If you own a retail store, or even a chain of retail stores, one of the most important things that you can do for promotion is to use vinyl banners. These can be used to dramatic effect anywhere in your store, and especially at the entrance.

Unlike advertising on television or radio, on billboards, in magazines, and more, printed vinyl banners can be used over and over again. Once you have paid for them, they never cost you anything further, whereas when you advertise on the platforms just mentioned, it costs you money every time. OK, you can get further reach with TV or radio advertising, but a billboard is only ever seen by those passing it – if indeed they look at it – and magazines are only read by those interested in the subject that are covered.

Certainly, TV and radio advertising gives you a far wider audience, but that audience is sitting down after dinner, and will probably not remember your advert next day. What you have to rely on here is that they will need to be reminded about your offer, or whatever, the next time they come into your store, and that is where custom made vinyl banners come in. That way, you can jog their memories and remind them that you have 10% off whatever it is, and then, and only then, are they likely to remember that they saw that on TV last night and should buy some.

Banners and posters can really have a great effect, especially at the door when customers walk in. Why? Because that is the only place that you can guarantee that all your customers will see your promotion. A very good example of this is Tesco.

Tesco regularly – several times a year – offers 25% off wine when you buy six bottles or more. Now 25% is quite a discount. OK, we know that the regular price is inflated, but that is what we have to pay, except when they decide to have a ten-day promotion. Then they have banners at the entrance door advertising the 25% discount, and posters in the front windows doing the same. When you get to the wine section, they have yellow stickers all over the shelves showing the prices, and – yes – more banners screaming about the 25% discount.

If you are a wine drinker, as this writer is, you go back every day and buy half a dozen bottles and stock up. It just makes total sense. As it happens, I live directly opposite a Tesco Metro, and today they have just started another promotion. I made sure to get half a dozen bottles and I will be back every day until the promotion ends.

How do I know about it? Banners, and posters in the window. If I hadn’t seen them, I wouldn’t know about it – even though their front door is only 30 feet away across the road - and maybe might not have gone in there for a few days if I didn’t need anything else.

Full colour vinyl banners can have a considerable effect on your takings. You can use them all over your store – not just at the front entrance. And if you do a regular promotion such as Tesco does, you need only pay for the banners once, and then bring them out every time you need them.

Another point is that banners are very cheap to produce. For example, you can have a 4’ x 2’ banner printed and ready to go for as little as £7.00 and you can use it over and over. Even if you only use it for one promotion, it is hardly the end of the world.

You can also use roller banners at point of sale. These do cost a bit more than vinyl banners, but again you can use them over and over. They give you so much more space than shelf talkers and bus stop signs, so you can really go to town about what you are offering. You can also use banners to lead your customer around the store and take them where you want them to go. They can be of huge benefit in promoting sales.