1. Billboard Advertising Needs to Be "To the Point" – and Memorable for Passing Motorists
Think about this: how much of a billboard can you read going 60 miles per hour?
 Effective billboards have a message that has "punch" such as a shorter version of a slogan. "I'm Thinking Arby's," "Got Milk?" and a variety of other "mini-slogans" add just the right of information to make it identifiable with a brand name.
In fact, part of a comprehensive advertising campaign is to create slogans for the company that promote name recognition and company branding.
Some of the most memorable outdoor billboard ads have the fewest words and three or less graphics.
2. Billboards Need to Have Lettering that is a Minimum of 1 ½ Feet Tall
Even if your billboard is close to the road, you still need to stick to this rule for maximum visibility. Remember that the speed limit of that particular stretch of road will either allow for more or less time for your message to be read.
If your outdoor billboard is further from the road or higher up from the ground, the lettering should increase in size accordingly.
3. Large and Powerful Graphics Make Billboards Memorable
A huge photograph of a hand holding a hammer says, "Strength" without words. The hammer itself can be used to portray a building company but can also project, "our workmanship is solid" for many types of businesses and industries.
A graphic such as this should be the same height as the billboard area for the most effectiveness. Remember the adage, "a picture says a thousand words" to help guide you in finding a great graphic or visual effect to say the words instead of cluttering the billboard with text.
Dare to be different with the use of graphics.
4. Contrasting Colors Make Billboards Stand Out
Your graphics and text must stand distinctly apart from each other in order to be seen and remembered. Along these same lines, a website domain name and phone number that tie into the graphic's message helps the most important information – the call to action – easy to remember.
A short and easy-to-remember domain name and phone number in bright yellow against a dark background helps the eye to register the information to the brain in a glance.
Just because all the text and graphics are very large on a billboard does not mean they will be seen and responded to. Because the elements are larger, it is even more important to use high contrast with graphics and text.
5. Billboards that Speak the Language of the Community Get Results
If your business appeals to a younger market, the edgier you can get, along with "street talk." While many business owners may not fit into that crowd, their audience might.
How you, as a business owner, may phrase a statement in "proper language," the use of slang and deliberately misspelled words can let your customers know that your business is progressive and not adverse to change and innovation.
On the other hand, if your customers consist of another type of audience, speak to them in the language they are accustomed to. "Yo, heads up" may not be very appealing to an audience who relates better to, "We're New….and Better."
6. The Way The Eye Travels is the Way Your Billboard is Read
 The eye travels from left to right. You want to be sure that your billboard's message goes in the order you intend. Make sure that your message doesn't lose the viewer in lack of order or sense.
Your graphics and text should have a natural flow so that the eye travels naturally from the most important element to the next. There should be a natural flow from element to element with the most important being what stands out the most: is it the text message or the graphic?
Again, color and contrast help to determine an easy flow where there is a specific order and the message is absolutely identifiable with your business.
7. Dare to be Drastic and Different with Your Billboard Advertising
Most of the time, it's risky to be daring in business and errors in judgment can cost a business hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
Gather ideas from friends and family as to what their most memorable billboard signs have been.
Creativity is the key so that your billboard stands out from the rest of the signage along the roadway. Think outside the box and include humor, a headline of great interest, and graphics that lead the readers to call or click to your business.
8. Create an Advertising Message on your Billboard that Beats the Competition
Consumers are exposed daily to every suggestion, nuance, and saying that advertising executives can dream up for any type of advertising campaign. The problem is, how can you make your message convey how your product or service outperforms the competition?
Come up with a better way of saying why your business is better in the fewest number of words. In fact, this is the very method used when creating a slogan and you can start with a longer slogan and shorten it to a catch-phrase for your billboard.
9. Offer Something for Free on Your Billboard
Insurance companies and other similar businesses are notorious for proclaiming, "Call for a Free Quote Today!"
Today, more than ever, consumers are not only comparison-shopping for great deals but also value for their money.
If your business offers a guarantee of work, trade-in products, humanitarian contributions and charities it donates to that people are passionate about, fit this information into your billboard message.
10. Call to Action Boost Response Rates
Including a call to action on your billboard can dramatically increase response rates. A lot of billboard are for branding, which is a costly because brand advertising takes many simultaneous billboards. A Call to action can be call now, come today, mention this billboard and get 25% off.
Important Points to Remember:
- Create billboard messages that are to the point.
- Create letters and graphics that are adequate in size and height for visibility.
- Create billboard messages that can be easily seen and their messages understood quickly.
- Be creative with graphics, text, color, contrast and concepts.
- Be sure to relay an offer and a call to action for more information by phone or website.
Resources:
Billboard Advertising Best Practices:
http://www.gaebler.com/Billboard-Advertising-Best-Practices.htm
How to advertise on a Billboard:
http://www.ehow.com/how_16618_advertise-billboard.html
Cost-Effective Billboard Advertising:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/increase-sales-with-cost-effective-billboard-advertising.html
See Also:
 Issues To Consider For Your Outdoor Advertising Campaign: This article outlines issues such as the effectiveness of outdoor advertising, new advances in technology, performance, and more.
 Outdoor Billboard Advertising This article touches on issues such as; location, distractions, high traffic areas, and other considerations you'll want to keep in mind..
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