals — 50% or more” (1%). In case you’re wondering, 15% stated that social media referrals are “nonexistent.” That may be due to the fact that about half that amount (7%) reports no presence on social media at all. Sign up now to take the 2025 Big Survey in January at signsofthetimes.com/research.