Placing a huge billboard in a location where a lot of people pass by every day is obviously going to enhance your advertising reach — but are they truly that useful?  

According to research, billboards can boost your campaigns and help to maximise the ROI on your advertising strategies. Find out what launching a billboard-based campaign could do for your brand…  

A billboard’s power

The billboard originated in New York around the mid-1830s. Since then, it has become an important part of marketing advertising — it even played a role as a crucial prop in renowned movie, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

According to Bill Shorten, leader of the Labor Party: “Today, nine out of 10 of us spend more than 90 minutes a day travelling to and from work.” This is an ideal window of opportunity to target people with a large, quality billboard.

Also, billboards are usually easy to design and get printed fast. A billboard is a single design — unlike a brochure, for example, that would require more content, effort and time to plan.

The ‘Marketing Rule of 7’ states that someone must consume a message at least seven times before making a move — such as choosing to buy or visit a store. If you put an outdoor banner somewhere with a lot of people — like on a highway — the same people should pass every day (e.g. going to work or dropping the kids off at school). So, you can help hit this magic number seven and boost the chance that your marketing message gets through.

Clearly, billboards have advantages. So, how do you make yours effective?

Creating the ideal billboard

Billboards are big, but people won’t spend much time noticing them unless you make them eye-catching enough. Think strategically:

• What is your marketing aim?
• Do you want to promote a specific product or generally highlight your brand?
• Are you already well-known in the area or are you a start-up company?
• Looking to highlight an event, rather than something to ‘sell’?

Contact details, name of product/service/event, and important dates (like when the promotional offer ends) are crucial and need to be on your billboard.

Big, bold images are at home on a billboard. Research states that we generally only recall 10% of information we learn three days later — but including a strong image alongside this information boosts retention by 55%! Essentially, you need to grab your audience’s attention with a funny, quirky or bold visual. Your images can pack a powerful punch on a huge billboard, so focus on the right picture and go from there.

Make your information clear and easy to read. Bright shades catch the eye — contrasting colours also stay in people’s memories for longer — and opt for a simple background with a plain font.

Putting your billboard by the road? A motorist typically has five to 10 seconds to look at an advertisement, so you need to consider text length. The better the image, the less you need to write, so stick to a brief, punchy message of seven words to convey your marketing message, if you can.

Who’s your audience? This matters when choosing a location for your billboard. If you’re going for 18-21-years-olds, anywhere near a university or college would be great and should help you maximise your ROI.

If your billboard is directing people to your local company, include an image of a nearby landmark to create a sense of familiarity or poke fun at the local traffic. Humour works in advertising. A review of 6,500 ads discovered that the funniest were thought to be the most memorable. Plus, you come across as personal and familiar, making your brand seem welcoming to a new customer.

Get on board with billboards and start increasing your brand exposure and sales today.