What is Billboard Advertising? Popular types of billboards

Did you know that more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas? This is why billboards are so important for advertising. They're a great way to reach people who live in dense populations and they can be seen by millions at once. This article will cover the most basic aspects related to billboard advertising.

What is Billboard Advertising?

Billboard advertising is a way to promote consumer goods, services or ideas. Billboards are typically placed along highways and busy streets in spots where they will be seen by thousands of people each day. If well designed, billboards can be great for brand development and generating brand awareness.

Types of billboards

Billboards can be classified into types as below:

Classic billboard (Bulletin)

Classic billboards are large billboards placed in high traffic areas. They can be up to 14 feet tall and 50 feet wide and they're typically painted on one side.

Vinyl billboards

Vinyl billboards are the updraded version of classic billboards. Vinyl billboards have the same size and same place as classic billboards. However, Vinyl billboards are painted with an UV defensive paint. This not only makes them become brighter, more alluring but also waterproof and graffit-proof. Vinyl billboards are also easier to change during the time of contract because they can be taken down, painted over and replaced in a matter of hours. In addition, vinyl street furniture is usually made up from steel piping combined with a fiberglass or plastic surface.

Outdoor billboards

This billboard which can be seen along busy streets in many cities. Compared to bulletins and vinyl billboards, this billboard is painted on both sides. This also makes the two sides available for advertisements.

Mobile billboards

Mobile billboards are a great option for companies who want their advertisements to be seen in a very different way. Mobile billboards are trucks with big advertising space and they can be easily moved from one location to another.

Digital billboards

Digital billboards are a new kind of advertising media that have been used only since the 1990s. Digital screens now play a major role in outdoor advertising as they can be changed frequently, allow multiple ads to run using scrolling technology and even include sound.

Who provides billboard advertising?

Business can seek one of these types of billboard advertising providers:

Media companies (Out of home)

Many advertising firms offer billboards as a service to companies looking for billboard advertising. However, most media companies do not provide designing services. Therefore, you have to design the billboards by yourself. They can help you make some amendments with the design before putting into the advertising place.

Advertising agencies

Advertising agencies are those who offer full-services of billboard advertising. They can help you design your billboard and bring them into the show. Although advertising agencies cannot serve medias by themselve, they are always in a partnership with at least 1 media company.

Designers

Most designers offer the same service categories as advertising agencies. The big difference between them is in their nature: individual vs organization. Designers cannot handle a large volume of tasks, however, they can do a single task better and marketing agencies. You should consider carefully when choosing between an advertising agency and a designer.

The costs of Billboard Advertising

There are usually 2 types of costs which involve in billboard advertising: Design costs and Billing costs.

Design costs

You may think that you can draw your own billboard but hiring a designer will be money well spent because good design draws the attention of people 20 times better than bad design. The design fee is usually 1/3rd to half of the total cost of your bill.

Billing costs

The billing costs are mainly the costs of putting up your billboard for advertisement for a period of time. There are 3 main factors affecting the billing costs:

- The location of billboard: Billboards placed in central locations usually have higher costs than ones placed in remote location.

- The type of billboard: Vinyl billboards and digital billboards typically have higher costs than classic billboard.

- The period of time: the longer time you intend to advertise, the higher billing costs will be. However, the longer time you advertise, the lower cost per month (or per day) you will be charged.

Billboard design tips

You can take into notice below tips when designing a billboard:

Use a single, clear and short message

People won't spend much time seeing billboards. Therefore, it would be better if you use a single and clear message to make people quickly understand what your business is about.

Make it memorable

Billboard is an ad media where you only have seconds to make people remember your business. This means that you should use a catchphrase, logo or distinctive images in the billboard.

Prioritize using your brand recognition elements (colors, fonts, symbols...)

Prioritize using your brand recognition elements (colors, fonts, symbols) since people will firstly see your billboard as a business card of your company. You can use new creative design on the other hand, but you should know that customers are mostly familiar with traditional and classic designs.

Consider the demographics of the billboard location

When you choose a billboard location, consider the demographics of the place: age, gender, occupation, education, religion... of those who live in the area. This will help you to choose the right billboard design and target your customers more accurately.

Location picking tips

You should choose the location where you want to put your billboard carefully because it is one of the most important factors which affect the effectiveness of your billboards.

Choose a highly-visible location

It will be great if you can place your billboard in a highly-visible location because people are more likely to see it there. However, keep in mind that selecting a highly-visible location might backfire if people cannot see your billboard clearly.

Choose a place where you want to position your business

If you only plan to place one billboard, choose a place where you want to position your business so that you can bring it closer to the public. Don't forget about the demographics of the area because it will have a great impact on the effectiveness of your billboard.

Avoid being close to similar advertising media or competitors' billboards

If you place your billboard too close to similar advertising media or competitor's billboards, people might not notice it. It is better if you choose a location where there are not many billboards surrounding yours.

Avoid being too close to the road or intersections

If you cannot avoid putting your billboard at a location where there are traffic lights, try to keep it away from the road so that drivers won't get distracted by your billboards. It is also important to avoid placing billboards near intersections because people might have difficulties in distinguishing yours from other billboards.

Consider the viewers' age and gender when placing your billboard

Before deciding on a location, consider the viewers' age and gender because this will help you to choose the right spot for your billboard. This is important whether you want to target people in one specific age group or certain genders.

Make sure that signs do not block the driver's view

It is important to make sure that signs do not block the driver's view. It can be a safety hazard if people cannot see what is on the road ahead because of your billboard. This is especially true for billboards with moving images or electronic billboards which are likely to grab people's attention easily.

Conclusion

Billboard is an ad media which you can use to maximize the exposure of your brand. It will be better if you choose a highly-visible location, come up with a clear and simple message, prioritize using your brand recognition elements, consider the demographics of billboard viewers before designing your billboards and make sure that signs do not block driver's view.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)