Bandit signs are those plastic signs you see on busy intersections - stuck in the ground with poles or stapled onto telephone poles or any other surface that can take a tack or a nail. They advertise everything from mortgages, to business opportunities, to MLM program to real estate. Chances are you just ignore them when driving by unless your mind is thinking of something that the sign addresses. Then you focus on it and become interested in it.
These signs are a very effective advertising means for that exact reason. Not only are they cheap to put up, they hit the viewer when the mind is a bit distracted and more open to a clever or important message that solves a problem that they are having. By utilizing these signs effectively, you will have uncovered one of the most cost effective ways to generate real estate investing leads.
Bandit signs can be used for finding renters for a property - or building a list of potential renters to help you when you find new properties. Bandit signs can help you find your next investment property. They can help you sell a house - or build a list of potential home buyers for future properties. They can even be used to find investors for your real estate deals and much more.
- Placement - You would want to put your bandit signs where there are high traffic areas and preferably where someone has to stop. This generally means in intersections. Be sure that the sign is facing the proper way so it can be read by cars who are going by it. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve driven by bandit signs haphazardly placed and unreadable while driving due to their direction. Also, it is better to place your signs where you have seen other signs placed frequently. These are generally good spots for the signs.
- Height - Keep in mind that the people who see your sign are going to be driving in cars, trucks and SUVs. A sign stuck into the ground will only be able to be seen by a few cars and then only when they are close. A sign placed at eye level or a bit higher gives a driver a lot longer to notice and read your sign. Generally if you can be 5-8 feet off the ground at a good intersection, you have placed your sign in an optimal reading spot.
- Number of Words - Use the smallest number of words possible to get your message across. Remember people will be driving by the signs, possibly at fairly high speed most of the time. If you have 50 words, they will not be able to read it. If you have five words, there will be no problem reading it and getting to your phone number.
- Wording Sizes - You have the option to use several letter sizes on your sign. You definitely want your phone number to be large and very easy to read. And preferably you would want it to be a seven digit phone number as it is easier to read and write down when someone is driving. You also want your key concept very visible. So if you have something like "We buy houses - any condition, all cash", you would want the :We buy houses" part to be larger and more attention getting to lead them into the rest of the message on the sign.
- Color - Signs can be any variety of colors. Generally you want bright, noticeable and clearly readable colors. A good way to figure out what is good is to get a few friends in the car and just drive around and tell them all to write down whatever it is that makes a sign jump out at them. This is a great way to figure out what colors and other features are going to work out well in your local market.
- Amateur Vs Professional - Some people believe amateur handwritten signs work better for generating leads. Others believe professional signs work better for pulling leads. The only way to know for sure in your market is to test the two different approaches - preferably with different phone numbers so you can do call counts. Typically, amateur signs will outpull professional signs in certain areas because the people who respond to amateur signs don’t really want to talk to a business. A good example of this is for rent signs in markets where people believe they get a better rental deal from an owner than from a rental company.
- Powerful Copy/Domain Name - Since you can only use a few words due to the nature of bandit signs, it is important to use the most effective words possible. This will require some testing to see what combination of words works best in your local market. Generally you want to stay under 10 words to keep the letter size large enough for the people driving by. As in step five above, drive around and see which phrases grab your attention.
You probably should avoid using a domain name in your bandit sign unless it is short, easy to spell and remember and ends in .com.
- Frequency - Like all advertising, a person really needs to see the message multiple times before it penetrates. That means that you will get much more back from your bandit sign activities by placing signs constantly over a long period of time in the same locations. Therefore, if you can make a specific route where you place your signs and keep checking to replace them when they are removed, you will get many more leads than putting up signs sporadically or as a one shot deal.
If you follow these eight steps, you will find that bandit signs will become one of the most cost effective tools in your real estate marketing arsenal.
No discussion of bandit signs would be complete without this caution. In most communities, bandit signs break zoning regulations so someday you might get a call from a code enforcement officer. If you do, just deal with that person politely and follow their recommendations to keep out of trouble.
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