The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) found in a study that light-emitting signs are not only the most effective, but the least expensive form of advertising. It was found that businesses who use an electronic sign display, in addition to traditional signage, typically see an increase from 15 percent to 150 percent in terms of sales.

1. LED Signs: The Most Effective and Least Expensive Form of Advertising
LED Signs Are Anything but Primitive
One type of advertising has remained popular throughout the decades despite the continual
progression of advanced technologies throughout the years: Light­emitting diode (LED) signs
were first introduced in 1962 and continue to be one of the most popular forms of business
signage and on­site advertising today. Read this article to find out why LED Electronic
Message Centers are the most effective and least expensive form of advertising for your
business.
Inexpensive ​and​ Effective
The United
States Small
Business
Administration
(SBA) found 1
in a study that
light­emitting
signs are not
only the most
effective, but
the least expensive form of advertising. It was found that businesses who use an electronic
sign display, in addition to traditional signage, typically see an​ increase from 15 percent to
150 percent​ in terms of sales.
When you buy an Outdoor LED Message sign, you pay once, and you own the advertising all
the time whenever you want it to work for you. With traditional advertising, not only do you
have to design or shoot an expensive commercial (using television as an example), but you
have to pay each time you want to air it or display it. Message centers are an investment that
keeps paying dividends.
Optimal Flexibility
One big reason that LED signs are both so popular and effective is that the business owner is
allowed optimal flexibility. LED Modules can be programmed to show different messages at
particular times of the day or days of the week. One can display a message as often or
sparingly as they would like, and the message can be modified or changed in the same
1
​https://www.sba.gov/content/why­do­i­need­sign­my­business

2. fashion. Moreover, LED panels can be mounted indoors or outdoors and can display images,
text or video according to your needs.
LED Advertising Displays, as they are also
called, unlike traditional ads, never become
antiquated. With software such as our own LED
cloud, one can change a message easily any
time of the day via a computer, a phone, or a
tablet and take advantage of current events to
increase sales. Is it snowing? Advertise winter
products. Have extra stock of a product or a
flash sale? Let the passersby know. The town’s
baseball team just won the game? Let your
customers know you are celebrating too.
This flexibility allows for continuous
experimentation in the messaging at practically no cost. You can easily try different messages
in your LED Board and see which one resonates more with your customers.
All these would be virtually impossible to do this with more traditional outlets such as TV or
radio commercials, if for no other reason than it would be impractically expensive to create
dozens of different ads.There is no flexibility or experimentation, if you make a commercial
with poor reception, that is a sunk cost.
Furthermore, digital signs reach many more people at a much more economical rate than
other forms of advertising. For example, the Yellow Pages get an audience of 4,000
individuals a month at an average cost a month of $1,000; radio gets an audience of 11,600 a
month for $4,370; and newspapers get an audience of 16,900 for $9,000. LED signs get an
average audience of 34,600 for only $300 to $600 a month. So, not only is there at least
double​ the commercial audience, but the cost is ultimately much, much less. 2
Statistics about other mediums
We have discussed impact EMCs (or Electronic Message Centers) can have on your
business. So let's further highlight the decrease in effectiveness of other mediums. Television
advertising has lost it’s power, not only viewership is fragmented into an ever increase
amount of different channels but more and more people are watching TV online (In 2013, one
fourth of all households had Netflix streaming) or using their DVRs to skip ads (In 2012, 52 3
2
http://www.signindustry.com/led/articles/2013­06­03­Find­Money­In­Your­Adveritisng­Budget­for­LED­Signs
.php3
3
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home­theater/one­in­every­four­houses­in­america­has­netflix­streaming/

3. percent of American households owned a DVR). Overall, 86 percent of viewers skip 4
commercials when watching television. And the younger generation is largely eschewing 5
television for other activities or forms of media: according to Nielsen Research, Americans
between the ages of 12 to 34 watched less television during the last quarter of 2012 than they
did in the last quarter of 2011. 6
Other forms of media also have seen a decrease in engagement and are competing against
new technologies. Radio and Newspaper circulation have decrease more than 10% from
2010 to 2013 percent. And more people admit to follow the news on their laptop or computer 7
than on the radio or newspaper. Satellite radio, MP3 players, and streaming services such as 8
Spotify and Pandora have also seen remarkable growth in this decade. And with 80% of 9
consumers using the internet to search for local businesses, the Yellow Pages are quickly 10
becoming obsolete.
Why People Notice LEDs
Customer engagement rates
don’t lie, LED displays are
effective. There are only
theories as to why, their
flexibility and the fact that they
are programmable might be a
factor. Their effectiveness at
grabbing passersby attention
might be another. When people
walk or drive by a store with a
Roadside LED sign, they are
actively focused upon their
surroundings, so it catches their
attention. With TV or radio
advertising, one is usually
engaged with something else while advertisers assume they are reaching someone.
4
http://www.signindustry.com/led/articles/2013­06­03­Find­Money­In­Your­Adveritisng­Budget­for­LED­Signs
.php3
5
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/aug/24/tv­advertising
6
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/business/media/young­people­are­watching­but­less­often­on­tv.html?
_r=0
7
​http://www.markramseymedia.com/2013/09/whats­really­happening­to­radio­listening­read­this/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/global­newspaper­circulation­and­advertising­trends­in­2013­433
38/
8
http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey­research/how­americans­get­news/
9
http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2013/audio­digital­drives­listener­experience/audio­by­the­numbers/
10
http://www.rhinopros.com/blog/yellow­page­advertisers­time­to­embrace­the­decline

4. The average American drives over 13,000 miles a year. You can think of that time as being 11
the time your audience is held captive, especially if there is traffic. It is estimated that 20
percent of stops to retail store are ​impulse​, unplanned stops, which bodes well for those
looking to gain new customers through LED Message Boards. Signs are a great and cost
effective way to show potential customers where you are and what do you do.
Summary
Electronic LED Displays are a very effective and inexpensive way to increase sales, attract
new customers, and promote your business. Electronic Message Boards provide a flexibility
and audience potential unmatched by most traditional advertising avenues. Moreover, new
media is fragmenting advertising audiences and making traditional advertising less effective,
while LED display are becoming more affordable and easier to program.
11
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm