For this article, we easily found data on the Internet for three cities:

• Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of about 174,400 in suburban Kansas City, Mo.
• Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico and a popular tourist destination, population of about 74,800
• Philadelphia, the fifth-most populous city in the U.S., with a population of about 1.5 million

Using this data, we calculated how many cars would see your feather flag and its cost, based on the available data.

Overland Park: a map of traffic counts from the city’s web site shows that an intersection in the center of town with retail shops on three sides sees approximately 21,000 cars every 24 hours, or 630,000 cars a month. Calculating the cost per car yields an absurdly low number that probably isn’t usable (unless you find 0.00002063¢ usable), but you can turn the question around: How many cars can I reach for each penny of investment?

In this example, if you divide the monthly traffic estimate by the monthly feather flag cost, you’ll find you can reach 484 cars a month for just one cent.

Sante Fe: a map from the city’s web site shows that traffic at the Old Town Square, a popular tourist destination, averages 8,850 cars every 24 hours, or 265,000 cars a month. A banner in front of a store in the square store can reach 204 cars a month for one cent.

Note that this does not account for foot traffic, which you can assume would be significant in a tourist area. To account for car and foot traffic, let’s look at a major U.S. city for the next example.

Philadelphia: As you might expect in an urban area, traffic counts are low compared with foot traffic. For example, a city block in downtown Philly gets only half the car traffic of a retail intersection in suburban Kansas City.

Fortunately, traffic and foot data from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is available. These numbers show that this block gets about 774,000 cars, pedestrians and bikes a month. Another calculation shows that a single feather would reach 595 entities a month for one cent.

Adjustments

Using this basic formula, you can adjust the results. For example, if you run a holiday promotion during the last two months of the year, your feather flag investment will increase to $90 a month, as it’s effective only for those two months. However, traffic usually increases during those months.

You’ll likely find that using feather flag is still cost-effective, and an important part of your marketing mix.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

Online strategies, particularly the use of social media or coupon sites such as Groupon, have captured most of the attention lately. And while an online strategy is essential to your business, it shouldn’t be your onlystrategy. Remember that your media mix is just that – a combination of strategies that work to promote your name and bring in customers.

Have you considered using feather flags as part of your mix? They’ve become very popular the past 3 years, and their use keeps increasing. It’s no wonder, as they are durable, lightweight, easily positioned, effective, and most importantly, cost-effective. In fact, using feather flags may be one best marketing buys you can make.

Determining Cost

To keep things simple, let’s consider a single sided 12-foot feather banner with a stake base. You can get one at Half-Price Banners for $180, with no hidden or extra charges. You get a two-year conditional warranty; let’s consider that it has a two-year lifespan. A simple calculation reveals that the monthly cost of that feather flag is $7.50.

Before you stick it the ground and hope for the best, you can determine your potential audience. Assuming that you have a retail storefront, how many cars will see this banner? The answer is just a few clicks away.

City governments or regional planning commissions publish traffic counts. Most of this information is available online; if it’s not, call your city hall to see how you can get it. With that information, you can easily calculate how many cars you’ll reach with your banner.

From with that information, you can determine if using a feather flag is right for you. We’re confident that you’ll think it is.

In the next article, we’ll show you calculations based on real-world traffic counts in three cities.

Continued Article:  Feather Flags, Part 2: How Many Cars?

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

When you have the banner out of the box, having someone help you hang the banner will make the process much easier. If you are hanging the banner between two poles, we suggest a rope / bungee combination. Start by securing the rope to the top portion of the pole. Interlace it through the top grommets and secure the banner to second pole. Repeat with a second rope through the bottom grommets. Finish by securing 4 small bungee cords from 1 portion of the pole to one of the corner grommets. The rope gives the banner body, while the bungee allows it to flex in case the wind picks up.

If you are attaching the banner to a wall, such as in a school assembly or at a trade show, we advise using push pins to secure it to the wall. Push pins are small and will not show damage to the wall as much as screws or hooks would. Start by hanging the banner from either the far left top and bottom grommets or the far right top and bottom grommets. From there, you can stretch the banner taut and secure the top and bottom grommets on that end. Last, you can secure any center grommets that may be on the banner.

If securing the banner to the wall is not an option, Half Price Banners offers a great, reliable, and convenient alternative with Banner Stands. There are vertical stands for 2×4, 2×6, and 3×6 banners.  If you have a horizontal banner, there is also a Zont Stand, which can fit banner sizes from 2×4 all the way up to 4×8. All of these stands fold down for easy storage and can be quickly popped up for trade shows or events.

If you’re ever in need of help, just give Half Price Banners a call at 1-866-527-1363 and we’ll be happy to help you determine the best way to hang your banner.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"