Billboard Advertising Steps & Strategy

What are your goals and how do you plan for them? These may be some of the first questions you have before launching any type of marketing campaign. Is your business launching a new product and looking to increase revenue quickly, or maybe your company is a non-profit trying to bring awareness and exposure to your worthy cause. Regardless of what you have answered here, the best advertising results always come from a carefully thought-out advertising plan. No matter what your company does, knowing your end goals ahead of time will help you get the most out of your marketing budget. Map out your goals and objectives to ensure you get the most out of your ad spend.

Now that you have your goals clearly in mind, whom are you trying to reach? What type of people would most likely be attracted to your product, service or message? Understanding your target audience and your marketing reach is a crucial step to selecting what type of ad space you will invest your marketing dollars in, the location of your advertisements, as well as what your message should be and how it is displayed. It's essential to continue to monitor your reach & audience throughout your marketing campaigns.

You have figured out what you want to accomplish and whom you are trying to reach. This is the point where the rubber hits the road. Advertising is an investment in each and every business, the same way that purchasing additional equipment or moving to larger location can be. Many years of research has shown that out-of-home (OOH) advertising has a great return on investment by increasing sales, company exposure and brand awareness.

When needed, we can assist in every aspect of production, from overseeing creation of a high quality design to the final printing process and hanging/installation of the vinyl banner for your billboard. Additionally, we can store your PVC vinyl at our warehouse facility free of charge until you wish to use it again. If advertising materials have dated copy or the vinyl will not be used again.

They say that in business, what gets measured, gets done. Tracking your sales before, during and after an advertising campaign can really help measure its effectiveness. It’s also important to keep a record of new accounts, as well as calls and in-store & web traffic at the inception of a new advertising campaign or strategy. Things constantly change in the advertising world, especially in the Windy City, so to ensure a perpetual return on your marketing investment, be sure to keep an eye on your billboard performance. DeMartino Outdoor Media is happy to help you by providing key insights during this decisive step of your billboard advertising strategy.

Know Your Goals

Great results come from great planning. What do you want to achieve from your outdoor advertising? This should be one of the first questions you ask before starting a new advertising campaign? Establishing your advertising goals at the start of the project will ensure that all other efforts remain focused on achieving those objectives. Need help establishing your goals? Let our team of dedicated, advertising professionals guide you through every step of the planning process, from start to finish.

Who are you in the marketplace and what does your product or service do for people? These questions are the essence of branding. Establishing your brand plays a big role in creating your identity for your customers. Unless you change your approach down the road (which is allowed), you will be known by the branding message that you send out to the world. We have helped many customers over the years create and market their brand to the right audience.

If your advertising message is time sensitive, then you will want to launch your campaign at the perfect moment. A campaign for Valentine’s Day can easily go up in January, right after all the holiday buzz has quieted down. Summer vacation destinations for the kids can start to reach people before school even lets out. Successful advertising campaigns always coincide with the time that your customers will be thinking about your product or service. Timing is very important because the same person that purchases from your company now may not think about it during other times of the year. Let the year’s four seasons, holidays, and customers’ social schedules be the wind beneath your advertising wings.

Even the most creative and effective billboard designs will not meet your advertising goals if you are targeting the wrong audience or location - the physical placement of your message plays a critical role in your advertising campaign's success! 

Tips & Tricks for Billboard Design

There is an overabundance of advertising messaging in the world today, all clamoring for consumers’ attention. It’s more important than ever for advertisers to rise above the noise and actively grab the attention of their target audience. Be creative, and communicate your message in a unique way that is easy to remember and hard to forget.

No matter what your product, service, or message is, make an impression on the consumer. Give them a reason to look at what you do in a different way. Causing people to think about something in a fresh way unconsciously endears them to your brand. Provide a new, novel perspective to what your industry does. People will remember you for it.

Many billboard advertisers make the error of trying to communicate too much to consumers in such little time. Keep in mind that your audience usually has only a brief period to absorb your message, so make your billboard design go a long way (in a little time) by carefully choosing impactful text and images.

People are curious by nature. Effective advertising intrigues consumers and it always leaves them wanting to know more. Inspire your audience to take the time to seek out additional information about your business.

Digital billboards can produce bold, eye-catching colors that are sure to grab the attention of consumers. When designing your digital billboard, be sure to incorporate attractive colors and contrasts that will make your advertisements stand out from the crowd and get people to stand up and take notice. Try and avoid white backdrops behind your rich color choices, as bright whites tend to compete with bold colors from the viewer’s visual perspective.

Even the most creative digital billboards won’t work if people can’t read them. It’s critical to keep in mind that a majority of consumers only have a brief amount of time to absorb what your advertising is trying to communicate to them. Be sure to have the text on your digital messaging large enough so it’s easy to read. Anything that you can do to make your billboard easier to comprehend is a win for you and the consumer.

The old adage “short but sweet” is certainly true with digital billboard design. Experts advise that the billboard should have 10 or fewer words for consumers to read. Your goal is to get the message into readers’ heads while giving them a chance to absorb what you are trying to say. When it comes to digital billboards and text, less is definitely more.

Our team has many years of experience working with businesses of all types and sizes - let us help you create an effective and memorable billboard campaign that will ensure consumers grasp your marketing message and prompt action. Whether you choose to advertise on a static billboard or a digital format, we can help you select the right location, while standing out from other out-of-home advertising mediums.