Billboards are as ubiquitous to roads in the United States as white lines and rumble strips. Even with their commanding presence on highways, many businesses see billboard pricing as too expensive for the benefits they offer. Having a roadside ad can gain a lot of attention from companies if used in the right way. Here are some of the most advantageous aspects of using out-of-home, or OOH, advertising billboards to help your business grow.
#1. Brand Awareness
Billboards are made to be noticed. If you have a large roadside sign at your disposal, you can garner the attention of motorists and pedestrians as they pass by. The largest billboards can be up to 20 feet high and 60 feet wide, which is a lot of real estate for your ad. Even an uninspiring design can get noticed when the image is that size!
It’s important to remember that billboard pricing is not only based on size but location as well. A spot that is going to get a lot of views may cost a little more, but you’ll be increasing the reach of your advertising exponentially. In addition, most billboards aren’t based on targeted ads, so marketing will grab the attention of many different types of people. This can greatly improve your customer base as many brands often cater to a single group and fail to reach a broader audience.
#2. Custom Location
While advertising to a wider audience is always a good idea, the location of your billboards may make it more advantageous to target specific demographics. Some of the ways you can leverage locations to improve your billboard effectiveness include:
- Colleges and Universities: Having billboards around these areas allows you to tap into the student body as a whole but also exposes your brand to teachers and parents as well.
- Business Districts: There’s no better place to advertise office supplies than near a city’s main areas of business. A billboard featuring brands professionals are interested in will surely get some attention, too.
- Near Your Business: Drivers passing a billboard for your restaurant during the lunch or dinner hour are sure to be swayed by a delicious image of the superior dining experience that your eatery can provide.
Having a billboard in a specific area can get attention from the kinds of customers your business is interested in while appealing to a variety of potential customers at the same time!
#3. Conversion Power
Because they are so noticeable, billboards stick in people’s minds more readily. Recent studies have shown that this marketing strategy influences 57% of people who see billboards to interact with the brand, renewing interest in lost customers and generating new ones. Thankfully, billboard pricing isn’t based on the number of conversions and increased sales, making it a profitable venture to invest in OOH advertising.
Billboards play on a consumer’s impulsivity since many roadside signs point drivers to specific locations down the road. They can also leave an impression on specific products or services, sticking in their mind long after they’re at their destination. People usually see billboards multiple times as well, and repeated viewings will only make your message more memorable in the long run.
#4. Captive Audience
Running a radio ad only works if your customers are tuned in. Digital marketing can easily be ignored by clicking on another page. A billboard on the side of the road during rush hour traffic doesn’t face those issues. It’s always “on,” displaying your message to all of those drivers waiting to get to work or back home. While people usually speed by, heavy traffic turns those bored drivers into your own private audience. When the brake lights come on, your message will be waiting!
#5. Billboard Pricing ROI
No matter how big or fancy a billboard is, your company wants a return on its marketing investment. While billboard pricing isn’t the cheapest around, it turns out to be one of the most cost-efficient. For example, digital advertising may be inexpensive but the likelihood of consumers clicking away from the ad is very high. People can switch away from TV and Radio spots as well, making these methods far less efficient.
Billboards actually have a very high ROI when compared to other forms of advertising. For each marketing dollar spent, a billboard provides an average of $5.97 in generated product sales. At an almost 600% return, there are few other marketing methods that even come close! Roadside signs have been shown to increase the effectiveness of customers’ digital searches by over 40% as well, making them a valuable asset to linking digital and OOH advertising strategies.
Signs of the Times
Choosing a billboard to bolster your marketing campaign is a great way to get your brand more attention. From captive audiences to leveraging locations, there are many ways that billboard pricing pays for itself. Using roadside signs means your ad is always on, letting captive motorists do all of the hard marketing work for you!
