3-Step Plan to grow your ROI with billboard advertising

Billboard advertising has proved itself time and time again to be an effective medium for building brands and helping businesses grow.

Much like any other type of advertising, static advertising requires a strategy before a business commits to putting their brand out there in such a big way.

Here are three things to keep in mind in order to advertise successfully on billboards:

Keep the Message Short and Sweet

The benefit of billboard advertisements is they attract a large number of eyeballs. Well-designed ads that catch the eye with an easy to read message are hard to avoid noticing.

The ad that succeeds is the ad that imprints on the driver moving 50km just as well as the jogger moving 2km. Too much information and the message gets lost. An overdesigned ad will create confusion. Drivers, joggers, or anyone for that matter, shouldn’t need to see an ad multiple times to decipher who the business is, and what message is being displayed.

Keep it brief. Keep it simple. Understand that you’re only going to get a slice of your audiences attention. If your message is tight and your design is on point, that’s all you’ll need.

Incorporate Digital Components

Chances are, if your billboard makes an impact on a potential customer, the first thing they will do is Google your business.

Regardless if you’re promoting a deal, announcing an upcoming event, or simply branding your business, today’s consumer will more than likely look for you online before becoming a customer.

Billboard ads need to include a website, so make sure you have one and that it is current and up to date. Properly optimizing your brand online will make you easy to find and add another layer to your static ads.

There will be businesses who opt out of static ads and move completely online. There will be even more who stick to only billboards, without investing in digital or online strategies.

Those who strategize how to incorporate both together are going to be the winners.

Play the Long Game

Probably the oldest lesson we’ve learned from billboard advertising is that long term ad campaigns work best.

When planning your ad campaign, your goal shouldn’t be to get “one and done” customers, especially when considering billboard advertising as a medium. The goal should be to earn a following, to be top of mind when people think of what you offer, and to be considered the best in your business. This is best achieved by consistency.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t change your message or design frequently. In fact, there are digital billboard solutions perfect for changing your creative on a whim.

However part of your strategy should be to root in and implant your brand on an audience. This means being there long enough to virtually own the space. It also keeps competitors away from prime advertising real estate.

Billboard advertising may not be the latest trend in promoting a business, but it’s survived (and thrived) through the test of time. Billboards are changing, and so are consumers. If you’re business is going to see a return on its advertising investment, you’ll need to re-tool your marketing strategy to include a bit of the new with a bit of the old.

Those who don’t properly strategize will fail and say billboards are dead.

Those who do it right will thrive and their business will grow.