As we’ve covered in previous blog posts, “The 10 best reasons print advertising can boost your company’s success,” and “Ten amazing reasons you should be using direct mail,” there are good reasons to include traditional advertising tactics in your overall marketing strategy, including billboards.
Here are ten reasons why billboard ads make practical sense.
#1 Billboards hit a huge and diverse audience.
While you should know and target your audience personas, reaching a wider group of potential customers is also a great idea. There’s hardly a better way to do this than a huge outdoor sign with your logo and contact info on it that people of all demographics pass by on regularly.
#2 They’re great for brand awareness.
Well-designed billboards with a simple and effective message are memorable. Check out these amazing examples from popular graphic design tool, Canva.
#3 Billboards are clean and simple.
You have three seconds, at best, to grab your audience’s attention using a billboard. This challenging aspect of billboard advertising is also one of its greatest benefits because it forces you to keep your message to the point.
#4 You can display a call to action prominently.
Whether you’re looking for more engagement on your website, more likes on your Facebook page or hoping to increase your call volumes, billboards boldly display your call to action.
#5 Billboards are mobile.
When’s the last time you saw a city bus that wasn’t wrapped in a huge advertisement for a local college or bank? While not a billboard in the traditional sense, placing ads on cars, trucks and buses is technically display advertising – and they work.
#6 They last a long time.
Billboards tend to stay up for weeks or even months in some cases, which makes them a great complementary tactic to anything you might be doing online. A recent blog from The Hustle states, “A recent Nielsen study found that combining billboards and digital ads can lead to a 4x increase in online activation.”
#7 Billboards help supplement larger advertising campaigns.
As with any well-rounded marketing strategy, you will want to put a little effort into a diverse range of advertising mediums. For example, if you’re currently sponsoring content on Instagram to build brand awareness, try supporting those efforts with a display ad in your community.
#8 They’re low-maintenance.
Once your art is approved and the media is purchased, your billboard is ready to run. After that you don’t have to do a whole lot, unlike the tedium of tracking analytics and results with your online efforts.
#9 Customers come to you.
No cold-calling or follow-up emails that seem to go nowhere. Customers and potential customers come to you because they saw your billboard. It seems too simple and to good to be true, but it can and does happen.
#10 They’re weather-proof.
Once billboards are up, they’re up! Whether you choose a digital billboard or traditional signage, billboards are sturdy structures built to last – even under harsh weather conditions.
We hope we got you thinking about billboard advertising as a highly effective marketing medium. Perhaps the next time you ask yourself, “Why would I advertise on billboards?,” you’ll switch that inner monologue to ask, “Why wouldn’t I advertise on billboards?”
