Whether you go networking or exhibiting or even if you’re looking for a great backdrop for your videos or a way to add your brand to your lobby or office, a roller banner is a great asset to have.
Also known as pull-up banners or pop-up banners, roller banners are cost-effective and easy to transport. They happily fit in the boot of your car, although you mustn’t leave them there – they’re no use there!
One of the questions we get asked a lot is what to put on a roller banner. What’s a winning design? Most banners work pretty well considering not everyone uses them, so they stand out. But there are some really key things to focus on when designing your new banner.
Here’s how to maximise your brand and business when you ‘pull up’ at a networking meeting…
What’s your key message?
A roller banner has one primary job and that is awareness marketing. Your roller banner is there to market your business but not all of your business. Far too often and company will try and cram everything they do on to a 6’ banner and the result is messy and incoherent.
The best place to start is to work out what you want to get across, the message, the tone, and the focus, because it’s this that will front the direction of your banner.
So ask yourself first: “What’s my key message?”
Don’t leave the info at the bottom
Roller banners are often used at events like networking meetings or exhibitions, and those places are really busy and full of people. The big mistake we see a lot is when people add their details like contact details or core messages right at the bottom of the banner.
No one will see it!
The bottom of a roller banner is often hidden so don’t put key information down there; it’s a waste. Have you exhibited at an expo? Then you probably had a table in front of your banner! So, use the middle and the top of the banner to get your message across.
What action do you want them to take?
Just like the key message, what do you want the person reading the banner to do next? This is print 101 and you really must ask yourself this question before creating any print for your business.
“What do I want them to do next?”
So… what is it? You need to put that action, that call to action, on the banner. We’re all looking for direction after all! And keep it simple and memorable. If you’ll always be near your banner when it’s out and about why not suggest people stop and chat to you?
Brand awareness
The obvious benefit to a roller banner is the brand awareness. Getting your roller banner to as many places as possible is a really good marketing strategy and the marketing can live on when photos and video of the event are shared online.
Logo – a must for the roller banner. Generally speaking this needs to be at the top of the banner so it can be seen at all times and from a distance.
Key colour – with some good brand guidelines your roller banner should be designed with your core colours in mind and reflect the other areas of your marketing like your business cards, website, and social media.
Key message – This needs to be prominent on your banner as we mentioned earlier, and it forms the third and final part of your brand awareness on your banner.
“Hey! I’m here!”
Roller banners are great for simply shouting “Hey, I’m here!” and they’re also brilliant at shouting “Hey! I was here!”
Getting your banner out to events is a sure-fire way to build brand awareness over and over again. With the social media driven world we’re in, the photos from the events you go to will be circulated. (And you’ll see that funny face you pull when you don’t realise your photo is being taken.)
In a busy room or event hall, your well-designed banner will shout your brand from the tops of people’s heads all day long!
Keep it simple
Resist the temptation to cram every single thing you do into and onto your banner. We saw a really interesting post about networking the other day that went something like this:
“Don’t follow-up like this is your only chance by cramming everything into an email or sales pitch and hitting send”!
The same is true for a roller banner. Don’t go crazy, you’ll merely give the reader of the banner a headache and far too many choices.
Have a maximum of three to four benefits or key points or problems that you solve on a banner.
Use a great image – A ONE BIG ONE!
Banners (the standard 850mm wide ones) are limited on space and are designed to be thrown in a boot and put up quickly at an event. So you’re not blessed with a large canvas to paint your message on.
If you have a key product or service, use just this as an image and use it in a BIG way.
We do this with our desk pads. They’re a really easy conversation for us and when we’re at events, we give them away for free.
Don’t go cheap!
The difference between a cheap banner and a decent one isn’t a lot of money. When it comes to showcasing your business and brand, don’t cheapen it with a poor quality banner that falls over, tears, comes crashing down during an event, or one that needs replacing after a few events.
Buy cheap, buy twice. And you’ll also be sending the wrong message with your budget pop-up, too!
- Get a banner with two feet to keep it sturdy
- Go for the best quality you can afford
- Better quality banners have better quality carry bags
You can also go for some really cool options like these when you raise your banner budget a touch:
Double sided banners – As the name suggests, these are printed on both sides and are ideal for exhibiting at events where you’ll be in a line of exhibitors with others behind you, backed up to you. Genius, eh?
Extra wide – most events will cope with an extra wide or even double wide banner. Stand out and spread out!
Outdoor banners – Your standard roller banner isn’t designed to left outside, but our outdoor banners are as they’re windproof!
Replaceable graphics – Changing your messages for each event? Get a banner where you can replace the graphics instead, and future proof your marketing. What a fabulous idea.
Desktop banners – limited on space or have another area like a leaflet table that you can use? These mini banners are perfect, and a real talking point. Everyone wants one!
Pull-up, stand out!
Roller banners are an essential part of your marketing kit and when you design and choose them well, you’ll get some great rewards from them.
Be visible and be remembered by keeping it simple by putting just the right amount of information on your banner.
Make sure you get your banner professionally proofread before you send it to print. Errors make you look unprofessional and you’ll only notice when the letters are huge at your head height!
And don’t forget to take your banner with you when you go out and about for business. We’re always amazed how few banners we see at events.
Your chance to stand out is right here.