Billboard advertising is effective.

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The myths about billboards are often told by those who make money selling digital and other marketing products and are not based on facts.  If what these sales persons with horrible sales pitches were genuine and billboards were ineffective, Why do major corporations, including big tech, use them for their advertising needs?  We can tell you why because billboards are incredibly effective.  That’s why your largest brands incorporate billboards for brand awareness!

Let’s discuss some of the myths and lies often spread by those who mainly sell and push expensive, wasteful digital products that don’t benefit local businesses and do very little for effective brand awareness.

Out-of-home (OOH) targeting works pretty much the same as online: when you know the audience you want to target, you can find out where that audience lives and works.  Then, you can place billboards where they’re likely to pass by them (sometimes multiple times a day).

By appearing to the ideal consumer where they already are, place-based ads avoid the trap many novice marketers fall into wasting money broadcasting their message to people who will never be interested.

While it’s true that people can ignore billboards, it’s also true that people have grown accustomed to tuning out other forms of advertising just as much—if not substantially more.  They install AdBlock on their computers, go to the bathroom during commercial breaks, and avoid pop-up ads like the plague.  Billboards, on the other hand, have no commercial breaks.  There aren’t apps designed to block them.  And they can’t be scrolled away from. 

Billboards—are there front and center to be seen, leaving subliminal messages on the brain.

Another bonus about billboards?  They’re not as intrusive as other forms of advertising: people expect to see them as they travel.  Yes, we expect to see digital ads, too—but those ads while we’re browsing social media, shopping, or reading the news are often an annoying disruption rather than a welcome break for our eyes on the highway.

Just because billboards have been around for a century doesn’t mean they have to be dull.  Billboards have evolved: today, they are digitized (i.e., easy to update), interactive (i.e., drivers of engagement), and aesthetically driven (i.e., designed for sharing on social media, which we’ll get into below).

People are so invested in their phones now that they’re perfectly accustomed to tuning out the digital ads that appear on their favorite social media platforms, the articles they read, and the browsing they do.  On the other hand, out-of-home advertising is more likely to be seen by someone who isn’t on their phone.

Drivers, travelers, shoppers, and even event-goers don’t typically have their noses in their phones.  Instead, they’re alert and looking around, taking in their environment… which includes billboards and other out-of-home ads.  That’s why it pays to have creative billboards: the more interesting they are, the more likely they’ll be remembered.

In 2017, Nielsen discovered that “outdoor advertising is the most effective nondigital medium for generating online activity.” Translation?  A consumer who has passed a billboard—whether in the car, on the bus, or on foot—is likely to go online and conduct a search (or perform another action) on their phone.  These actions can range from getting directions to a restaurant to following a social media page or signing up to learn more information.

This is why online tech companies like Facebook, Netflix, and Amazon invest in out-of-home advertising, even if they have to reach offline audiences somehow!  Generating online engagement from offline audiences is a massive part of omnichannel marketing, making billboards effective in integrated marketing campaigns.

Plus, billboards and other out-of-home creative designs can be shared on social media, giving them extra longevity and engagement.  When you produce an out-of-home experience that people want to interact with and share, you create a lasting impression that can draw attention even when it’s long gone.

MYTH: It’s hard to get started with billboard advertising. 

Now that you know the truth about billboards, it’s time to start integrating out-of-home into your marketing.  An experienced advertising agency can help you develop the perfect omnichannel strategy to meet your goals.

At Kirkpatrick Creative, we don’t just make great creative—we measure the effectiveness of everything we do to ensure that every dollar of your advertising budget pulls its weight.  It’s what we call advertising engineered to work.

Let us break down the REALITY of billboard advertising.

You need a good mix of marketing options that will be effective!

It’s so easy to waste a lot of money on online ads that don’t work.

People tend to ignore annoying ads online.  Consumers have ad blockers.   You can be charged a premium for ads on platforms where the actual number of engaged, active users is inaccurate, or the platform is filled with fake accounts and bots.

We will always be honest and help you create an affordable and effective marketing campaign to build brand awareness without wasting your hard-earned money.

These large marketing ad agencies don't care about the small businesses.  They don't go the extra mile for small business they cater to the big corporations that have massive advertising dollars.  We DON'T.  We go the extra mile and our primary focus are small business owners and local businesses.

If you’re a local business the most important you want to build a campaign around your brand so that when a consumer needs your products or services, you immediately come to mind, and they do a DIRCT search for your business by name!

Do you want to get more from your marketing activities?

It is a tough decision for businesses to select the right marketing mix to sell more products. If you are looking for a cost-effective solution to market your products, then advertising on billboards is one of the preferable options for you. Excellent billboard designs can help you increase sales effectively. Here are a few ways on how advertising billboards sell your product.

Quick and Lasting Impact

Billboards are an effective means to communicate a message within a few seconds. When you design billboards that are creative and unique, it creates an immediate impact on customers. Furthermore, when your customers see your billboard while walking or driving, it impacts their subconscious minds. As a result, there is an immediate connection the next time the customer comes in contact with your product. Thus, advertising billboards create an immediate and long-lasting impact on customers’ minds, and they purchase your product.

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Good Product Perception

​Another advantage of having excellent quality graphics and billboard designs gives the viewers the impression that the product is as good as the advertising billboard. Apart from graphics and design, your photo and font should appeal to the eyes and be kept simple. So the customer perceives your product as good quality and may consider buying it. Hence, if you want to increase sales, design billboards that appeal to your customers.

Targets a Large Market

​Advertising billboards are enormous, so they can easily target a large and diverse market. Moreover, if the billboard is placed along the road or the highway at the exact location, it gets more exposure to people who pass along the road or the highway. It also leads to repetitive advertising and melting your brand, products, or services on the minds of consumers. Thus, the more people see your advertisement, the more likely they will purchase your product. In addition, it allows you to reach more people in a short time. So your sales increase instantly.

Builds Company Reputation

​When you design billboards, your company’s reputation is enhanced. Big companies such as BMW, Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple, and many others use advertising billboards. So when customers see your company advertising on billboards, you get instant recognition, increasing your brand reputation and awareness. A good company reputation and brand recognition are crucial in improving your products’ sales and services.

Types of Billboards

Billboards are divided into two main categories: static and digital.  Before choosing between a digital billboard versus a traditional static billboard as the medium for your advertising campaign, you should be fully informed about the strengths of both types of out-of-home advertising.  Knowing the differences between static and digital billboards is not the only knowledge required to decide on which type of advertising strategy your brand needs.  There are several factors to consider while making this decision, including your budget, target audience, and the campaign's creativity level.

Static billboards are traditional style billboards.  They use the same copy for more extended amounts of time.  So that limits the number of marketing opportunities you would have.  Plus, they can be costly to install and maintain due to wear and tear.

Digital billboards have been around for about 15 years and continue moving into new areas like airports, indoor arenas, shelters, and kiosks.  And that's just a few examples.  With the flexibility of digital and current technology trends, digital billboards are on the rise.  Digital billboards allow you to keep your message fresh and to change your ad frequently like print.

While it may seem like digital is the clear winner, static has its own advantages.  It all depends on the advertiser's needs.  Static boards are great if you do not need to change your message and want to use the boards as directional boards.