The Forgotten Impact of Billboard Marketing

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Most advertising these days focuses on an online or TV audience. Many marketers believe this is the easiest way to reach their target audience. However, is this assumption accurate when 72% of the billboard viewers consider buying something on their way home from work after seeing a Billboard and 58% of the people learnt about a restaurant they later visited on their way home? 

Your business may need to remember the impact that the billboard can have. A marketer may question the way ROI about the statistics would say otherwise. For example, in the telecom industry, outdoor advertising has an ROI of $5.72 on each dollar spent and is the most effective way to advertise services.

This article and infographic from Signarama outline how effective out-of-home advertising can be for your business and presents a three-pronged approach to maximizing outreach.

Billboards Facts and Figures

Billboard marketing has been a staple of the advertising industry for some time. However, with so much focus on online and Tv marketing, some businesses can disregard its influence.   

Billboards are used for advertising products and promoting businesses, entertainers, politicians and even sports teams. Below are some facts that you may not know about billboard advertising:

• 60% learned about an event they were interested in learning
• 56% leant about a restaurant they later visited 
• 54% learnt about something funny they saw on a roadside billboard 
• 33% have been reminded to tune into a TV program, and 44% of a radio station 
• 26% noted a phone number, and 28% noted a website address written on an outdoor board.

What is ROI on each Dollar Spent

The British media research firm Brandscience analyzed over 600 econometric case studies to gauge the impact of out-of-home advertising on sales results. The case studies represent national and local campaigns from Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the United States.

TV	Radio	Print	Online	Outdoor
$ 3.43	$ 3. 42	$ 4.14	$ 4.38	$ 2.28

On a global scale, an average of $ 3.84 was received in sales for each dollar spent on out-of-home advertising. Television and Print advertising has a lower ROI, yet a significant share of the dollars in the average media mix.

What about the Industry?

Out-of-home advertising has a robust sales effect for telecommunications, media retail and travel advertisers. If production costs are considered, out-of-home advertising’s ROI may be better compared to costly media such as media.

Telcom: 

TV	Radio	Print	Online	Outdoor
$ 4.45	$ 5. 42	$ 4.14	$ 3.38	$ 3.28

Media:

TV	Radio	Print	Online	Outdoor
$ 2	$ 1	$ 1.2	$ 0.90	$ 2

Retail:

TV	Radio	Print	Online	Outdoor
$ 3.95	$ 3.40	$ 3.20	$ 3.90	$ 3.20

Travel:

TV	Radio	Print	Online	Outdoor
$ 4.2	$ 3.0	$ 3.40	$ 4.34	$ 3.90

Step by Step Tips on How To Set Up a Billboard

If you want people to read your message and take action, it needs to be clear and concise. You don’t want them to spend time deciphering what you’re trying to say, so make sure every word counts! Here are some tips for writing ads:

1. Choose the right place.

Define the target market; it starts clearly defining your ideal customers. Here are some questions you need to put into consideration;

• Is your product appealing to men or women? 
• What age group?
• What household income levels are your ideal customers?

The more you know the demographic, the easier they are to reach, message, and convert. If you don’t know your customer and have not defined your target market, analyze your market data:

•  Who is buying your product? 
• Who are they buying it for? 
• Where are they buying it? 

Once you’ve determined your target market, work closet with your marketing agency and provide them with your target demographics. Request out-of-home media locations with the most significant number of people in your target market. Don’t accept total impressions; request specific numbers.

2. Craft the Right Message

Out-of-home advertising often has a concise time frame to catch your target market’s attention. Therefore, your message should be brief, impactful, and contain a call to action.

Minimise texts and leverage images and graphics to get your point across. 

Test the message digitally through tools like landing pages, google AdWords, or social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

3. Develop a Digital Trial

This includes promotion in your ads for an inclusive discount for a special offer. Ask consumers to mention a keyword when placing their order or enter a code when purchasing online. These can be tracked to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ad.

Create a unique landing page with a clear call to action related to your ad, and then track your page visits, leads, and conversions.

Remember that consumers may be driving when first viewing the ad and may need a pen and paper handy to write down a long URL. Make the web address of the landing page simple and easy to remember. 

Promote your messenger a call to action via social media channels, then track your engagement metrics, likes, shares, comments, etc.

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