Billboard advertising has been a staple part of marketing strategies for decades, and for good reason. Billboard ads are easily noticeable by the public, can be custom tailored for different locations, and are perfect for improving brand awareness passively just by getting your name and aesthetic out into the advertising market.
But billboard advertisements can also perform poorly if you position them in the wrong spots or if you don’t keep your target audience in mind. Today, let’s take a look at the best places to use billboard advertising so you can maximize the effectiveness of this marketing style.
Transit Stations and Freeways
Naturally, it’s a good idea to set up plenty of billboard ads near transit stations, such as airport terminals, train stations, bus stations, and more. Transit stations always have a lot of people pass through them every day.
When positioned strategically, your billboard ads might even reach national or international customers, not just people in your local area. That’s a big reason why these billboard advertising spots are usually very pricey!
However, it may also be a good idea to put up billboards lining freeways and highways. There’s a reason why billboards are some of the most common advertisements in the country; it’s because America has tons of freeways and highways frequented every day by millions of people!
The right billboard advertisements on the right freeways can do a lot more for your marketing campaign than you initially believe!
College Centers
College campuses, as well as student centers like college towns or neighborhoods with student housing, can also be effective places to set up billboard ads. College kids oftentimes use advertisements for career placement opportunities, job opportunities, college supplies, and similar businesses or industries.
Even better, advertising near universities and college campuses lets you advertise not just to young professionals but also to educators and teachers: two major demographics who might comprise a major part of your target audience.
Shopping Hubs
Shopping hubs, like malls, downtown shopping areas, and similar locations can be prime places for billboard advertisements as well. However, note that these places usually have the highest billboard advertising rates – you may only want to set up one or two billboards to start to see how effective your ads are in these locations.
Sports Stadiums
Then there are sports stadiums, like football arenas, baseball stadiums, and so on. You can buy billboard space in the arenas themselves, of course. But you can also set up billboard ads around the streets leading to a stadium.
It might be a wise idea to use sports stadium billboard ads strategically. For example, if you know your target audience is made up of football fans, consider putting up a few billboard ads around football season near the local stadium. Then you can cancel those billboard ads when the season fades away.
Tourist Attractions
Lastly, put up some billboard ads near tourist attractions, like museums, national monuments, and similar spots. Tourist attractions are arguably the best spots to place billboard advertisements if you want to target people not just from your local city or state but from around the country or the world.
Consider Your Target Demographic
While picking the right spots for billboard advertisements is crucial, you also need to thoroughly understand your target demographic if you want to succeed in this arena.
Simply put, if you don’t understand your target audience, you won’t know where to put your billboards, let alone how to craft compelling and converting billboard advertisements that speak to them.
For example, if you need to put up some Denver billboards and you know that your target demographic is comprised of hikers, mountaineers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, it may be a good idea to set up some billboard ads:
- Near the freeways or highways leading to major mountain trails or national parks
- Around REI or other outdoor gear retail outlets/shopping centers
- Around the perimeter of Denver and other big Colorado cities to advertise to tourists heading to the area specifically to ski, hike, or enjoy other activities
Basically, the better you understand your target demographic, the better you can advertise to them and connect with them on an emotional level. As any marketing expert will tell you, that’s key to maximizing your overall return on your investment and building long-term relationships with your consumers.
Conclusion
All in all, billboard advertisements are only as effective as where you put them. It doesn’t matter how high-quality a billboard ad is if no one sees it, or if the only people who do see the ad aren’t part of your target audience.
But the reverse is also true – if you stick billboard advertisements in the perfect spots, they’ll perform beyond your expectations and lead to major marketing returns for your brand for years to come. Good luck!