7 Clever Ways to Use Printed Bollard Covers to Promote Your Business

When you think about places to advertise your business, bollards probably aren't the first thing that spring to mind.

But take a look around a car park, retail park, school, university, hotel or business premises and you'll often find plenty of them. They're positioned exactly where customers and visitors are walking – which makes them surprisingly useful advertising space.

Printed bollard covers transform ordinary bollards into colourful, branded displays that can be used for promotions, information, directions and much more.

They're lightweight, quick to install and can be stored flat when they're not being used. So, what can you actually do with them?

Here are seven ideas.

1. Promote a Special Offer

One of the simplest uses for a printed bollard cover is to promote an offer before customers even reach your door.

A retailer could advertise a sale or discount, a restaurant could promote a lunchtime offer, while a leisure centre could advertise a membership promotion.

Think about where the bollards are positioned and tailor the message accordingly. A short, bold message such as "SALE – UP TO 50% OFF" is much more likely to be noticed than trying to squeeze an entire advertisement onto the cover.

The job of the bollard cover is to grab attention. You can provide the details elsewhere.

2. Turn Your Car Park Into Advertising Space

Businesses spend considerable amounts of money getting people to visit their premises, yet the car park is often completely overlooked as a marketing opportunity.

If you have bollards between your car park and entrance, customers may walk past several of them every time they visit.

Why not put them to work?

You could use a series of bollard covers to highlight different products and services. Alternatively, several covers could work together as a campaign, with each one delivering part of a message as customers approach your building.

It's advertising space you already have – you're simply making better use of it.

3. Promote an Event

Printed bollard covers are particularly useful when you need signage for a limited period.

Schools and universities could use them for open days. Businesses could promote exhibitions, conferences or product launches. Hotels and venues could use them for weddings and special events.

Because the covers can be removed after the event and stored flat, they don't have to become permanent signage.

And if you're running the same event again next year, look after the covers and you may be able to use them again.

4. Help Visitors Find Their Way

Not every piece of promotional print needs to sell something.

Sometimes being helpful is more valuable.

Printed bollard covers can be used as temporary wayfinding signs, helping visitors find entrances, reception areas, parking, registration desks or particular buildings.

For example:

RECEPTION ?

EVENT ENTRANCE ?

VISITOR PARKING ?

REGISTRATION ?

This can be particularly useful for large premises, schools, universities, business parks and events where visitors may not be familiar with the site.

Good signage makes life easier for your visitors – and reflects well on your organisation at the same time.

5. Strengthen Your Branding

Sometimes you don't need an offer or even a particular message.

Simply adding your logo, colours and branding to bollard covers can make the approach to your premises look much more professional.

This can work particularly well around entrances, reception areas, forecourts and pedestrian walkways.

If you're holding an event, branded bollard covers can also help transform an everyday location into something that feels much more like a dedicated event space.

They're a small detail, but sometimes it's those small details that make everything look properly thought through.

6. Add a QR Code

A bollard cover doesn't have to work on its own.

Adding a QR code allows someone to see the printed message and immediately continue the journey on their phone.

Depending on your business, the QR code could take visitors to:

• A special offer or promotional landing page
• An event registration page
• Your menu or price list
• An online shop
• A booking page
• A competition
• More information about a product or service

Just remember that people are likely to be walking past your bollard rather than standing there studying it.

Keep the message simple, make the QR code easy to spot and give people a good reason to scan it.

"Scan to claim your offer" is considerably more compelling than simply writing "Scan me".

7. Create Seasonal Campaigns

One of the biggest advantages of removable bollard covers is that your bollards don't need to display the same message all year.

Retailers could have covers produced for Christmas, Easter, Black Friday or summer sales.

Schools and universities could switch between open days, enrolment campaigns and special events.

Hotels, attractions and leisure businesses could change their messaging throughout the year.

Because the covers can be removed and stored flat, you can build up a collection of displays and bring them out whenever they're needed.

Don't Overlook the Advertising Space You Already Have

Effective marketing isn't always about finding somewhere new to advertise. Sometimes it's about making better use of the space that's already available.

Bollards are a perfect example.

They're often positioned in areas with plenty of footfall, customers naturally pass them on their way into a building, and in most cases they're doing absolutely nothing to promote the business around them.

A custom printed bollard cover turns that unused space into an opportunity to advertise, inform, direct or simply reinforce your brand.

At Chelmer Print, we produce custom printed bollard covers in full colour, with standard and bespoke sizes available. They're supplied flat-packed, are quick to assemble and can be taken apart and stored for reuse.

If you're not sure what size you need, or you'd like some help creating an effective design, get in touch with the Chelmer Print team. We'll be happy to help turn your bollards into something considerably more useful.