There are a lot of way to advertise your products, services, and promotions. Don’t overlook the great opportunity that lies at your feet — literally. Vinyl floor graphics are a great opportunity for business building and are vastly underutilized. In this article, we’ll out line the benefits of a vinyl floor graphic, how to use them, and how to maintain them to guarantee the longest life possible.
1. Benefits of Vinyl Floor Graphics for Business Building
Floor graphics can instruct, delight, promote, and reinforce your brand inside and even outside your store.
Attention Grabbing + Customizable. With full-color, full-resolution graphics, your floor installation can be as big and realistic as you want it to be. Or as wild and imaginative. From full-color photos to optical illusions, today’s technology gives you the chance to make your vinyl floor graphic irresistible.
High-Converting. With the right message in the right place, your floor graphic can have a high rate of conversion. Whether it’s checking out your sale area or outlining a space for a school reading circle, your floor graphic can get the job done.
Cost Effective. Vinyl floor graphics are an extremely inexpensive way to delight, move, or convert your audience.
Long-Lasting + Safe. Today’s floor graphics are slip-resistant and waterproof. People won’t be sliding into an aisle or area — a floor graphic can lead them to get where they need to be at the speed that’s right for them. With proper care, your floor graphic can last for a very long time, even in an extremely high traffic area.
2. How to Use Vinyl Floor Graphics
If you’re wondering how to use floor graphics in your business, instead of trying to figure out where to place them, ask, “How will this simplify my customers’ or employees’ experience?” When you approach your floor signage from this perspective, you’ll be able to narrow down the best opportunities and truly transform their time in your store. These five questions will help:
- What do my customers need to know?
- Where do they find what they need?
- What are they doing in each space?
- How can I educate them about how my business can help?
- How can I keep them safe?
Where to Place Your Floor Graphic
The general rule for floor graphics is to place them in your highest foot traffic areas. A great installation at the back of the store won’t help most of your site visitors. Few will see it. But one right at the entrance? Everyone will notice this floor graphic! Consider these opportunities:
- Welcome people as they enter. This doesn’t sell in an outright manner, but it can definitely put a smile on faces and improve someone’s emotional state. The same goes for a thank you as they leave.
- Direct people where they want to be: groceries to the left, home goods to the right, and clothing straight ahead. You can even make finding the restroom easier with well-placed floor graphics.
- Point of purchase floor graphics, where people often wait with nothing much to do, are great for impulse buys.
- Set expectations: Floor graphics work well outside of retail and service companies. Daycares can delineate areas for more intentional play or install decals to help students learn ABCs and numbers. Schools can brand entrances with their mascot, and mark hallways with lanes for walking.
- Safety reminders, especially in a warehouse or industrial setting, are a great use of floor graphics. Whether you remind people to leave proper clearance for a door, notify them of a hardhat area, or mark lanes for forklift traffic, when you prioritize safety, you’ll help everyone stay injury-free and working at their best.
How to Design Your Floor Graphic
Keep your floor graphic concept simple and aim to bring about some sort of change in your audience. Whether you help them find what they’re looking for, discover a promotional item, or warn them about a dangerous area, a simple message is the most effective and the most memorable.
Remember, when you engage your customers or employees, you can inspire, delight, and motivate. Whether it’s just to put a smile on their face or something more serious like keep them safe, floor graphics are a powerful vehicle.
3. Maintenance Guidelines for Your Floor Graphics
Once you’ve installed your floor graphic, proper maintenance will enhance its longevity and keep it looking good for the longest amount of time. Most have anti-slip laminate coating or a matte mask included to protect the graphic. But here are a few tips to help you keep your floor graphic looking brand new:
- Apply your floor graphic to wood, tile, or vinyl surfaces. You can apply them to concrete or asphalt as well, as long as they are sealed and crack-free.
- Let your floor graphic set for 24 hours to allow the adhesive to cure.
- Wax soon after application to help protect from buffing or scrubbing. (If you use high speed buffing in your establishment, apply 4-6 layers of wax coating to keep your vinyl floor graphic from getting scuffed during the cleaning process.)
- Don’t place heavy items on your floor graphic or drag things across it. This includes heavy machinery like forklifts.
- Keep clean with mild, soapy water and a soft cloth.
When you follow these 3 vinyl floor graphic principals, you’ll be well on your way to delighting, inspiring and converting your audience!