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Outdoor Billboard Advertising Tips
 Outdoor billboard advertising is a very effective way to get your message across. It is not the least expensive, but it offers some advantages that you won't get in other forms of advertising.
One big area is that billboard advertising gives you a way to have repeated contact with your customers. Studies have shown that it takes up to 7 times of telling a customer to act before they will actually do anything about your message.
Depending on the location of your outdoor advertising signage, you will be able to reach the average commuter 20 – 40 times during a one-month period. You would need to purchase a lot of adverting from radio, TV or newspaper ads to get that much exposure.
The following 3 steps are critical to the success of your billboard advertising campaign. They will help you think through some of the major issues that will help you get the most from your advertising.
Location, location, location
Just like finding the right location for your business is crucial, the right location of a billboard can make or break your advertising effectiveness. There are several things you need to consider when deciding on where to locate your sign. Good outdoor advertising companies will be able to work with you for finding the best location for your sign.
High Traffic
One thing you want from your billboard to have in an area that has a lot of traffic. It doesn't do you much good to have a great sign that nobody sees. The more people that see your sign, the more people will act on your message, and the more customers you can attract.
You do need to be aware that the higher the traffic past your sign, the higher the outdoor advertising rates will be. How much it will cost depends on many factors, but a general rule is that more traffic costs more money
Easy To See
You also need to be sure that the traffic passing your sign can actually see your sign. If it is in a location with an obstructed view or an area that has a lot of other distractions for your customers it will not be nearly as effective. Two major distractions to consider are traffic distractions and competing objects.
Traffic Distractions
If your sign is located at a busy intersection with a lot going on, your customers will need to be paying attention to their driving. They will not be able to take the time to look at the billboard. While you may get a lot of traffic past your sign, most of that traffic will be paying attention to what is going on with the cars that are around them.
Competing Objects
If given a choice, it is far better to have a billboard in a place by itself instead of a collection of several signs grouped together. You do not want to have to compete with several other signs for attention. If there are 3 other signs in the same location, your sign will only capture a quarter of the attention. You may end up paying for traffic that will not pay attention to your sign at all.
Contact Information
One thing you need to be sure to include is where you are and how to reach you. Whether that is the address of your business, an easy to remember phone number (think 1-800-SAFE-AUTO), or your web address, you need to let people know where to go.
Make sure your contact information is large enough that your customers can see it without any effort. The more they have to work, the less effective your advertisement is going to be.
Easy to Read
You only have a couple of seconds to get your message across. Any longer than that and your customers will have driven past your billboard, and your chance to deliver your message will be lost.
Billboard advertising is a very good way to reach a lot of people on a repeated basis. By making sure your billboard is easily seen, and you have a short, well targeted message, you can see outstanding results for you advertising campaign.
For more information about billboard advertising, check out: http://www.oaaa.org/marketingresources/factsandfigures/strategicuses.aspx.
Points To Keep In Mind…
- The more often you can get your message to a group of customers, the better your results will be.
- You only have a few seconds to get your message to the average viewer.
- High traffic area will cost more in advertising fees, but will deliver better results.
- You need to make sure your billboard is in an area where it is not competing with other things for your customer's attention.
- An advertisement that is up for 30-days will be seen by the average commuter 20-40 times.
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 page covers some important outdoor billboard advertising guidelines, including the size of words, graphics, visibility, readability, call to action, and more.
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