Yard signs are a cost-effective way to generate leads. They’ve been tried and tested for many years and have withstood the test of time.
For some people, the prospect of putting up signs in their neighborhood still seems daunting. Some are taken aback by the perceived complexity of it all (Where do I put up the signs? How many do I need? What should I watch out for?) and others are afraid of getting confronted by ‘the man’ and possibly getting fined.
Today I’d like to give you a few reasons why I think that there is no reason to be afraid of putting up yard signs.
Reason #1: Yard signs are cheap
Yard signs are one of the most cost-effective way to generate leads as a real estate investor, which is one of the reasons why they’re so popular. It’s not only inexpensive to get started, you can even recycle the signs when you take them back down. After all, they’re your business asset and you should treat them as such.
Reason #2: It’s Easy
Many beginner real estate investors overthink things. At the end of the day, putting up yard signs is very easy. It can literally be as simple as ordering the signs online, using a call tracking service, and putting up the signs in your neighborhood. Plus, there’s a lot of resources online that can help you get started. Take a look at these blog posts we’ve published if you’re looking for more actionable advice:
- Do These Five Things for a Successful Yard Sign Campaign
- Why Yard Signs are making a Comeback
- Top Three Tools to Optimize Your Yard Sign Campaign
Reason #3: Immediate Leads
As a real estate investor you’re in this for the long haul. You know that it takes time and hard work to build up a real estate empire. That said, no one wants to wait months or years for their first deal. There’s nothing quite like the sound of a phone ringing with the potential for a new deal. That’s another reason why yard signs are so great. You can put up the signs this week and start getting calls immediately.
Reason #4: Outsourceable
There’s no reason why you should have to put up yard signs yourself. You’re a real investor building a business so in most cases there’s more important tasks you should be focusing on (for example handling the leads you’re getting as a result of your yard sign campaigns!). Thankfully it’s inexpensive to hire someone off Craigslist to do it for you. You can pay them $2 per sign to write them, place them, and take them down. Pay half when they place them, half when they return them.
Reason #5: Trackable
It used to be difficult to track how many yard signs were actually put up by your team. Thanks to tools like SimpleCrew, that is no longer the case. Thanks to GPS technology, you can see exactly what your team is doing and where. Your team members use the app to post pictures of the signs they put up and you can verify both the time and location without leaving your home. You can also use this information to take the signs down each Monday morning and re-use them.
Reason #6: Scalable
I mentioned before that yard signs are easy to get started with and that they’re perfect for beginner real estate investors. What makes them even better however is that there’s no real upper limit on using them! You can start by putting up small numbers of signs yourself and eventually have a whole team of people who do the entire process for you while you track their work through an app like SimpleCrew. There’s no reason you can’t be putting up yard signs in multiple neighborhoods or even multiple cities!
Reason #7: SimpleCrew Exists
Most of the reasons why real estate investors are scared to start using yard signs can be overcome with one tool: SimpleCrew. Afraid of getting confronted by ‘the man’? You can now outsource putting up signs. You want to work ON the business instead of IN the business? You can now manage your team without leaving your home. You want to track your signs and take them down each Monday in order to re-use them? It’s now possible thanks to GPS technology.
Warning: Do Your Research
While there are many benefits related to running a yard sign campaign, there are also some risks. Before placing your signs or having your team go out and do it for you, refresh yourself on local municipality codes so that you will not incur any fines for placing signs in areas that they are not allowed.
Some places you definitely shouldn’t place signs:
- Do not block any street signs or speed limit signs that can cause any safety hazard for drivers or pedestrians
- Do not place signs on any private property unless you can obtain explicit consent from the property owner
- Some cities do not allow yard signs to be placed in public right-of-ways unless they are previously approved by the city council
- Avoid placing signs on lampposts, public trash cans, and buildings
- Signs on highways and other public roads can be deemed distracting
The best thing to do before placing your yard signs is to get in touch with the local government and research the laws concerning legal and proper placement. There also may be restrictions on the size and content of these signs and permits may be required to place them in public areas. If you fail to check into these laws and regulations, you may lose the investment you made when purchasing the signs. Most law enforcement officials and code enforcement officials are instructed to immediately take down signs that are illegally placed and dispose of them.
In some cases, you may receive a written warning before your signs are taken down and in other situations, you may have to pay fines. Some real estate investors consider this to be the cost of doing business but a lot of trouble can be avoided with just a little research.
