Since we live during a time when life is fast-paced and significant technological advancements are a major part of our lives, business owners wonder if billboard advertising is still a relevant form of marketing.
Business owners may believe that using billboards is an out-of-date advertising practice since there are other ways to reach prospective clientele such as through text messages, email, and social media. Even so, billboard advertising continues to be a valuable marketing tool. Company owners still use billboards for marketing purposes. There are three ways that billboard advertising is still relevant even though we are living in a highly technical world.
Research Shows Billboards Are Highly Effective
Marketing research shows that billboards are still one of the most effective tools for advertising. According to market research, 70% of people look at billboards during their daily commutes. A significant amount of people report that they learn about products, services, and interesting opportunities from billboards. Most people have stated that they are likely to dine at a restaurant after seeing billboard advertisements.
More than half of the American people report that they are apt to tell their family and friends about humorous billboards they encounter during their daily commutes. Countless passers-by have also told market researchers that they are willing to check out websites or call phone numbers that are featured on billboards.
You Have A Large Audience
Because technology is so dominant in our lives, you may not think there is a large audience for billboards; however, you will be surprised to know that you have a large audience you can reach. The average individual spends approximately 20 hours per week in a vehicle either as a passenger or a driver. During the time they are on the road, these people can encounter billboards that will motivate them to try out a new restaurant payroll software, attend an event, or take advantage of a limited-time promotion.
Marketing research shows that around 70% of individuals who see billboards while driving say they are likely to shop for goods or visit a restaurant on their travels home from work. 70% have also stated they are likely to decide on their purchases while they are still on the road. A third of customers say they are likely to visit a business location that has been advertised within one week of seeing a billboard. These statistics prove that billboards are an outstanding way to reach customers and influence their purchasing decisions within a brief period of time.
Those who must take longer commutes will spend more time on the road than they will spend watching TV, playing on smartphones, or surfing the web. This is especially true for those who must take long commutes to work or who make a living as truckers. If you fail to make use of billboards, you will completely miss out on reaching these groups of people. Just think of the profits you will potentially miss out on if you fail to target these audiences.
Billboards Influence Purchasing Decisions
You may think that you are limited with what you can do with billboards to influence purchasing decisions. The good news is that you can get creative with billboards, especially since you can use billboards that are electronic and contain many neat features to capture the attention of prospects. For instance, you can program your billboard to have messages that change periodically.
You can also get creative and use colorful lights to grab the attention of onlookers. You can even include humorous messages that are memorable. The more memorable the message, the more likely people will remember your brand and become paying customers.
When choosing the type of billboard you will use, you must check out its features.
Some Features You Will Find Are:
- Solar Billboard Lighting — Solar-powered Billboards will enable business owners to save on electricity as they are powered by the sun. While these may have a more expensive up-front cost, they will save business owners a significant amount of money overall as they will not have to contend with high electric bills.
- Moving Images — Some digital billboards have a feature that will enable images to move in numerous ways which can serve as an excellent way to capture the attention of those on the road.
- Dynamic Content — Electronic billboards can contain letters that move or blink, and the content can be programmed to change depending on the time of day the message is being displayed.
- Durability — Some billboards are designed to withstand all types of weather and are built to last. Some billboards are even completely sealed, enabling them to be protected against water and dust.
While the statistics prove that billboard advertising is relevant and highly effective, it is essential that you know how to optimize your advertisements. One thing to keep in mind is that your ad needs to be simple and to the point. You need to be able to communicate your message to drivers quickly. The second thing to keep in mind when you are designing your billboard ad is to avoid clutter.
Ads that are too busy and contain many images will cause your audience to lose focus as they will become overwhelmed. Marketing experts recommend that you select a couple of images that will serve as attention grabbers and keep a message to 20 words or less. The shorter your message, the better this will be for your audience since shorter messages are easier to remember.
