You can call it The Great Recession, The Mini Depression or something similar, but one fact is abundantly clear: there are small to medium sized businesses thriving despite the “down” economy.

Case in point: Long Island New York’s WL Concepts. A multifaceted signage design, manufacturing and distribution company that has placed significant emphasis on innovation, reinvestment in manufacturing infrastructure and a realization that superior customer service will definitely be recognized and rewarded.

Owner and Long Island resident Bill Levine is a Vietnam combat veteran who understood early on that the traditional American virtue of hard work, quality products and relationship building will help his business to grow.

Mr. Levine was recently profiled in Newsday, the metropolitan Long Island, New York daily newspaper, which was intrigued by his fresh and clearly defined approach to product and marketing.  As Newsday pointed out, little did Mr. Levine initially realize that his last job would eventually lead him into what would become a 3.5 million plus operation that employs 20 people.

 

Mr. Levine’s company has established a loyal national clientele. Many of their customers are repeat clients who have come to depend on Mr. Levine and WL Concepts for innovative product design, quality manufacturing standards and timely delivery.

 

WL Concepts Director of Marketing Marian Keilson told us that the company is in the advanced stage of expansion and renovation to include a 15,000 square-foot-facility in Freeport, where operations will be consolidated and production increased.

 

We took a personal tour this summer of the new facility and it was impressive to see the array of state-of-the-art design and fabrication equipment that justified a $300,000 plus investment in new technology.

 

From design to production to installation, the company has maintained a vision of custom, eye-appealing displays that will make an impression and capture market share for its clients. The company’s goal is to blend their vision with the materials and their creativity, resulting in a masterful shaping of client company image and overall brand elevation.

 

“It goes without saying that you want a signage, graphics and display company with experience and a proven track record,” Mr. Levine observes.

 

Ms. Keilson additionally points out that a client should not be afraid to ask what type of experience they have and who they’ve worked with. A good visual display company will have photos and samples of their displays for you to look through.  They’ll also keep up with the latest marketing trends and know just how to get your business noticed.

 

For additional information, please visit http://www.wlconcepts.com or call 516.565.5151.

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About WL Concepts

WL Concepts is a leader in creating innovative, visual and three-dimensional displays, graphics and signage.

Founded in 2000 by Bill Levine, a Vietnam veteran and 25-year veteran of the graphic display business, the company has ignited a revolution in on-site branding, while pushing the envelope on what is possible. They inspire the use of new materials and imagery, capturing the imagination of the world's most successful marketers.

Visual displays produced by WL Concepts contain design elements that convey more complex information than any words that might appear on them. Different designs can create very different feelings in customers. You want your interior graphics to send the right message.

The Psychology of Color

In our many years in the industry, we've read countless discussions of the effect of color in customers. While no color has the same effect on every single person, there are some trends that are important when designing interior graphics. For example the red end of the spectrum tends to make people energetic while bluer hues are calming. Heavily saturated colors have a stronger effect and softer, pastel colors create more gentle images.

A great example of this can be seen in the fast food industry. Red and yellow are very common in the interior graphics of fast food restaurants. These colors tend to make people hungry so they order more at the counter. However these colors also stimulate people to want to get moving and not linger in the restaurant when finished eating.

What Mood Do You Want?

Before sending us your designs for interior graphics, ask yourself what mood you want to create in your establishment.

Stores that want fast customer turnover would prefer bright reds and yellows as in the fast food restaurant above. A business that wants customers to linger or wants to calm nervous feelings would choose a cooler palette of blues and greens. A health spa or dental office could benefit from these calming decors.

Color isn't your only option to set a mood with interior graphics. Images send messages as well. Pictures of smiling people enjoying people can increase sales. Illustrations of nature have a proven calming effect similar to colors. Stylistic choices such as simple vs. busy graphics create strong feelings as well.

Know Your Customers

When choosing the best design for interior graphics, consider who the business is designed for. Graphic choices for a toy store would be aimed at children, incorporating bright colors and images such as smiling teddy bears or simple geometric shapes. It's safe to assume these graphics wouldn't work for an auto dealer or sporting goods store.

Customers should feel comfortable in your business and graphics should create that feeling in your desired clientele. A decor that works for young white-collar professionals might not be as well-received by a retired blue-collar population. A store catering to women probably won't use the same design as a store with a predominantly male customer base. Factors such as age, income level and profession can affect how customers will respond do a store's interior graphics.

Designing effective graphics doesn't have to be difficult. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Visit competing businesses to see how they are designed. With a little thought and with our help, you can create graphics that will improve your business.

The marketing industry seems to rediscover the "revolutionary" concept of in-store advertising every few years. Even though there is much evidence about how effective in-store advertising is in guiding customer purchasing habits, most businesses continue to rely on traditional television, radio and print advertising instead of focusing on the interior graphics that can make a huge difference. WL Concepts works with customers to design effective interior graphics that can help their business establish a stronger branding presence and increase per-customer sales.

The Power of In-Store Marketing

Many companies spend huge chunks of their advertising budgets on television commercials. No matter how sexy, funny, or exciting that commercial is, it only puts your product into the minds of consumers until the next funny or exciting commercial comes on. And even if your commercial does happen to change customers' minds, they most likely aren’t going to drop what they’re doing to come immediately to buy your products. With every hour that passes, more consumers forget about you.

Using interior graphics created by WL Concepts to market certain items to customers in your store is much more effective. When in-store graphics bring people’s eyes to products that they want, they can buy them immediately. Marketing in this way means you don’t have to compete with other distracting ads, because your advertising is competing only with more of your advertising.

Plan Your Store Layout

Where you place your interior graphics matters. This is where the basics of advertising comes in – the more people who see your message, the more chances you have to implant that message into consumer’s minds.

Interior graphics advertising your products should obviously be placed in high traffic areas such as entryways and cash registers. But you must also consider the path that consumers will follow to reach their destination within your store.  For example, if a woman enters your store to buy a dress, her path to the women’s clothing and dress department might include passing jewelry, cosmetics, shoes and handbag graphics, signs and displays.  The reason being, you want to pique her interest in these additional items which will round out her purchase of the dress and provide a finished look.  Another great example can be used when you are dealing with consumer electronics. By careful placement of advertisements, graphics, in-store signage and displays featuring DVD players and video games along the path to the Television section you can entice the potential customer to make additional purchases of these items that go hand-in-hand with the TV they are actually in the store to purchase.

Overall, the graphics should be placed in high traffic areas, along walls and partitions, where consumers can look off into the distance and see the display or graphics as well as locations along the path that the customer will be traversing.  You want your customer’s gaze to fall naturally upon these interior graphic signage and displays while walking through your store. It is essential that they be of high quality. The goal of interior graphics isn’t to try and catch the attention of people already interested in a certain product, but instead to reach consumers who are passing by with another destination in sight or even to grab customers viewing other merchandise.

In-Store Advertising Supplements Traditional Methods

To reach as many people as possible, a comprehensive marketing plan should include many types of advertising methods. A television commercial might advertise a particular product or sale to bring traffic to the store. Once on the premises, interior graphics is used as advertising and can trigger impulse buys that greatly increase your store's sales.

One thing to keep in mind about in-store advertising is that generally, ad space is limited. Instead of providing detailed information about one product, it’s a better idea to provide just enough information on a variety of merchandise to pique consumer's interest. The goal with interior graphics is to keep customers curious about your products by placing well-designed ads in the right places, and this can ultimately result in higher sales for your business.