Out-of-Home for Beginners

Having difficulty understanding where to start with out-of-home advertising? That’s okay! Even someone as talented as two-way player Shohei Ohtani doesn’t know the intricacies of out-of-home advertising.

When it comes to running a new business, advertising for the first time is a big step. There are several advertising formats to choose from. Deciding which ad format is best for your business, and for your budget, is a challenge. That is why we at BillboardsIn are here to guide you through the process of out-of-home advertising.

First Steps

Of course, advertising your business involves far more than just buying a billboard and hoping it brings consumers to your store. First, you should set your objective, asking yourself why you want to advertise and what you are looking to achieve. Setting specific goals will make it easier to understand how your ads should be implemented and at what point or milestone your ad campaign will be considered successful.

Audience

Something as simple as understanding your market and target audience can be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful marketing campaign. Marketing outside of your target audience means you run the risk of advertising to consumers who aren’t interested in your products. However, the benefit of out-of-home advertising is that it reaches everyone, since 96% of consumers are exposed to outdoor ads, and 71% see outdoor ads regularly, so out-of-home ads are able to reach people outside of a specific demographic you’re marketing. Out-of-home ads are particularly effective if you’re trying to bring consumers from a particular region to your store.

Regardless of your chosen ad format, important questions to consider include: Who needs your products? Who needs your products but doesn’t know about them? And, how are your goods or services different from your competitors? Once you find your target audience, it will be easier to decide which medium is best for your advertising needs, and the impressions your ads generate will be more likely to be converted into purchase decisions.

Budget

The next important step is to determine how much revenue to invest in ads and which ad format or formats you will use. In addition to revenue, you will need to figure out how you’re going to allocate your staff’s time and efforts and third-party services. Receiving quotes from a third-party is an excellent way to find out where you can cut or increase spending. You will then begin to design your ad content! Remember that every ad format is unique. Each will cost a different amount and require different resources, and your audience will also react to each ad format in different ways, so you’ll need to design your advertisements accordingly.

Why Choose OOH Advertising?

Out-of-home ads, as stated previously, reach far more consumers than any other ad format. OOH ads, and billboards in particular, are large and visually distinctive, and since they are a physical medium, they can’t be skipped, turned off, or blocked, unlike digital ads. In fact, they’re even difficult for most consumers to ignore. Traditional advertising is also perceived as being more trustworthy than non-traditional advertising. Consumers say they have the highest level of trust in billboard advertising at 82%, followed by television advertising (80%) and direct mail advertising (76%).

But the most important question is: Does OOH advertising work? Or, more precisely: will buying an OOH ad increase sales? The answer is yes. One of the most important factors businesses consider when buying advertising is cost efficiency. No one wants to buy ads that don’t bring consumers to their website or store. In terms of cost-per-thousand impressions, billboards rank as the most cost efficient ad format, even when including digital advertising. According to the OAAA, billboards cost $3 to $6 per impression, the lowest of any ad format. Furthermore, 32% of consumers have visited a retailer they saw on a billboard later the same week. OOH ads put your ads in the minds of consumers for cheap, and they bring local consumers to your store.

Are you still considering out-of-home advertising? To make a stunning outdoor ad today, check out BillboardsIn.com now to get started.