Why the Billboard Market is More Important Now Than Ever

Although outdoor advertising market trends can change in the blink of an eye, there’s at least one method that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere: the billboard. 

When done correctly, billboards are vibrant, smartly designed, and able to capture the attention of mobile consumers to increase a business’ brand awareness. But in the era of online ads and social media marketing, is the billboard market still a viable way for brands and businesses to reach potential customers?

The answer is yes. Despite the plethora of advertising options now available, billboards are bigger than ever. Here are four reasons why.

#1 Billboards Work 

Billboards are among the most familiar forms of out-of-home (OOH) advertising available. Since the format was pioneered way back in the mid-1800s to the present day, advertising bulletins, posters, and junior posters are regular fixtures of highways, local roads, and other highly visible, high-traffic locations. 

And there’s a good reason that the billboard market continues to thrive into the 21st century. The fact is, billboards work when reaching a target audience. When it comes to elevated impressions, boosted audience engagement, and better business, billboards stand tall among other advertising campaign methods, from other OOH strategies to in-home strategies.

The statistics on billboard marketing back this up. To wit: 

• 71% of Americans actively engage with billboards from vehicles 
• 37% of Americans look at almost every billboard ad they pass
• 56% of Americans are likely to mention an interesting or funny billboard advertisement

When you consider that the average American spends around 300 hours in a car each year, those statistics are only more impressive. Additionally, there are many factors that can impact a static billboard’s performance, from its design and content to the billboard location. But on average, billboards offer a return on investment (ROI) of around 497%. That equals out to not quite six dollars earned for every dollar you spend on the billboard. 
To find out more about the billboard conversion rate and how effectiveness for outdoor advertising is measured, make sure to visit our resource center for more information on tracking ooh impressions and other billboard metrics.

#2 Billboards Are Modern and Versatile  

The world of OOH advertising is not one powered by the belief that you don’t fix something until it’s broken. With an eye on continual improvement, the ad creators, designers, tech wizards, and others in OOH are constantly innovating new solutions and strategies that work for companies of all sizes and across all industries.  

As a result, cutting-edge tech developments are helping to breathe new life into outdoor advertising. Digital advertising kiosks light up city sidewalks, shopping centers, and airport concourses all over the world. Video ads play on crystal-clear LED screens at the gas pump and in rideshare back seats. Interactive display, augmented reality advertising, and QR code OOH strategies help put consumers at the center of the action and drive engagement. 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Bulletins, billboards, and posters have also received digital upgrades. Far from being rudimentary holdovers from an archaic past, 21st-century billboards are just about as plugged in as your smartphone—and are even capable of talking to it.

Here are just two key ways that modern technology has revitalized the billboard market:  

• Digital billboards – With scrolling or animated text, cinema-quality moving images, and even interactive elements, digital billboards are bold, eye-catching, and appealing to potential customers.

Geofencing technology – Some digital billboards are outfitted with GPS-enabled devices that draw a specified boundary or fence around the billboard design. When consumers enter that boundary using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, a mechanism is triggered that enables ads to play on whatever device the consumer is using.

#3 They’re a Cost-Effective Advertising Strategy 

Billboard advertising isn’t always the cheapest way to reach consumers. A digital billboard can cost thousands of dollars depending on the size and location, and even traditional billboards can get pricey. 
The good news? Billboard advertising is so effective that the top-dollar prices of the billboard market are well worth it for most businesses. As mentioned above, billboards on average offer a return on investment (ROI) of around 497%.

#4 They’re Amenable to Multichannel Marketing Efforts

These days, it’s rarely enough to target consumers using only one advertising method. Instead, competing with personal digital devices and online platforms that offer highly personalized advertising experiences means brands must pursue consumers down several avenues at once.

That’s where multichannel marketing comes in. It’s the practice of harnessing the power of various marketing campaign channels to reach your audience. In other words, a multichannel approach means your billboards, posters, and bulletins, whether static or digital, work in concert with your other marketing strategies, like your: 

• Official website
• Social media strategy 
• Email marketing strategy 
• TV and radio ads

It takes planning and preparation to achieve the cohesion that a multichannel marketing campaign approach requires, but in the end, the outdoor ad and billboard market going all-in on the strategy is good news for brands. This approach can help ensure that your messaging is consistent across all the platforms you use, create multiple points of customer contact, and even attract higher-spending customers.

True Impact Media

Need help planning your OOH advertising campaign? Turn to the experts at True Impact Media, where we believe that OOH can work for any business, but especially yours.
Our OOH Media Buying Platform gives advertisers a simplified, streamlined, and worry-free way to get in on OOH and bring your brand outdoors and in front of consumers. Contact us to get started today!

Sources: 

Scenic America. Facts about the Billboard Industry. https://www.scenic.org/sign-control/billboard-info/billboard-industry/ 

True Impact Media. Geo-Targeting vs Geofencing: What’s the Difference? https://trueimpactmedia.com/blog/geo-targeting-vs-geofencing/ 

True Impact Media. What is a Billboard’s ROI? https://trueimpactmedia.com/blog/what-is-a-billboards-roi/ 
Sprout Social. Multichannel Marketing: What it is and how to start using it effectively. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/multichannel-marketing/