6 Golden Rulesof

Billboard Advertising

Rule 1 - Keep it Simple

It’s sometimes tempting to treat a billboard like a giant canvas. Don’t. Stick to one message and keep it punchy and simple. The best billboards use only one large image and usually limit the text to fewer than 7 words. Think about your audience – they don’t get long to take in your advertisement, some-times as little as 2 seconds as they drive past. That isn’t much time to process complex messages or text-heavy designs, so keep your message short and to the point. The minimum you need is:

• Your company name / logo / brand.

• Your product, service or an impression of what you do (use an image if you can). If you have several things to say, leave them till next time and pick the strongest.

• Your location (phone web or physical location. Don't overload the contact details, nobody is going to remember all of them as they drive past your poster.

• Your OFFER - why the customer should take note. Focus on grabbing attention by using high-impact visuals, bright colors, and fewer words. Try to avoid complex punctuation, phrases or grammar where possible as this can lead to people losing their focus on the message. Everything you do should add impact, simplicity, and ultimately aid understandable.

Get noticed be remembered!

Less is more when it comes to billboard advertising.

The 6 Golden Rules of Billboard Advertising | Nov 2015 | Airoutdoor Limited

Rule 2 - Colours & Fonts

If you're looking to create an effective billboard, make sure the colours you choose work. Some colour combinations are easier to see than others, whilst certain colours produce different psychological impacts on viewer and have particular associatons.

Colours. The best billboards usually only use two basic colours. These form afoundation for the images, text and logos to be used. If you want high visibility, choose high contrast, but be aware of making your design too bright as it can start to look ‘cheap’. Avoid solid dark backgrounds as the weight of ink makes installation difficult and can lead to increased peeling.

Fonts. Choose the right font. Anything below 60pt is not going to be seen. Try to keep the type bold and always use a simple typeface (unless the font is part of your brand name or design). Serif and Sans Serif fonts are fine, but consider the weight - the thinner it is, the harder it will be to read from a distance.

Remember - the right font choice can make an advert.

For more examples on colours and font sets please visit: www.sliderabbit.com

Correct colour palette and font choice are incredibly important.

The 6 Golden Rules of Billboard Advertising | Nov 2015 | Airoutdoor Limited

Rule 3 - Make it Memorable

Billboard advertisements should be designed to attract attention quickly, and create a lasting impression. The more memorable the better. Research shows that billboard advertising has one of the highest retention rates available, at well over 70%, far higher than radio, newspaper, cinema or online.

Think about using a bold, high-impact or even shocking image – as long as it’s remembered. Ask the user a question, or make a bold surprising statement, or make an offer that makes them think ‘Wow!’ Anything to leave people pondering after they have passedthe advertisement.

Make it memorable...

Get noticed, be remembered.

The 6 Golden Rules of Billboard Advertising | Nov 2015 | Airoutdoor Limited

Rule 4 - Chose a Great Location

Even with the best design, the most eye-catching imagery and the most memorablemessage, if the location is poor, you're going to struggle. Location really is key. What you need, is long ‘read length’. How much time does your audience have to see your message before they pass it? This is affected by speed of traffic and by the visibility of your chosen billboard.

Consider the speed of the traffic where your advert is placed. How much attention will drivers give your message if they’re going quickly? Slower speeds increase read length for drivers and can make your message much easier to process.

Make sure there's nothing obstructing the view of the billboard including trees, lamposts, wires, buildings or other objects. If people don't see your ad until they're almost passed it, then they won't have long enough to absorb your message.

Choose your locations carefully

Finding the perfect location is critical to success.

The 6 Golden Rules of Billboard Advertising | Nov 2015 | Airoutdoor Limited

Rule 5 – Create Coverage

If you’re planning a roadside billboard campaign it’s important to remember that people used roads to actually travel. So if you want to get the best value for money from your campaign, you’ll need to capture the audience as they move around.

That might mean for example placing ads on the major roads into a city, or repeating amessage at the beginning of school holidays. It might mean being ‘everywhere’ for a short time, or always being ‘somewhere’ like a dripping tap.

Catch as many people as you can.

The 6 Golden Rules of Billboard Advertising | Nov 2015 | Airoutdoor Limited

Rule 6 – The Call to Action

In most cases, billboards are used to make the people who see them do something. This is the ‘call to action’. There are many different kinds, just make sure you have one!

Bring People to You - If your company or product is reliant on local customers,consider using billboards as a roadmap to drive people to you.

Ask People To Call You - If you have a business that relies on inbound calls, tell people to call you. Make sure the phone number is easily notable, clear and as memorable as possible. Memorable

Find ways that lead people to immediate action.

The 6 Golden Rules of Billboard Advertising | Nov 2015 | Airoutdoor Limited

numbers are likely to bring more business leads, forming part of your brand identity and helping you track your outdoormarketing campaigns.

Direct People To A Website - Whenpositioning a website url on your billboard, ensure this is towards the bottom of the advertisement so it's not too overpowering. Give an incentive for users to visit your website by offering a discount on their first order. Forget the ‘www’ people know what a web address is by now.

Airoutdoor is the UK'sfastest growing outdoor

advertising company

Interested in viewing our billboardadvertising opportunities?

Talk to us about how we can help you reach millions of new customers via our UKroadside network, whether it be small

circuits or national exposure.

Tel: +44 (0) 1924 440 563Email: info@airoutdoor.co.uk

Website: airoutdoor.co.uk