Every organization has advertising needs. Granted, your church or school needs are much different from those of businesses, but that doesn't mean you don't have certain things you need to announce to the community. "Advertisement" in its traditional sense, implies a company is trying to sell a product or service. For schools and churches, you're not necessarily selling anything tangible, but you are selling the idea of togetherness and bonding toward common goals.
Naturally, the bottom line is important to every type of organization, no matter if it's a for-profit business or a not-for-profit community group. The trick is, churches and schools have particularly tight budgets, given the nature of the way they're funded. That doesn't mean their messages are any less important than businesses, of course; it means they have to get a little more creative with the way they spend their advertising dollars when they have something to say.
This is where outdoor LED signs can save the day! You may think the upfront cost of outdoor LED signage is outside of the scope of possibility for your church or school, but let's put that thought aside for a moment. In fact, outdoor LED signs are money savers, allowing you to advertise your organization without spending tons of money on paper and printing.
The Costs of Traditional Advertising
Unfortunately, most businesses don't give breaks to churches or schools who need to advertise. Even if they do, the discount isn't often enough to make advertising endeavors affordable. For churches, $100,000 could go a long way in helping you fill your pews if you were to create four well-advertised sermons a year, but that's a ton of money, and - for the most part - it would go to one-time costs that wouldn't reap an ROI. The same goes for schools – advertising a few events a year are unlikely going to bring a good return on investment.
If you were to engage in a full-blown marketing campaign, you'd be spending most of your money on direct mailers and maybe a few TV advertising spots. TV advertising will cost you about $7 to $13 per thousand impressions. Direct mailings - while they can be quite effective - are also quite costly. You'll need to pay for the paper, printing, and postage, just to start off. More than likely, you'll need to purchase a mailing list, so you can appropriately target your audience. Beyond that, you're going to need someone to act in the commercials, write the scripts, and design your marketing collateral. If you're lucky enough to have people in your church congregation or on your school staff who are already skilled at these things and willing to volunteer their time and talents, you've found a unicorn! Most churches and schools will need to hire outside help for some (or all) of these tasks.
When all is said and done, this money may help bring people through your doors, but much of the expense has already been spent as part of its one-time purpose. In other words, you can't reuse those TV ad spots or the direct mailers. Once they're gone, they're gone. And so is the money you spent on them.
How Outdoor LED Signs Can Help Churches Save Money
Alternatively, a one-time investment in an outdoor LED sign is a gift that keeps giving. Once your sign is set up, it's available for use for many years to come. Change the message as much as you want to; advertise new events, congratulate congregants, and welcome the community with open arms. You're no longer throwing money away on paper you'll never see again; instead, you're establishing your church sign as a go-to place where people can catch up on the goings on of your church any time of day.
How Outdoor LED Signs Help Schools Save Money
For schools, advertising isn't as much about saving money as it may be about making it. Of course, you can't make money without spending it, which leaves many schools in a chicken-or-egg conundrum. If you're a school administrator, you're advertising school spirit - the idea of a unified community that congratulates each other's efforts and provides support when needed. You want the world to know your teachers are doing an amazing job; you go out of your way to congratulate your athletes on wins and express joy when students achieve academic excellence.
You also have many things you need to tell the community about that could result in more money for your school. From bake sales to bond levies, there are innumerable ways money impacts your district. If you want people to know what's going on (and contribute to your cause), you have to advertise. Without proper advertising techniques, you're leaving money on the table that could be used for everything from teachers' salaries to new text books. Sometimes, all it takes is a school sign. And an outdoor LED sign may be just the way you ignite school spirit and bring funds through your front doors.
Intrigued? You should be! It's not everyday that church and school leaders can boost community engagement while simultaneously cutting costs - without compromising quality. Well, actually it is everyday that our clients are saving money with their Stewart Signs outdoor LEDs! We're ready to help you find a better way to spend those advertising dollars, too. Get your personalized Quick Quote today.
