Outdoor Menu Boards: An Excellent Form of Advertising

If you are walking down a busy city street, or even streets in small towns, you may notice an increase in the amount of outdoor advertising restaurants are doing. Outdoor menu boards are all the rage right now in outdoor advertising. This form of advertisement is simple - place a menu board outside (whether it be dry erase or chalkboard style) and write your specials for the day on it. This simple sign will draw customers into your restaurant that might not have stopped otherwise, as they can see what they will be getting before they take the time to walk into your restaurant.

This may seem like a small or unnecessary part of your business, but when customers know what is available, they are far more likely to come in for lunch and often, will come back on a regular basis to see what specials you may have for that day. Outdoor menu boards are typically inexpensive, and chalk or dry-erase markers (whichever your board needs) are even less. This means that more of the sales you receive as a direct result of this board will be profit for your business.

Optimizing the use of your menu board is also highly important. When utilizing an outdoor menu board (or even an indoor one), consider the following tips to make your board stand out against any and all competition:

• Always have a well-groomed board. Menu boards represent your company / restaurant and if they are not kept in good condition, customers will assume the rest of your business is taken care of in the same manner. Why would business owners have an exceptionally clean restaurant if they can’t take care of a simple menu board? If you have to tape, glue, or otherwise rig your menu board to make it stay together, it’s time to invest in a new one. Tire marks aren’t very attractive either.
• Clean your board! A board that has old chalk dust or smudged marker that you just didn’t take the time to wipe off presents a bad image. Take the time to clean.
• Use legible, attractive handwriting. Potential customers are more likely to stop in if your menu board is written in clear, easy to read handwriting. If customers can’t read your board, they will likely move on to the next one.
• Check spelling! Customers (for the most part) will recognize when your menu items are misspelled. Leaving off a letter or adding in extra ones can make all the difference.
• Refrain from the rainbow. Having a huge variety of colors on your menu board may seem like a great way to attract attention, however, numerous colors can be distracting and difficult to read, especially from a distance. Use one or two colors, preferably with the second color to highlight any items or specials that are sure to turn heads.
• Be consistent. Make sure to update your menu board every day. Creating a schedule for the person who writes on your board is important, as customers will look for the change in specials at certain times during the day. It may be terribly inconvenient for them to have to guess when your board will change.
• Advertise inexpensive items. Outdoor menu boards are great for advertising budget-friendly items that will attract customers into your restaurant. Make sure your price is clearly stated as well. No one wants to walk into a restaurant guessing how much an item will be.
• Keep a backup board and extra accessories. From time to time, boards will be blown over, ran over, or even damaged on purpose. When these types of incidents occur, it is important to have an extra menu board available to be written on and placed back outside immediately. It is also important to have extra chalk or markers ready in case the current one breaks or runs out of ink.
• Invest in rain-proof markers. No one wants runny information.