The Startup Magazine

The Principles of Good Retail Signage
Major Marketing Challenges Faced by Startups
3 Reasons to Get Parent Loans For Kid’s College Tuition
Tips To Select A Good Security Seal for your Merchandise

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 06:38 AM PST

Retail signage is one of those things that most store owners don't spend much time thinking about. But when it comes down to it, it's probably one of the most important elements of your curb appeal (which is what invites people inside).

With that being said, it's time to take it seriously.

The Power of Retail Signage

Retail signage is more than a combination of plastic, aluminum, paint, and electrical components. It's a vibrant extension of your business – a magnet for eyeballs and a beacon of branding. And out of the dozens of benefits it provides, the power of store signage really boils down to a couple of factors:

It grabs attention. When you have a beautiful glowing sign elevated above your storefront, it makes people pay attention. A good sign makes it hard for people to forget about you.
It builds brand awareness. Store signage is especially hard to ignore when you're located in a highly-trafficked area. Whether it's a store inside of a busy mall or a building on the side of the interstate, a lot of people pass by on any given day. This is free exposure.

While there are hundreds of different ways to advertise a brand, good retail signage might be one of the most effective. This is a combination of timing, placement, and visual appeal.

As entrepreneur Omar Rahman puts it, "Point-of-sale signage that advertises perfume to someone in the Dior shop in Dubai Mall is clearly more likely to be relevant than the same perfume advertised on a radio segment. It is contextual, and therefore more impactful."

What Makes a Good Retail Sign?

Not all retail signage is created equal. Some signs are much more effective than others. Here are some elements that make a good retail sign:

1. Simplicity

The biggest issue businesses have with signage design is the desire to do too much. They want to include lots of colors, elements, text, and graphics. The problem is that this rarely converts will. Because even if it looks good, it typically creates confusion.

When designing a sign, you have to think about what it's going to look like from far away. You might be able to read a small subheading or identify with an intricate design when looking at a rendering blown up on a big computer screen, but will a customer be able to read it from 100 feet away?

Simple is always better than complex. Strip away any unnecessary elements and try to focus on what matters most: Your brand name and/or logo.

2. Durability

It's not enough to have an aesthetically pleasing sign. You also have to think about elements like durability. Work with a company that specializes in sign design and manufacturing, like AlphaGraphics. They understand which materials to use based on where the sign will be placed. For example, will the sign be inside or outside? And if it's outside, will it be directly exposed to the elements or sheltered under an overhang? The answers to these questions will influence how the sign is made.

3. Visibility

Sign visibility is a big thing. Some signs look great during the daytime, but are almost impossible to see at night. (And in some situations, signs look great when they're lit up at night, but are hard to discern during daylight hours.) Visibility is arguably one of the most important factors, so don't take this for granted!

4. Location

Finally, you have to think about where the sign will be located. Think about where your store is situated in relation to the road/parking lot/walkways. Do you need multiple signs to direct people into the store? Or can you get away with one large sign?

The location of your sign will dictate other factors like size, lighting, and (as discussed previously) the materials used. Don't wait until after the sign is designed to choose a place. You need to lead with this decision.

Putting it All Together

There's no such thing as a perfect retail sign. You have to consider the many variables and brand-specific factors to optimize your retail signage. However, if you follow the tips outlined above, you'll find it easier to grab attention, build brand awareness, and – ultimately – generate sales and revenue.

The post The Principles of Good Retail Signage appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

Major Marketing Challenges Faced by Startups

Posted: 15 Nov 2021 08:20 PM PST

Startups face various challenges in the beginning. Sometimes, it feels overwhelming. One of the most common challenges startups face has to do with marketing. If you know what these marketing challenges are, maybe it’ll help you plan more effectively as you attempt to deal with them.

Source: Pixabay

Limit on Resources

One issue startups face is a limitation on resources. In the beginning, most startups focus on the most important things.

This includes the product or service and the overhead to keep things running. Most small businesses don’t have much left to allocate for marketing, and if they do, it isn’t enough to do things properly. To do things right, you have to hire the right team of professional marketers; you need folks with a proven track record, and that isn’t cheap.

You should know that this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to meet your marketing demands. You could start allocating something early on. You could hire a marketing student and just take that risk, which should be cheaper. Some folks even take marketing classes to try to do most of this on their own.

Visibility Problems

Another of the marketing challenges startups face has to do with boosting visibility. This is hard for a company that’s just starting. A larger company doesn’t need this as badly. Folks know who they are without them doing much. No one has ever heard of your small company, which is the reason boosting visibility is so important but also hard.

There are several ways to do this, like through advertising, but that’s costly. There are social media platforms, but it can be hard to know which one would reach your audience more effectively. The knowledge you need to figure all of this out can feel almost unattainable.

The good thing is that some smaller businesses find success focusing on smaller forms of marketing, more intimate ones like creating an email newsletter. This focuses on the customers you already have. Helping them learn what’s new with your business regularly helps them know who you are and what your company is all about.

Grasping Content Marketing

Content marketing is important, yet it’s challenging to figure out for a business that’s just starting, especially with limited resources. Content marketing can be one of the most effective ways to reach an online audience.

People online love good information and content marketing provides that. Most of the time, folks ask questions or try to solve issues. If your content marketing can do this, then you are golden. Getting this right requires that you hire a third party to help you provide some of this.

Sure, you can try to do it yourself, but there’s no telling if you’ll have the skill to write an informative but engaging online piece. Moreover, doing this on your own can be a bit time consuming, and you have a lot to do.

Keeping Up With It

Startups also have a hard time keeping up with trends and technology that can help with marketing challenges. Trends happen so fast that it’s hard for smaller companies to adapt to them and use them to their advantage.

Technology arrives on the market fast and usually at a high price that startups simply can’t afford. Tech is everything nowadays, and it can simplify marketing tasks. Just consider what automating marketing campaigns can do for businesses.

These tools being out of reach makes life even harder for startups. You can fight this by being proactive. Follow blogs and social media accounts of news concerning your niche. You can also focus on one or two trends to simplify things until you get more help with this. Many companies offer free basic offerings that you can utilize until things change.

Messaging

Messaging could be a major marketing challenge for small businesses. Even when you have the best product or service, which is something you’re sure is needed, without the right messaging, no one is going to care.

Sometimes, marketing doesn’t work because the messaging is bad. Messaging doesn’t only have to be clear; it also has to present a solution that folks need. If people don’t understand the problem that your business is attempting to solve, then the business won’t do too well.

Usually, the best way to solve this is to conduct a small survey to see if regular folks see what you’re trying to do or solve. If the majority of people don’t see it, then your messaging needs to be reworked.

Hopefully, this information helps startups anticipate these marketing challenges and find ways to deal with them. No one can solve everything perfectly at first, but now you know what you may have to deal with.

The post Major Marketing Challenges Faced by Startups appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

3 Reasons to Get Parent Loans For Kid’s College Tuition

Posted: 15 Nov 2021 08:10 PM PST

As your child is slowly getting ready for college, you get struck with one specific realization. College has never been more expensive than it is right now and you certainly cannot afford it if you are simply going to rely on those savings of yours. Yet, you cannot just tell your children that you don't have the money and that college is not an option for them. Well, I suppose you could do that, but it certainly isn't a good decision. Since you are most likely looking for a different solution here, let me make a suggestion for you. Why don't you get one of those parent loans for college tuition and thus pay your kid's school without needing to worry about whether you have enough money or not? Of course, you will later have to worry about repaying the money, as we all know how loans work, but you'll be repaying the parent loan in monthly installments, which is certainly quite easier.

parent loan

If you are like most people nowadays, then you won't be too quick to jump on board and get a loan when you end up needing it, be it for your child's education, be it for anything else. That's because we all feel a bit suspicious of those options to borrow large piles of money and then repay them by paying a monthly installment. Well, there is absolutely nothing suspicious about this – lenders simply do their business this way and they do it well.

Sure, there is the interest rate that you'll have to consider when getting a parent loan, but it's not like this cost is hidden. You are perfectly aware of it during the entire process of borrowing your money, meaning that you can actually calculate precisely how much you will need to repay, i.e. how much the interest will cost you. I suppose, though, that you do understand how loans works, so there is no need for me to keep on explaining that to you, as if you were a child of 10.

Anyway, since you know how these work, you are most likely also familiar with the concept of parent loans, i.e. those that you can get when trying to send your kid to college. Now, if you aren't exactly certain that there are any reasons why you should take out this loan, I say you should continue reading, because I'll tell you about a few of those. This way, you will understand just how great of an idea this could be.

This is the average tuition if you want to learn about it before going any further: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-college-infographic

You Get To Make Your Child's Dreams Come True

Unsurprisingly, the first reason why you should get this loan is because making your child's dream come true is a big deal. When that dream is to go to college, then it is certainly an even bigger deal, since a child that invests in his or her education is certainly on the right track towards building a successful life, meaning that their lives won't take a direction that you wouldn't want them to take. So, you will be making their dreams come true, while also making sure that your children are taking the right path in life.

The Kid Will Enter Adulthood Unburdened

Now, you could argue that the children can work to make their dreams come true, and I am not going to argue against that. Yet, you could also argue that they can just take out a loan all on their own if they want to college, and there is something I have to say about that. While there is nothing wrong teaching children financial responsibility and work ethics, the idea of entering their early adulthood with a large debt on their shoulders can certainly be discouraging and demotivating.

I suppose you understand precisely why that can be discouraging and I am sure that you wouldn't want your children to experience that before even being able to start building their careers, i.e. the moment they enter college. So, if you want your kids to stride into adulthood with confidence and a smile on their face, you will definitely think about getting a parent loan for their college tuition. Here is a nice read on whether you should do this.

You Can Find Some Great And Favorable Options

The last reason you should be aware of lies in the fact that there are now all kinds of parent loan options out there, meaning that you'll certainly manage to find an affordable one for you. For starters, there are federal and private ones, and you should check those out to see what fits better. Then, you should research various lenders with the aim of finding the most favorable terms for you and sending your kids to college with a smile on your face.

The post 3 Reasons to Get Parent Loans For Kid's College Tuition appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

Tips To Select A Good Security Seal for your Merchandise

Posted: 15 Nov 2021 07:56 PM PST

If you own a business, you know the importance of keeping your merchandise safe from any influence. It is vital that shipments remain secure always. You can get huge losses if this does not happen. A security seal can help out here.

Source: Pixabay

The following aims to tell you how to choose a security seal for your purpose:

Know the security seal's purpose

It is important to research what the security seal will actually be able to do. If you do this you can choose the right one for your needs. Keep in mind the value of the merchandise for which the seals are going to be used. According to this you can select one.

There are different types of security seals available. Read on to find out more:

Cable seals

These are durable seals which are employed to seal valves, locked doors, along with other products which possess a small opening through which some cable wire may be inserted. It is better to look for those cable seals that meet ISO ratings present for high security. These can be used to protect international cargo shipping items.

Keep in mind that different size jobs need different cable lengths, however, excess cable length is able to be simply trimmed. You can get them in various cable diameters also.

Bolt seals

These are another high-security seal which tends to be made with a complicated locking mechanism. They however are self-locking and do not need tools. They are simple to put in place as well. The seals have a steel bolt along with a tamper-evident body part which gets manually attached to create a seal. These seals tend to be customizable by color, print, as well as barcoding. This gives one extra security layer.

The seals are perfect for containers, trailer door latches, as well as cross border shipments. The seals need a bolt cutter to get removed.

Fixed-length plastic seals

These are said to be the toughest type of plastic seal. They function really well when wanting to keep cargo safe for truck shipments. The seals are said to be inexpensive and are a wonderful choice for those who are on a budget.

Plastic pull-tight seals

The seals are like fixed-length plastic seals, but are available in more breaking strengths. They are also adjustable to match certain requirements. Adjustable plastic seals can be beneficial when you have different requirements because these are versatile.

Wire seals

These seals have multiple varieties like plastic pull-tight seals. They can be used when seals have to fit thorough some small opening. Apart from this you can get metal strap seals and padlock seals as well.

There are different brands selling security seals like Hoefon Security Seals. It is better to invest in a good-quality one if you want it to fulfill your aims perfectly. If any tampering or harm occurs to your merchandise, you will lose out on much. This is why you need to be sure that everything is protected perfectly.

The post Tips To Select A Good Security Seal for your Merchandise appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

Food And Recipe Fusion

Tuesday, November 16, 2021