How to Get the Most from Billboard Advertising?

Billboards and/or advertising panels are an outdoor advertising structure consisting of a flat support on which advertisements are fixed. 

Creativity in billboards is usually a common characteristic that differentiates them from the rest of the advertising elements, especially because thanks to its dimensions the attention on the billboard is undeniable and the unique advantage of the dimension makes the content large and can hold more information. 

What are billboards used for?

The main use of a billboard is as an advertising campaign that involves some novelty, as a reminder of a brand, awareness of a topic… even to advertise high-grade alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which is completely prohibited in other media. 

Actually, billboards are used more to put campaigns focused on an impressive image and little text than to implement a large amount of information within them. It has been shown that the information reading time is minimal, especially since the vehicles are usually occupied by a driver and this cannot divert attention from the road.

From what materials can billboards be created?

• Canvas
• Acrylic fences
• Fabric fences or chain link fences
• Plastic fences, especially PVC
• Valleys of electrical screens
• Sound or smell fences, these types of fences are very recent in the market and quite a claim in marketing. Although in some countries it has ceased to be used and has even been banned due to the great distraction they produce.

There are other types of materials with which outdoor billboards are made, but they are specific materials that are used as marketing strategies and are not recommended for constant use.

Where are the billboards placed?

They are placed on uninhabited land and they are not allowed to be placed on the facades of houses, as well as on roads.

Surely you have found these billboards in:

• Stadiums, sports centers, swimming pools… Any sports facility that is of considerable size so that it can be placed and that also guarantees adequate attention to it so that it is interesting and not annoying.
• Colleges, universities, institutes…
• Airports, bus stations, metro, train…
• In public locations with a large area, such as parks, squares…
• In buildings under construction, vacant lots, uninhabited lots…

Advantages and disadvantages of using billboards as an element of outdoor advertising

Advantages

Although every day there is more use of online advertising elements as a form of communication between the company and the target audience, it is necessary to study in each case which is the communication channel that best suits and can be enhanced according to the type of business and sector of the advertising company.  

The combination of both forms of advertising, online and offline, do not have to be at odds, together they can achieve more advantages, but for now we are going to focus on the advantages and disadvantages of  a digital billboard advertising campaign and after you read those, you’ll have the necessary information to decide if that’s something you need to implement as part of your marketing strategy or not. 

• Advertising is active 24 hours a day and 7 days a week until the ad is removed. There is no need to schedule hours or control success because the billboard is left there and works itself without maintenance or control. 
• Choice of the target audience according to the place where it is installed. For example, you are a sports store and you have released a new collection of winter jackets, placing a billboard in a sports stadium, in a swimming pool or in any sports facility guarantees that the public to whom the information is intended is the right one. 
• Adequate price for the number of people who arrive. Even when you do not select such a specific place for your billboard, you ensure that your information is reaching a large number of people and that you promote your brand and your campaign. You can cover a sector of the population that you did not know was among your potential customers. 
• Immediate effect. From the moment the billboard is installed, the information is already circulating. You don’t have to wait for another ad to end, or for the lights to come on to be able to see it, or for a certain time of the day to arrive for its broadcast to begin… 

Drawbacks

As for the drawbacks, the fact that you cannot place them in all places is especially noteworthy, but also their distribution is restricted according to regulations.  

And another drawback is the high level of creativity that the poster needs to have in order to draw the customer’s attention quickly and directly. Users normally receive a large amount of advertising information on a daily basis, and all companies are under pressure for the ads they promote to be very attractive and the information to be very relevant. If we also add the fact that it cannot be incorporated anywhere, the creativity must be even more ferocious.