Billboards are Great

In several recent articles I’ve talked about signs that work and they’ve mainly been about comparatively small signs like A-frames and so on. But I also love billboards, the bigger the better, which is why I loved a recent article in the Target Marketing e-newsletter. In the article, Candice Simons, the CEO and Founder of Brooklyn Outdoor, a regional and national force in the outdoor advertising industry, talked about her 9 Secrets to Award-Winning Billboard Advertisements.

She started by saying:

“In this age of the Internet, there are still many old-fashioned ways to advertise outside of a computer screen. A billboard is a great way to market effectively, providing high visibility for your company. However, to guarantee your billboard is doing all it can to attract customers, there are nine things you should keep in mind.”

Here are a couple of the points I reckon are right on the money:

“The 6-Word Rule: When people pass a billboard, it is likely they are not going to take time to stop and read it… especially if they are driving. A billboard must rely on delivering a message using images and a minimal amount of text. As a rule, it is best to keep text to six words. Although you can go over this recommendation by a bit, if you need a lot more words to advertise your product, billboard advertising may not be for you.

Do the Arm’s Length Test: Billboard advertising is not cheap and, if you’re going to invest, you need to make sure it’s going to be a worthwhile investment. One good way to do this is to take the ad and print it on a business card, then look at it at arm’s length. This will provide the same effect as someone passing by your billboard quickly. If the image still pops, and you feel the message it is sending is clear, then you are good to go. If not, consider tweaking some elements. Billboard advertising can be an effective way to market your company. However, it’s important to make sure your billboard gets a message out to consumers in a concise and effective way.”

There are many small business who would really benefit from an investment in billboard advertising around their local area. You may be one of them, so why not give it some thought?

For all of her 9 secrets, read the whole article here.