A Guide to Real Estate Billboard Advertising

In a world overrun with online real estate listings and virtual tours, it’s easy to imagine that traditional OOH methods of real estate advertising have fallen by the wayside. After all, how could an old-fashioned, static billboard ad ever compete with the splashy, high-resolution, interactive tactics that the internet has to offer?

As they say, you should never underestimate the power and appeal of a classic.

The fact is, even as online options proliferate, the real estate billboard remains a trusted and effective method for real estate agents to reach new customers, whether they’re looking to sell homes or take on new listings. 

Wondering how billboard advertising can be a boon to your real estate business? Keep reading for everything you need to know about real estate billboard advertising. 

What is Real Estate Billboard Advertising?

There are many advantages of using billboards for real estate advertising. If you’ve ever driven down a highway or local road, you’ve probably seen your share of them. They’re immense, larger-than-life advertisements that grab your attention. 

Billboards are recognizable, visible, and often more trusted by a potential client than online ads. What’s more, consumers actually notice them. In fact, a reported 71% of drivers actively look at billboards when they’re on the road.¹

And while the term billboard can refer to a few different types of similar advertisements, most real estate billboards are what’s known as bulletins, the most popular billboard style. In the United States, bulletins are available in three standard sizes, which are: 

• 14’ high by 48’ wide
• 10’ high by 40’ wide
• 10’6 high by 36’ wide

What Are the Benefits of Real Estate Billboard Advertising?

For decades, real estate companies and independent realtors alike have used billboards to attract home sellers, home buyers, and promote their listings. And even as online options for advertising become more and more popular, real estate billboard advertising remains an effective option. 

This is because real estate billboards offer a range of unique benefits that other advertising solutions don’t. Billboards are such an effective form of advertising because:

• They’re highly visible – One of the reasons that real estate billboards remain the go-to method for the real estate industry is because of their visibility. They’re large advertisements that stand out in the landscape and grab your attention.
• They’re always on – Unlike television commercials that air only a few times a day or internet ads that users can easily close or choose not to click on, billboards are always working. What’s more, consumers don’t have as much of a say as to whether or not they see your advertisement as they do in the digital sphere. It’s right there outside their window and often it’s the only thing to look at.
• They’re where you want them to be – To this day, billboards are a popular form of advertising used by a variety of brands and businesses. In fact, it’s estimated that there are over two million working billboards in the United States today.²That’s a lot of, well real estate! For businesses, this means you have many options for choosing the best billboard location. 
• They offer wide appeal – Because they’re located primarily on highways and in other high-traffic areas, billboards cater to a wide, general audience. For advertisers, this allows you to reach a broad, diverse target market with a single, effective campaign.
• They build brand awareness – Most billboards are seen multiple times by each individual consumer that encounters them. This is invaluable for businesses who are trying to broaden their consumer base, as the repeated exposure means your business name, ethos, and services are more likely to stick in the consumer’s mind.

With all of that said, knowing the benefits of real estate billboard advertising isn’t the same as knowing how to launch a successful campaign, or even what makes a campaign successful in the first place. As such, let’s take a look at what goes into a successful billboard advertising strategy.

Strategies for Successful Real Estate Billboard Campaigns

Although billboard ads can be compelling and efficient ways to advertise, not all billboards are built the same. The fact is, there’s an art to successful real estate billboard advertising. After all, it’s not by accident that billboards have been around since time immemorial.³

The best billboards combine creative and accessible designs with concise messaging and thoughtful location selection, among other attributes. They rely on the recognizability and consumer trust that billboards have spent decades building, but they don’t neglect the flourishes and flash that modern technology offers. 

Most importantly, they never falter in their pursuit of a singular mission: to appeal to their target audience. 

When it comes to using Miami billboard ads to bolster your real estate company, here’s what to keep in mind:⁴

• Placement is important – When it comes to real estate, three things matter above all else: location, location, location. The same is true for real estate billboard advertising. Your billboard location should be strategically placed in an area where it’s most likely to be seen by the homebuyers and home sellers you’re looking for. 
• Clarity is key – Unlike other forms of advertising, such as those that target pedestrians or people at home, your real estate billboard is going to be seen mostly by motorists who have only a handful of seconds to view your ad. As such, you will need the best billboard size and your ad needs to be easy to read at a glance. Clear, bold fonts that are large and eye-catching are the way to go.
• Less is more – By the same token, you mustn’t overload your billboard with too much information. You should only include the most vital and necessary information, such as the name of your real estate agency, your contact information, and a brief message to the consumer.
• Make it easy on the consumer – Again, most consumers will only have a few moments to interact with your billboard, so make it easy for them to follow up with you. Your contact info should be presented clearly and legibly so that it’s easy for the consumer to remember, write down, or quickly store in their phone. For this reason, a phone number is best, as email addresses and even websites can contain too many characters to be noted quickly.
• Messaging matters – The messaging of your billboard should be just as clear and concise as the design itself. Use leading, suggestive phrases and terminology that immediately let consumers know whether you’re selling homes or looking for new listings.
• The customer comes first – As in all kinds of advertising, the most successful real estate billboards are customer-focused. Your billboard should be relatable to your potential customers and cue them into how you can meet their needs. As an example, realtors who are targeting home sellers might include an image of a “SOLD” sign alongside language like “Another house sold by” and the name of the company. 
• Creativity counts – Just because billboards are among the most traditional methods of advertising doesn’t mean they have to be uninspired. Get creative with your campaign in terms of your billboard design and messaging. Captivating, thoughtfully designed ads that incorporate other media, like rotary or digital billboards, are especially effective when it comes to making your campaign stand out from the crowd.
• Make a scene – When it comes to the content on your billboards, less is more. But when it comes to the billboards themselves, more might be better. To that end, you should think about incorporating multiple billboards into your campaign, especially if you’re posting them in areas where there are a lot of other billboards. This will increase your chances of getting noticed and can help build your brand. 
• Brand better – It’s true that most motorists may only have a few seconds to take in your ad. On the other hand, most of them will see it multiple times—for instance, on their way to work in the morning and their way home at night. You can take advantage of this by organizing campaigns that are uniform and cohesive. Consistent colors, fonts, and messaging all make a big difference when it comes to branding.

True Impact Media, Your Billboard Experts 

At True Impact Media, we believe in the power of out-of-home advertising (OOH) for boosting the visibility and profits of any business. But we also know that the world of OOH isn’t always as clear as it should be. When it comes to all the industry jargon, format options, and myriad other details, you might be wondering about the best place to begin.

That place is True Impact Media. We’re advertising experts who believe that OOH advertising doesn’t have to be complicated. That’s why we’re simplifying the process and making it easier than ever for brands and businesses like yours to launch beautiful, engaging, and effective outdoor advertising campaigns.

Whether you’re brand new to billboard advertising or a veteran looking to revamp their current strategy, our media buying platform offers the tools and insight you need. Interested in launching your OOH campaign or elevating your current campaign to the next level? True Impact Media has the solution for you. Find out more today.

Sources: 

1. Chron. Do Advertising Billboards Work? https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advertising-billboards-work-75826.html 
2. Scenic. Billboard Fact Sheet. https://www.scenic.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/scenic20america20billboard20fact20sheet1.pdf 
3. Out of Home Advertising Association of America. History of OOH. https://oaaa.org/AboutOOH/OOHBasics/HistoryofOOH.aspx 
4. CT Homes. Billboard Advertising in Real Estate Marketing. https://www.cthomesllc.com/billboard-advertising-real-estate-marketing/ 
5. True Impact Media. What is the Standard Billboard Size? https://trueimpactmedia.com/blog/what-is-the-standard-billboard-size/#