It is only days since the 2009 holiday shopping season ended; but businesses are gearing up for strong sales leading up to February 14th. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and many small business owners are planning to bring consumers back into their stores.

Creating a holiday-specific campaign can be quick and easy and not kill a small business’ advertising budget. Bright 3 ft by 10 ft banners can work wonders. Surround the promotion with some red roses, chocolate candies, hot pink decorations and stuffed animals with red hearts on them, and customers will take note of where to go for Valentine’s Day purchases.

Traditionally Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. However, during a tough economy many customers may opt to stay home and cook rather than spend money on dinner out. To help fill a restaurant’s dining room with reservations, now is the time to start promotions and for stepping up advertising.

In addition to restaurants, a number of other businesses also do very well around Valentine’s Day. They include: travel, lodging, retail specialty shops, clothing stores, florists, jewelers, spas, beauty salons, and photography studios.

Guest Post from employee Mike Randrup’s blog:

For this project, I picked an area up my upstairs office that was nestled between some built in shelves and cabinets on one wall. It measured 48 inches wide by 33 inches tall.

Next I went to my favorite free high resolution desktop wallpaper sites, and looked for something that I wanted to see on my wall. I wanted to find something that included obvious perspective cues to give the illusion of depth, and seemed to have a light source in the middle of the picture where my lamp was going to be shining from. I picked this one without over-thinking it too much for the purposes of the experiment. Many others would have worked, and been much more interesting. I downloaded it at the highest resolution offered (2,560 x 1,600 pixels).

In order to know how my photo would look, I divided the number of pixels I had wide by inches wide (2,560 pixels/48 inches) = 53 DPI (dots per inch). For a section of wall that people will be at least 1-3 feet away from, 50 DPI is fine. 100 DPI is good if people will get less than a foot away at eye level to your wall. This requires less DPI than other printing applications in order to look good from the distance a viewer sees it.

Next I went to an online printing place to have it printed large. I went to BargainBanners.com, (my employer), here. My wallpaper printout arrived well within a week.

When it arrived, I thumb-tacked it to the wall under where the trim was attached.

Since there is a lamp that goes onto that part of the shelf, I set it up without the shade to preview how the room’s real lighting would work with the image. Looks like the bulb is practically part of the sky. Exactly the effect I was hoping for.

Wood trim, lampshade, and various office junk put back into place. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out for a first try. What does everyone else think? I have more complicated wood paneling elsewhere in the house. I was thinking of trying something more complex, with a more meaningful image, in the future.

Regarding the copyright of the image, that part is sticky. I believe it would be a better practice to surf on over to iStockPhoto.com to buy the proper rights to an image they have for $5-$12. Better yet, if you have a camera with a lot of megapixels, you can print directly from your photographs, which you already own. My employer sees a lot of this for beautiful engagement photos on huge display at the wedding reception.

There are a number of advantages to buying a vinyl banner.  Here are some of them:

1.  Banners are inexpensive!

At a time when everyone is watching how they spend their money, a product that helps stretch your dollar goes a long way.  At a fraction of the cost of normal advertising, banners are gaining popularity because they can do the job needed in a tight economy.  You get sharp graphics and colorful images printed with eye-catching results.  You see details even from a certain distance.  It is a bargain deal considering the quality you get for the price you pay.

2.  Banners are durable and long-lasting!

Unlike paper or poster board, vinyl banners are made from a synthetic material.  They are durable, flexible, and can be used again and again, indoors or outdoors.  Keep them clean, store them safely, and a banner can last a long time.

3.  Banners are weather resistant!

Vinyl banners have a longer life than conventional materials because they are water resistant.  The thickness of the vinyl provides the additional strength needed for added support and extended life.  It stands up to more extreme wind conditions and rain flows off it without harming the images.  It’s ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications.

4.  Banners are fade resistant!

Text, graphics and images last longer on vinyl banners, even with prolonged exposure to the sun and spotlights.  Other signs start to look dull under extreme light sources, but banners continue to look good.

5.  Banners are environmentally friendly!

Unlike paper products that need to be replaced after one use, banners can be reused many times.  Here at BargainBanners.com we use an ink that is ecologically-friendly; it’s safe for our employees to use, and safe for the environment when we are done.

6.  Banners can go where your customers are!

With vinyl banners you can advertise in locations most traditional advertising misses:  trade shows, craft fairs, flea markets, fundraisers, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, car rallies or any time you need temporary signage.  Vinyl banners can be used indoors or outdoors AND they are easy to transport!  When it comes to advertising, location is important, and with banners, your message can be there!

7.  Banners make GREAT Party Decorations!

Vinyl banners make ideal decorations for any party.  A banner can be customized to match the theme, the colors, the occasion, and say exactly what you want said.  Whether it’s for a birthday party, wedding party, grand opening party, welcome home party, graduation party, anniversary, or any other kind of party, a banner will help make your event the best!

You’ve purchased a vinyl banner and would like to use it more than once.  Here are a couple of tips for maintaining your banner:

1. Cleansing.  All of our banners are water-proof, so they can be cleaned lightly with a mild detergent or soap in water.  Do not use a harsh, abrasive, or alcohol-based cleanser; each of these can damage the image or message printed on the vinyl.
2. Storage.  Roll up your banner into a tube.  Do not fold your banner.  Folding a banner will permanently leave creases on the vinyl.  Likewise, wadding up a banner and tossing it into the trunk of a car will produce a banner that will look the way you treated it.  Keeping your banner in a cardboard tube is a good way to store it; this makes it easy to move and will have it ready for your next application.

The standard types of vinyl used are:

10 oz vinyl – this is the standard vinyl used for most banners.  It can be used indoors and outdoors.  It’s light and easy to hang.

13 oz vinyl – this provides the additional strength needed for added support and extended life.  It stands up to more extreme wind conditions outdoors and repeated applications indoors.

We use 13 oz vinyl for all of our banners.  It’s long-lasting, durable, flexible, and can handle most outdoor demands.  It is also reusable and works well indoors for many promotional needs.  It will last a long time if treated properly.