Advertising Outdoors
Outdoor advertising is a powerful way to reach your target market that is often overlooked. It's not just billboards and foot advertisements, but also bus benches and street posts. This diverse array of options means that your message can be seen by more people wherever they go.
If you're looking for a way to catch the attention of customers, look no further than our blog post on outdoor advertising! We have tips on how to use it most effectively and which types are best for different purposes.
Start with a Message
Your first step should be to determine what you want to emphasize in your advertising. Do you want to draw attention to the product itself? Or are you looking to put forth an image in order to cultivate trust among potential buyers? Every outdoor ad has a very different purpose, but it's your job as the marketer or advertiser to figure out what that purpose is.
Once you've determined this, choosing an area is important. If you're going for simple brand awareness, then getting as much exposure as possible is key. Therefore, billboards will likely be the right choice for your campaign.
If you're looking to encourage action, then a bus bench may be a smarter choice. These are more versatile because they can also include offers. You can debut a new service or product and encourage people to sign up for information on it.
When you're thinking about outdoor advertising, don't just think about billboards and bus benches as stand-alone ads; think about them as visual representations of your campaigns. Consider what image you want to project and what message to put forward in your selected medium. Avoid bland ads with no clear purpose, particularly if the location is busy. It's important to get the message across clearly and effectively.
Media Planning
Once you've figured out what kind of outdoor advertising you're going to use, it's time to decide where you're going to put it up. This is the dark art of media planning. Out of all the options we've listed, this is where there will be the most variation from campaign to campaign. However, here are some basic tips that can help you:
Check local laws before putting up any ads outdoors. Different areas have different restrictions on what can be said and done in outdoor advertising.
Parts of the country are more crowded than others, and this will affect your media planning. In busy areas that have a lot of foot traffic, radio and television ads may not get as much exposure as you'd expect. Instead, focus on billboards that are near bus stops or corners to make sure that they can be seen.
In other areas where the population is sparse, you might want to focus on social media advertising instead. It's very easy to spread a message quickly through Facebook and other platforms. If you do choose this option, it's important to take advantage of targeted ads so that only people in your target market receive the message.
Get Creative
With outdoor advertising, creativity is key. If you don't have the budget to fly in a plane, then there are plenty of creative alternatives that you can use. There's no reason why solely outdoor advertising has to be limited to just billboards or bus benches; it really just depends on what message you want to put out there and how you're going to do it. Whether it's a radio jingle, a television commercial, or a Facebook post, there are many different ways to effectively reach your customers.
Advertisements are great in the right location, but they're better when you can put your brand or message on an appealing medium. If you're going for something creative and hand-drawn, then using bus benches is probably going to be a good choice. They're inexpensive and will allow you to get creative with your message without too much cost.
If you have the budget to fly in an airplane, then that's definitely the way to go. You can use outdoor advertising billboards and buses benches as ways of spreading your message far and wide from one place to another. This is great because you'll be able to capitalize on a wider audience.
Message and Location
When you're planning your outdoor advertising campaign, it's important to create a clear message. Even if the location is incredibly busy, there's no point in putting up an ad with a confusing or unclear message that people won't understand. Make sure that your message is concise and conveys everything you need in as few words as possible. Remember that the location will have some impact on what people see!
For example, if you're flying in an airplane over New York City with a brilliant ad that promotes your brand, it'll most likely be covered by other ads before it reaches the ground. On the other hand, if you're ad is on a billboard going past a rural house, the message will reach a more limited audience.
Think about where your customers are and how they will see your ads. Think about the message you want to get across, and how it is affected by location. Then make sure that you can convey your message clearly so people know exactly what you want them to do when they see it!
Create an Image
While some outdoor advertising campaigns focus on getting a specific message across through various mediums, some are better at creating an image that prompts people to bring their own interpretation to the table. This type of advertising is effective in creating a buzz among potential customers and works well if you're trying to encourage some level of brand loyalty or trust. If you're looking to create an image, then choosing a bus bench is going to be a better choice than a billboard:
When you choose a bus bench, you'll have much more room to put together your message. You can be more creative with the design and still have plenty of room for clear text that gets your message across. This will give you the opportunity to create an image and offer people something interesting that they can talk about as they pass by. This is especially important if your location isn't as busy, since there won't be as much foot traffic.
The other option is to use billboards. While you don't have as much space to work with, you can still be creative. You can make it clear that it's your company by using consistent design elements or a logo that people will recognize.
Once you've chosen the location of your outdoor advertising campaign and started thinking about the images you want to create, take some time to sit down and plan out what you want to do. Make it clear and interesting so that people will stop in their tracks.
Conclusion
Outdoor advertising is an important part of any business, and that fact doesn't change when you're talking about small business owners. You just have to find a way to do it that's best for your budget and what you want to accomplish. There's no reason why an outdoor advertising campaign can't be creative and effective; it just all depends on the message you want to put out there.
Creating effective messages that are clear and interesting is one of the keys to getting people interested. It's especially important if your location isn't so great, since you'll need something unique in order to draw attention.
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Advertising Outdoors