Advertising is all about grabbing a person’s attention and encouraging them to follow through on an action. There are many marketing methods to propel a message to the right audience Arguably, one of the most effective methods of making someone pay attention is with a large billboard placed strategically in a public place.
The first documented leased billboard dates back to 1867 and has continued to prosper in modern-day society. However, since then, this form of print marketing has become a staple of advertising and has even played a part on the silver screen as a crucial prop in recent blockbuster, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
For businesses looking to strike a balance between modern advertising methods and traditional avenues, billboards should definitely be an option — and could increase your ROI. If you’re not convinced, find out why billboard advertising might be the boost your brand needs…
The influence of billboards
When it comes to planning outdoor advertisements, it’s important to understand that each day, the average Brit will be in the view of advertisements for 16 minutes. Why not target your consumer during this window of opportunity with a large, quality, well-located billboard in a place with high footfall or traffic?
Another reason that billboards are an excellent option for marketing a product or service is that they’re simple to design and print — no putting together multiple pages in a brochure. Need something effective up and running in a hurry? A billboard is a single page of design, which should save you time when putting together a template that will offer maximum ROI.
For marketers, the Marketing Rule of 7 is a common inspiration. This theory claims that a consumer must hear or see an advertising message at least seven times before taking action. By placing an outdoor banner in a public place where people will pass every day or a few times a day — like on the way to work or when dropping off and picking up their kids from school — you can help hit this number and potentially increase your brand’s chances of a conversion.
For companies considering a billboard, this could be the perfect solution for future campaign expansion. So, how do you make sure your billboards are as effective as possible?
Making a bold design that stands out
Billboards only have impact if they’re visually appealing. However, if your billboard will be placed at the side of a high-speed road, this creates an even greater demand for noticeability. Think strategically about what you want on your billboard — someone driving past at 40mph+ is only going to be able to take in so much. What is your marketing objective? Do you want to sell a specific product? Are you spreading brand awareness? Promoting an event? Determine exactly what you want to achieve from your advertisement and provide only the essential information — like contact number, name of product or date and location of event.
If you’re looking to capture your audience’s attention through massive visuals, billboards are your only option. According to research, people generally only recall 10% of information they hear three days later. However, using a relevant image alongside this information increases retention by 55%. When designing your billboard, try and think of a funny or quirky image that will grab and hold a passer-by’s attention — such as cake brand, Mr Kipling’s, clever and unusual image of a bunny made using only Cherry Bakewell cakes as part of its Easter marketing campaign. Due to the size of a billboard, your images can pack a more powerful punch, so focus on getting the image perfect and then build your design from there.
There are many areas that you should look at when it comes to what message you want to portray. Utilise bright and bold colours to catch the eye — contrasting colours are reportedly stay in people’s memories for longer, too — and opt for a simple background and large, readable text — Sans Serif is a good shout.
Where are you placing your billboard? A driver typically has five to ten seconds to view an ad, which means you need to consider copy length. The more relevant and informative your image is, the less you should need to convey with text — stick to a brief, punchy message of seven words and you should get your marketing message across, no problem.
Think about your target audience. For example, if your products are for 18-21-years-olds, find a site near a university or college. Otherwise, you could reduce your ROI due to not being in sight of the people who are most likely to engage and act on your ad.
Include an image of a local landmark to create a sense of familiarity or reference the local traffic in a funny way. Humour generally works in advertising. According to a review of 6,500 ads, the funniest were usually cited as being the most appealing and memorable. What’s more, adopting this personal and familiar approach creates a sense of friendliness, so you’ll also exude a more welcoming brand persona — which will be more encouraging to a potential customer.
Where The Trade Buys are print experts and retailers, based online and in the UK. As well as offering panels for indoor and outdoor displays, they specialise in promotional and office print services for small and large businesses.
