10 Tips for Billboard Advertising Perfection

Billboard advertising is everywhere. Depending on where you live and where you commute, you could see hundreds of different billboard ads in a single week. With the sea of billboards out there, it is vital that you take the necessary steps to ensure your ad is the one people remember. Check out these ten tips to give your billboard advertisement top billing.

Keep it Simple. The simpler the billboard design, the greater chance of success. Essentially, there are only three components of a successful billboard: 1) A compelling image 2) A unique, persuasive tagline 3) Your company name or logo and contact info. Remember that cars will be zipping by and only have a few seconds to take in your ad. Don’t make it difficult for them to absorb your message. Also, try to keep your tagline or message to seven words or less.

Use Bold and Contrasting Colors. Soft colors may work well in direct mail pieces or magazine ads, but when dealing with outdoor advertising, bolder is better. Check out this cool contrasting color tool from colorschemedesigner.com to match your hue with its contrast.

Use Plain Fonts. Elaborate, fancy fonts can be hard to read from long distances. By using plain fonts in thick strokes, you can increase your ad’s visibility by greater than 1,000 feet. Also, remember to keep enough space in between your characters, and keep away from ALL CAPS.

Use Big Fonts. The larger your font, the greater distance your billboard ad can be seen, so the more likely your message is to be processed. Try to keep this rule of thumb: The absolute minimum font size should be around 18”, while trying to achieve a font size of around 3’ for optimal viewing. When it comes to outdoor advertising, big fonts are not obnoxious, it gives your message life.

Make Sure Your Image is Amazing. Think about how huge your ad image will be once printed — so, ensuring that it’s a high-quality image (min. 300 DPI) is an absolute must. Use the giant scale of billboard advertising to your advantage — create an image that makes a giant visual “splash.” Featuring one enormous image will be much more effective than featuring several smaller ones.

Focus Your Message. Those several seconds that your prospects have to view your message are priceless. Make sure every second counts by honing in on one unique, impactful point.

Target Your Audience. Who is your target audience? Give them a name, a face, a personality. Write your message to hit home with them. You’ll want to develop a bit of an emotional relationship with your target consumer, so they’ll be sure to remember you.

Test Your Ad. After you’ve received/created the final design layout, show it to a colleague for about five seconds. Do they get your message? Was it easy to understand? Was it impactful?

Create A Storyline. OK — we know we’re asking a lot here. To keep your message to seven words or less and to only use one image — but, to be the most impactful, your ad must tell some sort of story. More importantly, it must awaken some type of emotional response from you audience. The more connected they feel to your message, the more likely they’ll remember it.

Be Daring. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and go against the grain — in fact, your goal should be to force people to shy a bit away from their comfort zone to truly take in your message. No one, and I mean no one will remember a boring message, or one they’ve seen a hundred times.

Have you ever ran an ad on a billboard? What did you learn? What other questions do you have about billboard advertising? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a note in the comments below, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.