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Contents

Out-of-the-box ABM

Extend your marketing mix outside the "Facebook/Adwords" box

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2 min read

Hints for a Great Billboard Advertisement

What does it take to boost your billboard advertisement ROI? What's your billboard missing?

All advertising forms must be creative to stand out from the hustle and bustle of regular commuters. The best way to achieve this is by making it fun, enjoyable, appealing, and most importantly, memorable. Today, you will find over 343 thousand Out of Home advertising examples almost everywhere in the United States alone and counting.

A great billboard advertisement has to tell a story in a way that your audience finds both interesting and memorable. So, whether you're calling on humor, empathy, anger, or cleverness, ensure you invest in emotional marketing tactics that speak to your customers.

But what does it take to create the perfect billboard advertisement that gets results?

1. The Six Words or Less Rule

Yes, it's six words.

If you cannot communicate a significant idea within these few words, keep working on it. Eventually, you'll get it right.

On average, commuters spend ten seconds or less glancing at billboard advertisements, which doesn't give you much time to play with words. You want to get your point across within this time to get results.

This leads us to our next point.

“Lightbulb” by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO for The Economist

2. Key Content

You will notice from the best Out of Home advertising examples that getting your main point out and fast is the best strategy. Every element of your billboard is important and should capture the right attention from your customers.

As such, you must make your call to action easy to spot and remember. For this, we advise you to use your words sparingly and wisely. You'll also want to space them just enough to make your intentions clear to your audience to get your desired results.

“Submerged Billboard” by Fame Adlabs for Day After Tomorrow

3. Tell a (Short) Story

Remember, you have around 10 seconds or less to pass your message across. Make every second count.

The best Out of Home advertising examples takes viewers on a journey – even if it's a four-second glimpse of your message over the steering wheel.

Most drivers stop reading after just a few words. So, ensure your billboard advertisement describes the essence of your idea rather than just describing it using text. What’s your idea or campaign about?

“You Made It” by Tony Godzik for The Detroiter Travel Center

4. Make Your Story Bold and Simple

Besides being short, you also want to keep your billboard design simple enough to reach the highest number of viewers. After all, some of your potential customers may be blowing past your posts at over 70 mph.

So, it's always better to use bigger and bolder fonts against contrasting background colors. You want colors that stand out more and resonate with your viewers. The simpler and bolder, the better.

“Cleans Pores, Fights Pimples” by Mike Sicam for Pond’s

5. Make It Interactive

Your billboard advertisement will only be as good as its surrounding environment. Depending on its location, your advertising can stick out more and grab your audience’s attention when they can see it clearly. But you must get every aspect of it right.

It's not just a matter of putting up a billboard and hoping for results. Make your customers want to engage with it more and possibly lead to more conversions.

“Tunnel” by Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann for Oldtimer Restaurants

6. Be Clever (Not Smart) With Your Designs

Smart billboards are the ones potential clients will notice naturally and have them talking for a while. In contrast, clever billboards tend to have complex visual metaphors or complicated designs and puns that need a second glance to understand.

You want your billboard to be the former to leave a lasting impression. Besides passing your message across, you also want to spark some form of emotion from your viewers. Make them think, laugh, or have some emotional response that makes your message memorable and relatable.

“Giant Chocolate Billboard” for Cadbury

Billboard Advertising: The Marketing You Need

Billboard advertising is still a highly effective form of promoting your products/services and boosting your brand when you get it right. It can also strengthen your inbound marketing strategies like blogging, SEO, or lead offers.

The billboard advertisement hints above should help you create more impactful, memorable Out of Home advertising examples. Who knows? This could be your lucky break and get more customers visiting your site or shop.

Want to create a great billboard advertisement?

Book a Strategy Session!