Billboard advertising can be intimidating. Keep reading to learn Blip’s tips and tricks to executing a flawless billboard campaign!
If you’re new to Blip, or billboard advertising in general, getting started can be a little tricky. Billboards, a method of traditional advertising, have been around for years. However, most businesses nowadays are used to online advertising. While Blip is designed to operate similar to online ads, billboards in general operate differently than a social media platform. Not to mention the results are much different as well! To get the most out of your billboard campaigns and make sure they run flawlessly from start to finish, we’ve put together a list of billboard best practices to help you out!
If you aren’t already familiar with Blip’s design guidelines, be sure to check those out here! Your ad will not be approved if it does not pass the design guidelines.
Less is Always More
When it comes to billboard advertising, less is always more. This applies to both your billboard design and hours scheduled during the day (not your daily budget, that you should always up as much as you can). When working on your billboard design, you should be clear and concise. Your ad should have less than 7-10 words, as passersby won’t have time to read anything longer than that. This means only putting the most crucial information on your billboard!
When scheduling your campaign during the day, you should not have your ad running all hours of the day. Instead, figure out when your target audience is out and about and schedule it around those times. This allows you to spend your ad dollars in the best way possible and ensure you don’t spend all your ad budget upfront.
Don’t Try to Be Everywhere
With smaller daily budgets don’t try to be everywhere – stick with one DMA (designated market area). Blip’s algorithm works to find the lowest cost per Blips and not all billboards have the same market rate. This means you will inevitably display more heavily on some signs than others, so don’t try to be everywhere! Just focus on a single area when getting started. Our billboard specialists say to consider multiple DMAs once you have a daily budget upwards of $30.
When deciding where to advertise, figure out where your target audience goes most often! If your target audience is college students, it’s best to advertise on billboards closest to college campuses. If you are a local business, try advertising on the billboards closest to your store and provide directions on how to get there.
Design is Key
Your billboard design is key in engaging drivers with your ad! A well thought out design can make the biggest difference in your advertisement results. Here are a few things to keep in mind when designing your ad:
- Use large, bold fonts and high contrasting colors. These will quickly grab attention and be the most readable – this is especially important as people will drive by fairly quickly and need to consume your message as fast as possible.
- Don’t ask yes or no questions. If there’s a question on your ad that people can say “no” to, then your ad is no longer relevant to them! Instead, ask open-ended questions to get people intrigued about your message.
- Use your billboard to push your target audience towards your next advertising medium where they have the time to really learn about the solution you’re offering. This means including a website URL or perhaps even a social media handle on your ad design. Once a viewer knows their next steps, the chances of them taking an action after seeing your ad is much higher.
Have a Timeline
Your billboard ad must go through our approval process (up to 48 business hours), so be sure to factor this into your campaign timeline! Blip cannot speed up the approval process, as all ads are approved by both Blip and the sign owners themselves. Blip recommends getting your campaign ready to go about a week before you want your ads to display. If there’s any issues, you have time to sort them out or contact Blip for assistance.
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Blip is designed to be self-serve, but we are always happy to help. Reach out to support whenever you have questions OR if you’re a Blip subscriber then contact your Dedicated Billboard Specialist!
