Author: Guthman Signs

by Guthman Signs | August 18, 2022

Tips for Choosing the Best Church Sign Messages

Church signs serve the important function of identifying the church’s denomination, informing passersby of when services happen, and seeking volunteers for outreach work. Some signs are more effective than others in drawing in new parishioners or raising funds for charitable efforts. Signs can be humorous (as the internet has made noticeably clear!), thought provoking, or simply informational. Consider these tips for choosing the best church sign messages.

Think About the Type of Sign

The kind of sign your church has out front may determine what type of messages you can or should post. Some church signs require manually posting individual letters into channels on the sign to create a message.

Electronic church signs offer the opportunity to change messages frequently and rotate them with just a few clicks on a keyboard. LED signs are bright, eye catching, and can display graphics as well as text.

Keep It Short

People who see your church sign will most likely be driving, not walking or cycling, past your church building. Your message should be short enough to be read and understood in one pass. A rotating LED sign can flash your service schedule during the morning rush and inform drivers of volunteer opportunities as they pass on their way home.

Offer Inspiration

When times get hard and the news is relentlessly negative, people need a source of hope. Use inspirational verses on your church sign to buoy the spirits of people passing by. If they’re new to your area, you might just see them join you at weekend or evening services.

Timing Is Everything

There’s no sense in announcing holiday services after the holiday. Keep your church sign messages timely so prospective and current congregants have advance notice of special services, holiday schedules, or big fundraisers. When the event is over, change the sign immediately to highlight what’s coming next.

Be Respectful

Don’t post messages that could be construed as denigrating to other faith traditions or the sacred elements of your own. Avoid messaging designed to frighten or confront those who read them. Your purpose is to attract congregants and encourage contemplation of religious messages, not to threaten or insult people. That’s sure to be off putting and self defeating.

These simple tips for choosing the best church messages should help you organize your thinking about what you want to convey with your church sign. Don’t be afraid to display some personality: if your congregation appreciates humor, make sure it shows on your sign. If yours is a family-oriented church, post messages that welcome families with children and promote your religious education programs. If your sanctuary is a stunning wedding venue, let engaged couples know they can come and talk to you about their wedding service and the rules and procedures for holding their service in your church.

We at Guthman Signs look forward to helping you choose a church sign that will best display your church’s messages while respecting your budget for new or upgraded church signage.

by Guthman Signs | August 4, 2022

5 Industries That Could Benefit From LED Digital Signs

Look around any public space, and you’re bound to see lots of people staring at their phones, swiping or tapping away. For businesses and institutions with important messages to share, this can be frustrating! There are effective ways to draw attention away from personal devices toward marketing messages or information you need to impart. Here are five industries that could benefit from LED digital signs.

1. Medical

Hospitals, clinics, and medical offices benefit from LED digital signs. These can provide wayfinding, queue management, and wellness messages that help patients and create a more efficient practice. This kind of signage can provide entertainment and information while patients wait inside, or updates on hours, reminders of important preventative care, and announcements of new services.

2. Media

Radio and television stations, as well as digital newspapers, can use LED signs to promote upcoming programs and news reporting, or announce breaking news. These “teaser” messages must be short and punchy, memorable, and easy to read and process as drivers pass by. They tune in or visit the organization’s website when they read their destination to check out the story.

3. Food Service

Food service is a diverse industry that benefits from LED digital signs. Restaurants, grocery stores, and food courts from malls to universities post menus, specials, and announcements on LED digital signs. Outside, restaurants can gain attention by highlighting reviews, displaying mouth-watering images of their house specialties, and promoting drink specials.

4. Transportation

Airports and bus stations routinely use digital signage to keep passengers up to date. But car dealerships, limousine and ride-share companies, and tour companies can also take advantage of the versatility of digital signage to announce promotions and discounts, new services and destinations, or the arrival of highly-anticipated new vehicle models.

5. Banking

With interest rates in the news, financial institutions can communicate their competitive offerings on LED signs. Encourage prospective customers to open accounts and current customers to add services or products with outdoor digital signage.

If you’re considering adding digital signage, contact Guthman Signs for the best unbiased advice and access to custom LED signs. We can help you craft cost-efficient and effective digital sign solutions that will get your messages across and build your brand.

by Guthman Signs | July 21, 2022

A Brief Guide To Using Stadium Advertising in Your Arena

From the pros to the minor leagues and from college to high school sports, every playing field needs a scoreboard. With advances in technology, scoreboards have become more than just a place to check how the game is going; they also post scores around the league, weather updates, prize drawings, and fun facts about the athletes participating in the contest. Your business can use this brief guide to using stadium advertising in your arena to reach a large audience of fans.

Know Your Audience

Before you book an ad on an arena scoreboard, make sure you understand the audience that will see it. Sports fans are highly partisan, so you want to be sure to run an ad that is supportive of the home team in some way.

Sports fans are also a remarkably diverse audience, united in their love of the game. Run an ad that appears to everyone in your community.

Keep It Short

Fans glance at scoreboards between plays. During the game, no one is going to spend more than a few seconds looking at the scoreboard, even if it’s a huge jumbotron. Your ad should say what you want to say in one brief message that fans can read in a second or two, at most.

Use a Clean Design With No More Than Two Colors

You’ll want your logo in your ad, but make sure it displays well on the type of screen the arena features. LED scoreboards are programmable and can display a wide range of messages and colors. But for maximum effect with stadium advertising, avoid white backgrounds on an LED screen. These will be so bright they could obscure your message. Try a red, black, blue, or green background with contrasting white or yellow text.

Keep your design simple: use flat graphic images rather than complex art with many shaded color gradients. Use large, sans-serif fonts and reduce the number of words to the absolute minimum to get your message across. “Best Burgers in Town-See Us at the Concession Stand!” or “Fast Oil Changes to Keep You On the Go!” tell fans exactly what you offer.

Consider the Time of Day

Attend an event scheduled for the same time of day you’ll be running your ad. Is the sun on the outdoor scoreboard screen? Or is it in deep shadows? Work with your designer to devise an ad that will look good in whatever kind of light might fall on the screen when it displays your ad.

Guthman Signs can help you understand the capabilities of the electronic scoreboard that will display your ad. Therefore, you can consider the most effective use of the scoreboard as a means of making your brand and your product or service memorable to sports fans. Play ball!

by Guthman Signs | July 12, 2022

The Benefits of Outdoor Digital Signage for Business

Promoting your business can be a full-time job in itself. Between managing social media, responding to online reviews, approving an ad campaign, and determining sale prices and dates, marketing has become more complex and challenging.

However, technology has made some types of marketing easier and more effective. A perfect example is the digital sign. These devices offer versatility, visibility, and attractiveness that can boost your business. Consider these benefits of outdoor digital signage for business.

Brand Awareness and Recall

Digital signage promotes brand awareness. People who see digital signs remember them, with a recall rate of 83%. Outdoor digital signage captures more views and more attention than other electronic media.

Versatility

With an outdoor LED sign, you can post announcements the second they’re ready. Alert the public to sales, special events, or relocations with a few clicks on a keyboard that change the information displayed on your sign.

Energy Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness

Outdoor digital signs use LEDs for illumination. LEDs are far more energy-efficient than conventional lighting.

Digital signage reaches a higher percentage of people than other electronic media. Because most people spend up to 70% of their time outside their homes, digital signage has a better chance of being seen, and therefore a higher number of impressions, compared to other forms of advertising. That lowers the cost per impression, making a digital outdoor sign a cost-effective choice.

Engagement

Digital signs can increase engagement with your customers. Through careful observation and data gathering, you can learn when and why drivers pass by your location where they can view your sign.

With some creativity, your sign can become a local landmark, where people go out of their way to read your joke of the day, participate in a contest to win one of your products, or to see a family member or neighbor celebrated for their years of service.

You can also change messages that speak to morning commuters when they drive past, or address those stuck in rush hour traffic going home. Reach sports fans on game days and music fans on concert nights. The ease of messaging is one of the greatest benefits of digital LED signs for business.

For advice on the type of sign that might work best for your business and that fits within your budget, contact Guthman Signs today.

by Guthman Signs | June 28, 2022

3 Ways To Promote Brand Identity Through Digital Signage

Your brand is a promise to customers that they’ll have a memorable, predictable, and compelling experience with your products. Brands convey a company’s personality, mission, and values, giving consumers a relatable backstory they can comfortably adopt and make part of their lives.

A brand is more than a logo and a color palette. A company conveys its brand in every interaction with the public, whether through televised advertising, social media messaging, web content, or outdoor displays.

Technology has given brands many creative outlets to convey their identity. One of the most effective is signage. Electronic signs for businesses provide information about products, services, and a company’s or product’s personality. Here are three ways to promote brand identity through digital signage.

Create Visibility

Outdoor signs are landmarks in many communities. An outdoor electronic sign lets a business be visible to everyone who walks or drives past its location. Use a digital sign to establish a presence in the community that draws customers toward your brand and your brick-and-mortar location.

Make Your Sign a Physical and Virtual Destination

Houses of worship have figured out that signage brings in congregants. The web is full of images of church signs conveying punchy, funny, inspirational, and memorable messages.

Businesses can also pick up on this trend by using digital signage to convey messages that embody the brand. Is your brand’s personality lighthearted? Become the sign displaying the great joke of the day. Does your brand center on environmental responsibility? Post a “green fact” or statistic about how your company and its employees helps improve your local environment. For instance, you can go over the tons of waste your sustainable practices kept out of landfills.

Add your sign’s message to your social media accounts for a layered brand identity approach. Soon, consumers will internalize your brand’s personality and values, aligning themselves with your brand and loyally making it part of their personal identity.

Show Your Employees and Community You Care

Any brand’s best ambassadors are the people who work to manufacture, distribute, and sell its products or services. Using a digital sign for employee recognition sends a signal of appreciation to your employees, and a message that you’re a caring employer to your community. With workers’ permission, highlight birthdays, work anniversaries, and awards. Post messages of gratitude for the long service of soon-to-be-retiring employees.

You can also use your digital sign to respond to emergencies. Your company may offer help for people displaced due to fires or floods, serve as a drop-off point for relief supplies to war-torn or drought-stricken areas, or offer volunteer opportunities for a local clean-up or fundraising effort. If so, you should post that information on your digital sign.

There are many more than three ways to build brand identity with digital signage. However, these suggestions can get you started. Contact Guthman Signs before you make any digital sign purchase decision. We act as an unbiased broker for 15 sign manufacturers and can advise you on the best type of sign for your purpose. Additionally, we can go over pricing, materials, and durability. If you’re contemplating adding a digital sign for your business, call Guthman Signs today.

by Guthman Signs | June 9, 2022

What Info Should You Put in a School Marquee Sign?

Although educators may find their students’ devotion to their phones frustrating, digital communication infiltrates every aspect of our lives. Screen-saturated students and their parents expect to receive information in electronic form. School signs are no different.

When your district has invested in led school signs, you must also decide what information to put in a school marquee sign. These signs are so versatile, you can change the messaging every day to take advantage of the morning drop-off drill, where students arriving on foot, by bike or bus, or in cars driven by their parents will see your school sign.

Read on to explore some suggestions for school marquee sign messaging.

Promote Events

Reinforce the messages you send via email and text with signage that highlights upcoming events. Most will be aware of upcoming football and basketball games, but give the lesser-known teams a boost with messages about track, cross-country, tennis, and debate. Celebrate those victories on your sign.

You can also remind your entire community about upcoming fundraisers and school theater productions, plus band, choir, and orchestra concerts. Your sign will help you build audiences for students who work so hard to prepare excellent performances.

Finally, there are the social events: homecoming and spring formal dances, pep rallies, and community service days. Your sign can involve the entire community, not just students and parents, in what’s going on in the schools, inspiring greater participation and support.

Celebrate Academic Achievements

When your school places at or near the top of state testing or a senior student wins a prestigious scholarship, offer congratulations on your school sign. Display the names of colleges and universities that have accepted your graduating seniors or the percentage of your students taking AP exams.

Alert Parents to Upcoming Deadlines

A permission slip stuffed in a backpack is easy to forget, while a school marquee sign can issue a bold reminder that parental action is necessary. Remind parents of parent-teacher meeting schedules, PTO/PTA meetings, and days when students are out of school. Signs will help you avoid surprised and disappointed parents claiming they didn’t get adequate notice of schedule changes.

Display Emergency Information

When bad weather is in the forecast, alert your town with a message on your school sign. Issue reminders about disaster drills, school closures, and community preparedness. If bad weather, fires, or floods affect your community, schools are often scenes of refuge and sources of information.

Putting timely information on your LED school sign raises awareness of the school’s achievements and events. Use signage as an opportunity to involve the community and give notice to students and parents of deadlines and actions they need to take to ensure participation in events. Build school spirit by displaying the school’s name and mascot in colorful, animated, and eye-catching lighted displays.

For details and information on LED signs for schools, contact the experts at Guthman Signs. We can help you select the type of signage that will be most effective for your schools.

by Guthman Signs | May 11, 2022

1. Defining the Scope of Work, Needs, and Budget

Every sign project comes with its fair share of customization and nuance. You need to know what aspects of the sign are most important to you, so that you can quote the appropriate vendors. This includes the cost, longevity, ease of installation, tech support, software, etc. It’s this step where you determine where the sign is going, and what size/resolution. You also delve into the design a bit so that you as the client can get an idea of what options are available.

 

2. Discovery Phase 

Every city and county is different across the U.S. so it’s difficult to know what you’re “permitted” without reaching out to the local zoning office. Guthman Signs offers this service at $50, or the client is welcome to get that information themselves. This should be done FIRST, because it helps provide a framework for the quoting and designs. A business or church may WANT a 50 square foot sign, but only be “permitted” 32 square feet, for example. you get this information early on in the process so that there are no surprises when we go to pull permits for the installation of the sign.

 

3. Quoting and Design

Once you know the parameters you are working within via the zoning regulations, you can then work up different designs/quotes using all of our national vendors across the country. Often times we will send a video along with our quotes in an effort to explain how the various vendors differ in their offerings. You will then need to schedule a follow-up meeting to discuss the pros and cons of each option according to your preferences, and then go back to the vendors with your feedback.

 

4. Quote Comparison and Design questions

Because there isn’t ANYTHING we CAN’T build, this phase can sometimes take a bit. You have unlimited options for faux stone, brick, masonry etc. and access to quotes from 13 of the most popular LED vendors in the market. Our job is to streamline your access to ALL of the options out there, and provide unbiased feedback so that the client can make the best decision for their own unique circumstance. This is often the stage where we pit LED vendors against each other on your behalf in order to help drive down the cost for the client.

 

5. Final quote/design selection/scope of work (installation) paramaters

This is where you settle on the design, quote, and installation of the sign. Guthman Signs can be as hands-on, or hands-off as you’d like us to be with your sign project. We can simply ship you an LED display for self-installation, or provide a turn-key proposal including permits, install, etc. Our terms are 50-50. 50% of the overall sign project costs is required to begin production. Once the quote and design are also signed off on and sent back, we start the engineering process of the sign.

6. Permits/surveys 

BEFORE we start building your sign, we need to make sure ALL necessary permits are approved. This is to make sure your organization isn’t on the hook to buy a sign that you aren’t permitted to have. This may involve electrical, building, and sign permits. Surveys may need to be done before or after providing a firm installation quote (depending on the scope of work.)  

 

7. LED Sign Production

Once you have all permit/survey docs, you can put the LED sign “into production.” Depending on the customization of the sign, our signs typically range anywhere from 6-12 weeks to fabricate. Guthman Signs does provide much more information throughout this process than ANY other company in the market. When applicable, we will provide updates, including pictures of the progress being made throughout the entire build process.

 

8. Final 50% payment/sign shipment

Once the sign is ready to ship, we will invoice the final 50% of the overall project cost. Once that is received, we will provide tracking information and set up the shipping and receipt of the sign (whether that’s our turn-key solution, or us simply shipping the sign to you to install yourself.)

 

9. Software/tech support set-up

We will get you in touch with the LED provider for your sign and set you up for the software tutorial/demo. We will make sure you have all of the contact information for any and all potential issues moving forward. 

 

10. Follow-up Quality Check call/email

We will check back in with you after a month or two to make sure everything is performing up to standards in case there are any “loose ends”.

by Guthman Signs | May 9, 2022

How LED Signs Can Increase Church Attendance

Most churches have signage outside to identify the denomination they represent or to welcome all to services. But when you learn how LED signs can increase church attendance, you may consider upgrading from your static signage to something more customizable.

LED signs are dynamic message boards that can display updated messages as necessary, so each time someone sees it, they may see something new. Updating the message on an LED sign is as easy as typing new text, selecting some graphics, and clicking a few keys on a laptop to direct the software that runs the sign to display the new information.

LED Signs Welcome All

Houses of worship of all faiths benefit from LED signs because these signs allow them to communicate with the surrounding area. Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and meeting houses can all use signage to send messages of welcome to draw in curious newcomers and to lure returnees who’ve been out of the habit of attending services back to worship.

They Can Become Neighborhood Landmarks

People drive past your church every day of the week, so your church sign may become a local landmark. People may give guests and strangers directions using your sign as a point of reference. As a neighborhood fixture, an LED sign provides you with an opportunity to communicate not just your church’s name and the time you hold services but also upcoming events, scripture verses, and local news. People will come to rely on your church sign as a source of inspiration, a reminder of important events, or a supplier of uplifting local news. These notices draw interest—and they may draw more folks through the door.

Newcomers Often Look for Signs

Moving to a new town requires many adjustments, and one of them is finding a compatible congregation. Your church sign can act as a welcome wagon for new neighbors and convey your congregation’s personality in the messages you post. Piquing newcomers’ interest with a regularly updated welcome message may inspire them to choose your church for next Sunday’s service.

LED Signs Are Attractive and Budget Friendly

An electronic sign needn’t be garish or overly bright. The latest technology helps churches post legible greetings and sharp images that are both tasteful and informative. And although budget may be a concern, many congregations have found that installing LED signs is quite cost effective. Anyone who drives, bikes, or walks past will see the clear messaging, eliminating the need to print flyers and mailers to announce events. Reminders on the sign can direct congregants and guests to your website to download next week’s order of worship or sign up to bring food to the potluck.

LED signs can increase church attendance with current messaging that’s important to the neighborhood and attractive to newcomers. The Sign Specialists at Guthman Signs can help you choose the most appropriate digital church sign for your property. Contact Guthman Signs for information on how we can help your church thrive with new LED signage.

by Guthman Signs | May 4, 2022

Things To Consider When Choosing an LED Sign

Signage can make a difference in a business’s success. New LED signs provide bright, clear signage that states your message in vibrant detail. There are several things to consider when choosing an LED sign.

Visual Quality and Image Resolution

The most important consideration for outdoor LED signs is visual quality. You want potential customers to notice the beauty of the sign and the information it conveys. You don’t want them to glance at your sign and think, “Wow, that looks choppy!”

LED signs display detailed images with vibrant colors. However, the image resolution required for maximum effect depends on the distance between the sign and viewers. Large signs meant to be seen from the highway require a larger “pixel pitch” than smaller signs intended for streetside or building display.

“Pixel pitch” is the distance from the center of one pixel to another. A “pixel” is a group of red, green, and blue LED lights. Signs meant to be seen from closer up require a smaller pixel pitch.

Durability and Weather Resistance

Outdoor signs must be sturdy and weather resistant. Consider the severity of wind storms in your area, the frequency of heavy precipitation, and other potential hazards like fire or earthquake. No sign will survive a major natural disaster completely intact, but you can choose weather-resistant signs that keep moisture out.

Adaptability

One of the most important things to consider when choosing an LED sign is the operating system that controls the message and images on the sign. If you change your message often, you may want to choose a synchronous system that reflects your changes the moment you make them.

If you won’t need to change your sign often, you can pre-program a few rotating messages to run automatically until you decide to re-program the sequence.

Zoning

Most areas have strict zoning requirements for business signage. Zoning requirements may affect the permissible size, brightness, and location of your sign. Be sure to check all applicable restrictions on the type of sign you can put up in your location to avoid costly mistakes.

Budget

Large LED billboards aren’t cheap, but they have been shown to have a positive return on investment by bringing in new customers and increasing sales. If your budget is tight, it is still possible to get the benefits of energy-efficient, bright, effective messaging by using a light-box arrangement or other less expensive design that uses LED lighting.

Contact Guthman Signs with any questions about what type of LED sign is right for your business. Our years of experience and expertise will help you select the most effective sign design to boost your bottom line.

by Guthman Signs | December 22, 2021

Top 5 Ways to Care for Your LED Display and Increase its Longevity

  • Keep Ventilation in Mind

Make sure that your LED display is properly vented (whether that’s on the side, back, or front of the sign.) LEDs give off different levels of heat depending on the factory of origin when run for extended periods of time. So, it’s imperative that the air is able to freely move in and out of your sign in order to keep the components cooled and operating at the highest level. Review the factory manual or ask your Sign Specialist for model-specific guidance. Some LED vendors will actually try to nullify your warranty if you don’t properly vent their project. We are very familiar with the large range of products in the market, and this is why we quote the proper display to allow for proper ventilation in your unique situation.

 

  • LED Sign Content is Important

Limit the amount of pure white background you use. LED’s don’t just “die” one day and never turn back on again, like a normal light bulb, for example. LED’s are effective in outdoor displays because they shine bright enough to compete with the sunlight. That’s why you can’t just buy a regular old indoor TV and put it outside (aside from those also not being warrantied for outdoor use) and have it be effective. LED diodes degrade over time, and the rate of that is determined by the quality of the LED diodes. White is the color that requires the most output on LED displays, so if you limit those, you can extend the lifespan of your LED display.

 

  • Optimize the LED Sign’s Schedule

Through your sign’s control software, set the sign on a schedule, so that it’s running during high traffic hours, and maybe less so later into the night, for example. Running your display 24/7 is a surefire way to degrade the LED diodes the quickest. Organizations typically have an idea of when the majority of their “traffic” is coming throughout the day. Setting your sign to turn on at 7am and off at maybe 8pm will help you not only save money short term, but also extend the life of your sign. Careful scheduling like this can save you years of use on your sign.

 

  • Physical Maintenance

Clean the boards with regular dish detergent (a few drops per gallon of water) every 6 months. These displays are meant to stand up to extreme conditions, but it never hurts to help the situation a bit. Depending on the display, the more connection points you have in your LED display, the more potential “failure points” you have. The less debris and other contaminants you can keep off of and inside of your sign, the better. 

NOTE: Do not pressure wash your sign. It potentially pushes water past barriers and/or into connections that are otherwise protected from the elements.

 

  • Restart/Refresh the LED Sign’s Controller

Shut the sign down and reboot it once every few months. A lot of companies update their software throughout the year, and the best way to make sure you’re up to date is to power the sign down every once in a while. This way, you know you’re up to date on your software, so that won’t be an issue when troubleshooting in the future. 

NOTE: Do not restart or refresh your sign by manually cutting the power to the sign. Always follow the guidance in the manual provided by the factory.

If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team of sign experts!

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