Schools use signs in a variety of ways, and as sign technology expands and changes, schools constantly embrace new trends with their signs. Looking for clever ways to utilize your school sign? Then, check out these top 10 trends in school signs.
1. Recruitment
Talented people are essential to keep a school functioning well, and although schools can recruit on websites, in newspapers, and over other traditional venues, they often use their signs to reach out to people in the community. When a school needs a new teacher, a custodian, or an administrative support person, they can flash that message on their LED sign and let passersby know how to apply. When schools post job ads on their signs, they ensure that people in the local community see the opening, which helps foster connections in unique ways.
2. Finding Volunteers
Of course, volunteers are also essential to keep a school running smoothly, and just as schools recruit staff members with their signs, they can also reach out for volunteers. Schools use their signs to solicit volunteers for specific events, and they put out membership pleas for their parent-teacher associations, booster clubs, or other volunteer groups.
With an LED school sign that can flash a variety of messages, schools can share short video clips of volunteers in action. They can post stats about how volunteers help the school. They can also give volunteers specific instructions or links to online instructions about how to get involved with opportunities at the school. By providing detailed information, schools increase their ability to attract and engage community members.
3. Sponsorships
Schools can also recruit sponsors using their signs. If they need a sponsor for a specific expense such as new stands for the football field, a new scoreboard for the gym, or a special event, they can advertise that on their school sign. Again, the school can provide businesses or other entities with detailed instructions on how to become sponsors.
Once schools have landed a sponsor, they often use their signs to advertise the sponsor. While many schools hang static signs for sponsors on their gym walls or in their football stadiums, they can also flash advertisements for sponsors on their school signs. If a school has a large LED sign next to a busy street, they can display the name, logo, and website address of local sponsors. That gives the sponsors a lot of exposure, which helps to increase the likelihood that companies will want to donate.
4. Social Media
The social media craze has hit schools just as its hit the rest of the world, and schools frequently use their social media sites to announce important events, inform parents about late starts or snow dates, and open dialogues on a variety of topics. At the same time, schools use their signs to encourage parents, students, and community members to follow their social media profiles.
Additionally, some schools turn their LED signage into social media walls. For instance, they may create a hashtag, and then, when a social media user posts something with that hashtag, the post appears on the digital sign, once it's been approved by a moderator. This type of technology creates an interactive experience that brings the community closer together.
5. School Events
School signs are the perfect place to share information about upcoming events such as sporting events, dances, and science fairs. Schools also use their signs to remind students about upcoming standardized tests or other scholastic events, and they utilize signs to reinforce announcements that have been sent home with the students. For instance, a school may use their sign to let parents know that reports cards have been sent home, helping to ensure that parents actually see the grades.
6. Community Awareness
Schools don't just promote their own missions on their signs. Schools are a vital part of the community, and sometimes, they use their signs to share events, tips, or facts that the community needs to know. For instance, some schools post the time and temperature on their signs, while others share detailed weather forecasts. They also post information about free breakfasts for kids in the summer or during the school year. If the school is being used as a refuge or a meeting center during a flood, a forest fire, or a similar type of natural disaster, the school sign lets people know what's happening at that location.
7. Staff and Student Recognition
People who are involved with the school often deserve special recognition, and school signs are an extremely effective way to let the community know that some school members have gone above and beyond in their efforts. In that vein, schools use their signs to announce the student of the month or the teacher of the year. They may even post all the honor roll students on their sign.
8. Cloud-Based Technology
To ensure they can use their signs effectively, many schools embrace cloud-based technology. When schools have an LED sign integrated with cloud-based software, they don't have to go outside and manually change the sign's message as they do with a changeable letter sign. Instead, they can just use their software to change the messages on the sign. Because the software is housed in the cloud, school administrators can use the software from virtually any internet connected device. They can control multiple signs at once, dispatch different messages to different signs, schedule messages to appear at certain times, or integrate various types of media into their messages.
9. Fundraising
In addition to reaching out to sponsors, schools also use their signs to promote fundraising activities. They may announce times and details about book sales, car washes, and school fairs, but they also use their signs to call for volunteers and donations for these events. When they want community members to have extra information about fundraisers, they encourage people to visit their websites.
10. Educational Pursuits
Perhaps most importantly, schools use signs to enhance their educational missions. That can involve putting riddles or trivia questions on outdoor signs and holding contests to see who can answer the questions first. However, schools also use LED signage inside the school to increase the amount of visual stimulation in their lessons, which can be essential to hold the attention of the Minecraft and Fortnite generation.
At Stewart Signs, we provide the signs, the software, and the ideas that schools need to bring their message to the community and to enhance their mission within the school. Ready to get a custom quote for the perfect school sign? Then, contact us today.
