Studies by Statista and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America show that 90% of American consumers notice billboards, and 71% feel that OOH advertising stands out better than online advertising. As more businesses move their advertising online, the digital ads world is becoming oversaturated. Therefore, the best way for your company to reach its target audience is now with billboard advertising – which they can’t mute, click off, or ignore.
Even with these facts, we understand that many business owners feel a bit queasy about billboard advertising.
So, how can you maximize your ROI, and reach your target audience with billboard advertising? Let’s find out.
Common uses of billboard advertising
Billboard advertising is popular because it satisfies three unmet needs: localization, engagement, and trust. When marketers create a campaign, they often ignore the special power outdoor ads have to connect with people and build brand awareness in just a few seconds.
Your potential customers will see dozens of Facebook Ads and commercials from businesses every day. But they’ll only engage with a handful of billboard signs.
Want to attract attention? Then don’t sleep on billboard advertising.
For certain segments of the population – such as millennials and Gen-Z – life is a mess of “advertising clutter.” Digital natives are currently exposed to over 5000 messages per day from different advertisers, companies, and campaigns. How can your company breakthrough if you’re just another digital ad? A billboard advertisement takes your brand offline and brings it to where your customers may be more open to it.
A diverse range of consumers has trained their brains to tune out digital advertising completely. We can help your company take advantage of that.
Secondly, billboards are inherently localized. They’re laser-focused on your target customer and situated in an area they feel comfortable. With OOH advertising, you can reach your audience where they live, commute, work, and play. This means your company can tailor your messaging to speak directly to them.
If an online ad seems stale or untrustworthy to your target customer, they’re likely to feel less comfortable and trusting than they would if they saw a targeted billboard. Nielsen research shows that 56% of customers trust OOH advertising mediums more than any other ad channel. This makes outdoor marketing the ultimate way to build your brand’s presence.
billboards design best practices
Of course, not all billboard advertising is equal. Some are much better than others, and you want yours to be the best it can be. You should follow several best practices when designing and deploying your advertising billboards.
Use High Quality, Eye-Catching Visuals
Static billboards come in three standard sizes: 14’ x 48’, 10’ x 40’, and 10.5 x 36’. When you’re blowing up imagery to this size, you need to ensure that it looks high-quality, clear, and eye-catching. Focus on imagery that’s easy to recognize from a distance, too.
It also helps to include dynamic or moving imagery. A neurological study by APN found that moving advertising caused increased activity in viewers’ brain scans, resulting in a 45% increase in engagement vs. still imagery. You can use moving parts, video footage, or even mobile billboards to produce this effect.
Have a Call to Action
Include a call to action in your billboard design. This can be anything from a phone number, hashtag, or QR code. Anything that spurs your users to initiate an action will lead to more conversions – and conversions should always be integral to your billboard campaign. Try to link your billboard to another online or offline campaign; around a quarter of people will Google a brand after seeing its billboard, so make sure you link up with your SEM.
Repeated calls to action are more likely to lead to impulse purchases.
Using Location-Specific Targeting
Billboard ads are the most powerful kind of place-based marketing. This is using the physical location of your ads to enhance their appeal. You can physically place your ads somewhere that targets consumer needs and adds value to your product, such as advertising a drive-thru on a highway. Think about where your target customers are headed to understand how they’ll receive your message.
Keep the Text Short and Sweet
Always keep the text short and sweet. As a rule, keep to fewer than 7 words, and fewer than 3 elements. If you make your billboard too complicated, you’ll dilute the message you’re trying to project. Also, don’t use complicated fonts or overly condensed text. The average American reads at the 7th to 8th-grade level, so the text of your billboard needs to be basic, clear, and readable for anybody at a glance.
A perfect example is Apple’s 2022 ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign. This campaign only used three words, but effortlessly communicated Apple’s status as the market-leading smartphone for photography. The quality of the images showed everybody the camera’s quality – no specs or small print required.
Types of Billboard Advertisements
There are three different types of billboard advertisements, each with different benefits and design specifications. They have different costs, too, so suit different purposes.
Static Billboards
Static billboards are the traditional form of the billboard: an image, text, or other content printed on vinyl, then pasted onto a large surface to expose surrounding viewers to a brand, product, or campaign. They’re the least expensive form of a billboard, usually costing $300 to $500 to print, or $0.50 per square foot. This makes them a great choice for long-term campaigns or new startups.
Digital Billboards
Digital billboards are dynamic outdoor ads that display still or moving images. They can also incorporate other technology. Most digital billboard ads are sold in rotating slots, giving your advertisement a 6-8 second exposure time every 60 seconds. Digital billboards are more expensive, but have versatility; you can seamlessly change them to target different audiences at different times.
Mobile Billboards
A mobile is a digital or analog billboard attached to a moving or parked vehicle that moves within a specific area to target a certain audience. They usually cost between $800 and $3600, but cost more if you want LED displays. Mobile billboards are the most versatile, and are perfect for very short, impactful campaigns.
Is Billboard Advertising Out of Reach for My Business?
You might think that billboard advertising is out of your reach for several reasons: maybe it’s unaffordable or difficult to procure. But how much does a billboard cost?
The billboard advertising costs range from $1,200 to $15,000 per month. The highest trafficked billboards cost this much in larger markets. Digital billboards are more expensive. Location isn’t the only factor when it comes to billboard advertising costs.
The type of billboard also matters. Digital billboards tend to run steeper since they have an operating cost. However, the true cost of billboard advertising is best measured as cost per impression. Research suggests it costs around $2-10 per thousand impressions for a static billboard ad or $5-32 per thousand impressions. This explains why billboard advertising has one of the highest ROIs in marketing, at $5.97 per $1 spent.
Why are we telling you all of this?
Because billboard advertising is just like any form of advertising. There’s a cost for the ad space, then there’s an expected result.
How Jungle Can Help with Your Billboard Advertising
Do you want to attract customers to your business or start building brand awareness? Billboards are a great marketing strategy if you know a large number of people who view them are in your target demographic.
Jungle Communications can help your company reach new customers with out-of-home advertising. Contact us today to discuss how we can help your business.
Reach New Customers with Out of Home Advertising
Jungle Communications can help your company reach new customers with out-of-home advertising. Contact us today to discuss how we can help your business.
Click Here
