Why Billboards For Web- Based Companies Yield Big Time Benefits
When you think about billboard advertising what businesses come to mind? Is it the local pest control company, HVAC repairman or the diner down the street? We often think of billboard advertising as a spot for local businesses to gain more traction. It’s also a great way for web-based businesses to reach their audience. Especially during times when external factors are impacting the economy, creating the right out-of-home (OOH) advertising strategy can support marketing efforts for virtual companies.
Maintaining Market Share and Brand Awareness
It’s no secret that billboard advertising is a primary driver of consumer action. In fact, people are more likely to visit a businesses’ Facebook page after seeing an OOH ad than an online banner ad. Not only that, but almost half of the adults who see a billboard go on to search for that company, online, later. Using this kind of data to motivate strategy, web-based businesses are merging the virtual and real worlds through billboard advertising. This helps drive consumer action.
OOH Advertising as Social Media
When a company creates an OOH ad piece that’s unique and creative it transforms into something more. People then take pictures of these ad pieces. Those pictures get posted to social media, blurring the lines between effective online and printed advertising. You end up with one massive campaign that drives online searches. It also increases the presence of the brand.
Stronger Bonds With a Physical Presence
Out-of-home advertising brings the brand into the space where the consumer lives and works. This creates a huge advantage. Billboards give you ground in the real world, even if your business is only online. Your presence can create a stronger bond with consumers and inject you into the community. Having a physical presence when you’re an online business adds more dimension to your brand. It also helps your audience make a dynamic connection. They gain an awareness of you even when they’re not at their computers.
Avoiding a Saturated Market
It’s no surprise that online advertising is a busy place. Everyone is using it and often markets get saturated with digital ads. They’ll blend together, not allowing your company to stand out. It’s also hard to determine ROI and consumer behavior when there’s too much out there. Differentiate your advertising by turning to billboards and other forms of OOH advertising. It can help sustain your social influence.
Targeting Distinct Audience Segments
While online advertising utilizes a lot of data to help companies target campaigns, there’s one fatal flaw in this route. People can click away. A banner ad pops up, and the window gets closed before consuming any content. An ad appears in a person’s Facebook feed, but they’re scrolling too fast to notice. Your ads may end up in the right places, but aren’t for sure getting seen. While it’s easy for a digital business to get click throughs from an online ad, traffic isn’t guaranteed if nobody sees the ad.
OOH advertising is getting better thanks to improvements in geolocation. This data gives businesses access to highly localized information, allowing you to make billboard selections in the right areas. You can target consumers where they live with an advertising format they can’t ignore. You can’t click away from a billboard. In fact, most people can’t help but read them as they’re driving around town. When stuck in traffic, or at a stoplight, it’s a way to pass the time. That quick read leaves an impression, making it more likely they’ll click on to your business later.
Developing the Right Strategy During an Economic Slump
Another positive for online businesses who use OOH advertising is that it remains an affordable option even when the economy gets unsteady. A case in point, from Forbes:
“Amazon sales grew by 28% in 2009 during the “great recession.’ The tech company continued to innovate with new products during the slumping economy, most notably with new Kindle products which helped to grow market share. In a first, on Christmas Day 2009, Amazon customers bought more e-books than printed books. As a result, in the minds of consumers, Amazon became an innovative company by introducing a lower cost alternative to cash-strapped consumers.”
With continued advertising, appropriately targeting their audience, Amazon increased profits during a rough time. Having the right message, presented in its most visible way, makes a real difference. You just have to know what your audience needs.
Using the Right Source to Secure OOH Advertising
Finding the best billboard for your business means analyzing what audience segment you want to target. Once that’s done you need to know where they live. Working with the right outdoor advertising company can ensure your billboard gets seen by your consumers. At Effortless Outdoor Media we take the time to get to know your business. We learn about you and your customers in order to make appropriate suggestions on where to buy OOH advertising. We also visit each and every billboard to assure you of the quality of your spot.