Driving along a highway means plenty of opportunities to see large billboard advertisements sprawled out across the countryside or packed next to each other in a major city. What determines the popularity of billboard usage is traffic, that’s why if you’re in the northeast you’re more likely to advertise your business on one of the many Boston billboards as opposed to one in Deerfield Massachusetts. Since billboards need to be seen and read by many to make an impact, they’re best placed by highly trafficked areas, this is part of the reason why they may not work for every business. Although still one of the best ways to advertise, billboards have plenty of pros and cons, so let’s dive in and see what they are.
Pros:
Best Cost Per Mile
For the amount of eyes that will see your advertisement, using one of the Boston billboards located near a major highway is a great bargain when considering cost per mile. The amount of impressions made during rush hour for instance, can rise into the millions if you’re in a major metropolis, it is one of the major reasons why billboard advertising has yet to go out of style.
Provided Memorable Visuals
Humans are able to retain images in their memory even after just having quickly seen them, this retention of visuals in our brains make billboards one of the best ways to market a business. Using one of the many Boston billboards or one located in any other major city to display an attention grabbing advert is a great way to reel in customers. Art on billboards should be bold, easy to decipher, and provide a general idea of what your business has to offer.
Help Create Impulse Purchases
One of the many pros of using a billboard in your marketing plan is that they can turn a passerby into an instant customer just off of impulse. Drivers who pass by a well situated and presented billboard are more likely to pull off the next exit to come purchase what you have to offer as opposed to seeing an unwanted ad pop up on their favorite social media app. Since most people who drive a vehicle and see your ad have more spending power, this can be utilized to a businesses advantage to sway those with the ability, to spend at their store.
Cons:
Inability to Target Specific Audiences
When marketing a product your audience can vary from wide to very niche, unfortunately billboards do not do as well as maybe a targeted social media ad, at getting all of the subsets of the demographic you’re looking to sell to. Billboards are generally aimed at people who will see the ad and that could very well be anyone, if you have a specific ad you may have to first test the demographics of the location you’ll display your advertisement in to ensure the best cost per mile.
Stationary
One major con to billboard advertisements is that they are stationary, very stationary as the post they are installed on are permanent fixtures. If construction begins on a highway and obstructs your ad during the time you rented that space then you may be completely out of luck as people are more likely to keep an eye out for road workers, construction signage, and road hazards as opposed to your newly updated digital billboard ad.
Potentially Short Exposure Times
Depending on your budget and the location of your billboard, exposure can be extremely short. People driving will only see your ad for a couple of seconds as they glance over, if you’re farther away from a city this is more prevalent as traffic may ease up to above average driving speeds. How long your ad is placed on a billboard can also shorten your exposure as people may have only seen it a few times before its down, so plan accordingly.
Overall, billboards are one of the leading ways to market a business with proven results. With the right strategy you can avoid the pitfalls of having an information dense advertisement plastered on a billboard outside of city limits. If done right, your ad will stand out from the city lights and reel in all of those potential customers that drive to and from work everyday.
