When it comes to the best places to use yard signs, there are many. They range from your own private property, other people’s private property, and public property. While the choices are infinite, you must be very aware about the laws and statutes governing your yard sign placement. There are best practices to think about with your sign. These aren’t laws per se, just common courtesy. For example, asking a neighbor or business if you can erect a lawn sign is simply the right thing to do. Understand how you might feel, the irritation that could come with a politician planting a sign in your yard without asking you first. Do unto others is a best practice to follow.

Then, there are flat-out laws regulating where you can or cannot place your yard sign, be it for business or advertising, even signs for a yard sale. Some states have laws like the following:

  • Outdoor advertising structures, signs, displays, and devices within 660 feet of the edge of the right-of-way of highway on the Interstate Highway System are prohibited
  • Signage is prohibited within 100 feet of any public park, state forest, playground, or cemetery
  • Signs are prohibited within 15 feet from the outside line of any highway outside the “thickly settled” or business part of a city or town, except on the walls of a building in which the goods advertised are offered for sale or the business advertised is conducted

There is no one direct parchment or website that will cover these laws as an aggregate from state to state, or even city to city. The smartest thing you can do is to get in touch with your local municipality’s Department of Transportation, as well as county, state and federal guideline websites. Once you know what the rules are in your area, you’ll be set to begin displaying your business to your potential end consumers. Better to be safe than sorry. Think about the time, money, and energy you could put into placing yard signs around town, only to find that officials have removed them, or fined you, or both…because that can happen.

Yard Sign Placement to Drive Engagement

Yard signs are one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising, period. Whether you are promoting your business or an event, yard signs are a great way to get the word out. But, where to put them? Like real estate agents proclaim, “Location, location, location.” They say that for good reason. The same holds true for you and your yard sign.

You may have designed the most incredible-looking sign, but if you don’t secure a good location, it’s all for naught. Here are a few tips to consider where the placement of your yard signs is concerned. The placement of your signs is typically determined by the location of your property. In other words, if your house or place of business is located in the middle of the block, you’ll want to place your signs at both ends of your property. If your lot is longer, you should consider placing an additional sign in the middle of your property as well as the ones on each end. The signs at the ends of your property should be angled to a slight degree so that they face the oncoming traffic as well as the street. A sign that can’t be seen by people is a sign that is simply wasted, and a sale that will not be made. When you are planning your yard sign campaign, consider the areas where your client demographic lives, works, or spends extra time. If possible, make sure you can place your signage in high-traffic areas.

 

Place your yard or lawn signs near traffic lights. A stopped car is a potential customer who has time to read your sign. The greater the visibility of your yard signs to your target audience, the more impact they will have.

Here’s another tip. Like any form of advertising, your yard signs can become white noise after a while. Consider rotating your signs to new locations occasionally. But be careful not to relocate your signs too soon or too often and risk not maximizing impressions.

Types of Signs for Effective Placement

Different types of signage can be used to earn more impressions based upon where your placement of yard signs will go. For example, a common yard sign is made of 18”x24” corrugated plastic, and placing them on lawns or by intersections works well to grab impressions, and hopefully, subsequent action. If you’re in charge of public relations at a hospital, you want to go bigger to accentuate the pride taken in the employees who have been dealing with COVID-19, for example.

In this instance, yard letters would be so much more effective, placed right by the hospital entrance. It provides exposure for patients and their families that will resonate and potentially earn more new patient numbers. Realtors generally go with an aluminum sign, placed strategically on lawns near the sidewalk, facing traffic. Since a home could conceivably be on the market for a while, aluminum is a perfect choice, given its resistance to the unwanted weather elements that the outdoors can bring.