Sign makers win big during election season

As Election Day approaches, there is a group of individuals

that can already consider themselves winners by a landslide – sign makers. With many candidates looking for every possible way to generate exposure, something as relatively inexpensive as a sign can go a long way toward getting supporters out to the polls.

“Effective campaign signs can often be the first step a candidate has in introducing themselves to the public,” says Daniel Keane, owner of sign making company Alphabet Signs Inc. “You’d be surprised how simple name recognition plays a role when it comes to the voting process.”

Keane, who has been in business for over 19 years, says the amount of revenue a business can expect depends on the candidate. “In all of my years in business, the numbers usually run the same for each campaign,” he says. “Local candidates will look to buy around 500, county candidates are in the 500 to 1,000 range and candidates running for the state will buy way over 1,000 signs.”

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Although campaign signs come in different sizes, colors and frames, their price points run around the same range for most sign making companies. Metal framed yard signs with one color, size 24 x 18, cost nearly $100, while two metal framed yard signs with two colors, size 36 x 24, can cost as much as $200. If campaigns are looking for cheaper signs, they can find cardboard ones with one color, size 26 x 8 for as low as $6. Or, cardboard yard signs with two colors, size 35 x 21 for a little over $22. It all depends on the level of quality the campaign wants.

However, while the amount of money spent on signs increases, so does the chance of signs being “misplaced.” Keane says he gets plenty of phone calls from campaign representatives asking for advice to keep their signs in place.

“The first thing I say to them is to not be so quick to blame the public,” he says. “Their signs may not be stolen; they may just be put in the wrong place. Highway maintenance has every right to take down a sign if it poses a potential hazard.”

In order to make sure a sign is out of harm’s way, Keane suggests keeping the sign at least 15 feet from the edge of a road or having someone who would like to personally endorse a campaign put one on their lawn. “That way, they’ll know a sign was stolen if they go back and it’s not there,” he says. “But if they need more signs to put around, I’m sure small business owners like me would be happy to make them more.”

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