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Local Billboard advertising strategies for maximum exposure
When you’re out and about in high-traffic areas, chances are there’s a billboard within sight. Nearly 20 million UK adults will have seen at least one billboard in the past week alone - what if one of them was yours?
As a powerful method to capture the attention of commuters, shoppers, and pedestrians, billboards provide an effective way for businesses to shout their messages from the rooftops. For UK businesses looking to maximise their advertising impact, a well-thought-out local billboard advertising strategy can help to kick your marketing up a gear. Here’s how.
Local billboard advertising
Simply put, local billboard advertising involves placing large advertisements in strategic locations to attract the attention of passersby. In many ways, billboards are unique - they’re simply unavoidable. They are also visible 24/7, providing constant exposure to your message. However, to make the most out of this advertising medium, it's crucial to understand how to use billboards in a way that caters to your specific goals and objectives.
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Setting objectives and goals
Before sizing up any spaces for your next billboard, stop and think. What are your goals? What do you want to achieve with your billboard advertisement? You may be looking to:
Increase brand awareness
Drive sales
Promote a product
Direct foot traffic to your store
Having clear objectives will guide your campaign's direction and help measure its success. For instance, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, your billboard design should prioritise your logo and branding - including your tone of voice. Conversely, if you're promoting a sale, the focus should be on the offer and its urgency.
Benefits of local billboard advertising
Local billboard advertising offers numerous benefits, making it a worthwhile investment for businesses of all sizes. Here are some of the key advantages:
High visibility
Literally - they’re often placed high up, and therefore very visible. One of the most significant benefits of billboard advertising is the fact that they are large and often placed in high-traffic areas, ensuring that they are seen by a vast number of people daily. Whether it's along busy roads, in city centres, or near popular landmarks, billboards capture the attention of both drivers and pedestrians alike.
Brand awareness and recognition
Billboards are an excellent tool for building brand awareness and recognition. By consistently displaying your brand logo, colours, and message, you create a lasting impression on viewers - they become familiar with you. Over time, repeated exposure to your billboard can significantly enhance brand recall and loyalty. For new businesses or those launching new products, local billboards can serve as a powerful introduction to the market.
Targeted marketing
Local billboard advertising allows for highly targeted marketing. By selecting strategic locations that align with your target audience's demographics and behaviours, you can ensure your message reaches the right people.
Effective strategies for local billboard advertising
To maximise the impact of your local billboard advertising campaign, it's crucial to plan ahead. Here are some key considerations for your strategy:
Time and place
When selecting locations, consider factors such as:
Traffic volume
Visibility
Proximity to your target audience
Environment/surrounding area
High-traffic areas like major roads, highways, and busy city centres are ideal for maximum exposure.
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Eye-catching design
Engaging design is essential for capturing the attention of any passersby. Use bold colours, high-contrast imagery, and large fonts to make your billboard stand out. Keep the design simple and uncluttered, focusing on a single, clear message. Sometimes even a picture and a caption can be enough to tell a story. Research suggests that viewers will spare your billboard 4-6 seconds of their attention, so ensure that your design communicates the key points quickly and effectively.
Memorable messages
The message on your billboard should be memorable; it’s something the viewer needs to be able to hold in their mind, even once your ad is out of sight. Use short, impactful phrases or slogans that are easy to read and understand - and make sure to keep them on brand. Avoid complex language or too much text, as this can overwhelm viewers and reduce the effectiveness of your advertisement.
Integrating digital and traditional approaches
Combining the strengths of both digital and traditional mediums allows for a more comprehensive and cohesive marketing strategy.
Digital billboards
Digital billboards offer dynamic and versatile advertising opportunities. Unlike traditional static billboards, digital billboards can display multiple advertisements in rotation, allowing you to showcase different messages or promotions throughout the day. It’s also a great opportunity to add more of a narrative to your marketing, such as showcasing multiple examples of your customers and the different ways your services have helped them.
Cost considerations
Local billboard advertising costs vary depending on the area in which you want your ad to be, the size of it, and how long you want it there for. High-traffic areas and larger billboards typically command higher prices. However, it’s often a worthwhile investment, given the extensive reach and visibility offered by billboards.
When planning your budget, consider both the upfront costs and any ongoing expenses, such as design and maintenance - maybe a bigger ad with a shorter run will work out better than multiple smaller ads, for example. By setting clear objectives and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), you can measure the campaign's effectiveness and adjust your strategy as needed to maximize results.
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Legal and Regulatory Considerations
Before launching a billboard advertising campaign, it's important to be aware of the legal and regulatory considerations. In the UK, billboard advertising is subject to various rules and regulations to ensure safety, decency, and compliance with local planning laws. Research has suggested that lower-income areas often have more instances of OOH advertising, and some campaigners are looking for tighter restrictions on what can be advertised and where, working on the theory that the abundance of ads could even present a health risk e.g. advertising fast food chains and alcohol.
Advertising standards
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulates billboard advertising in the UK. Ensure that your advertisement complies with guidelines, or work with a company that can ensure this for you - for example, did you know there are some services you can’t promote within a certain distance of a school?
Building billboards better
For UK businesses, local billboard advertising offers an opportunity to stand out in a crowded market and connect with potential customers through a sea of competitors. Whether you're a small local business or a large enterprise, a well-executed billboard campaign in your local area can significantly boost your brand visibility and drive growth.
Ready to take your advertising to the next level? Startplanning your campaign with us today and watch your business gain the exposure it deserves.