Whether you’re hanging ads outside of a building you own, having your friends and family display your bumper stickers on their cars, or investing in digital billboard ads, marketing your business in out-of-home settings can make a world of difference between drawing in new customers and becoming stagnant.
If you’re a business owner and you want to jumpstart your growth, keep reading to learn about how advertising out-of-home can benefit you.
OOH & DOOH Advertising
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising refers to a marketing method that makes use of advertising space outside of a consumer’s home. In-home advertising usually includes television commercials and a variety of ads posted across the internet.
OOH advertising is a physical type of advertising, often taking the form of billboards and storefront signs. Though OOH advertising is one of the oldest ways to market a business or product, the development of digital advertising has brought new trends to this medium.
Out-of-home advertising methods are quite versatile, which is part of what makes them applicable to most businesses. Below, we’ll list popular examples of OOH ads.
Examples of Advertising Out of Home
Billboards usually come to mind when most people think about advertisements they see during daily commutes. Though they’re a popular option, billboards are far from the only effective form of OOH advertising. Other types include:
- Banners
- Digital Audio/Video Displays
- Cinema Posters
- Digital Mall Displays
- Bulletins
- Transit Ads (ads placed on buses, taxis, trains, etc.)
- Street-Level Ads (ads placed on benches, bus shelters, storefronts, and kiosks)
Benefits of OOH & DOOH Advertising
Millions of people are in the middle of a commute at any given time, and because potential customers spend a significant amount of time away from home, out-of-home advertising presents numerous benefits.
For one, they exist in physical spaces so consumers don’t have the option to skip or block them. While they can certainly choose to disregard the content they’ve noticed, they’ll still see and mentally process the advertisement.
As such, physical ads aim to generate an unending number of leads, depending on how many members of a company’s target audience see the content. Typically, commuters tend to look around between Point A and Point B, so the likelihood of the right people seeing the right advertisements is quite high.
Additionally, OOH advertising can help jumpstart businesses by:
- Generating word-of-mouth referrals
- Improving brand awareness
- Announcing a sale or promotional event
- Marketing a new or improved product
- Attract window-shoppers
- Pull traffic to the brand’s website
- Enhancing the brand’s reputation
- Developing a unique marketing style
Tips for Advertising Out of Home
Every company’s marketing strategy has elements that make it unique, so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to OOH advertising success. However, there are a few general guidelines that practically any business can adopt in order to improve the odds of jumpstarting their growth through out-of-home ads.
Make Your Ads Interactive
Regardless of whether you’re working with traditional OOH or DOOH ads, you have the opportunity to make your advertisements interactive. In addition to informing your audience about a product or service your company offers, provide them with a way to stay in the loop. QR codes, website links, coupon codes, and social media handles can encourage leads to become customers by allowing them to interact with your brand.
Pay Attention to Your Designs
Design is important no matter what sort of ad you’re producing. Having neat, memorable ad content will help establish your brand as one that’s professional and knowledgeable in your field. Ensure that your ads have a cohesive color scheme, text that’s easy to read, and display messages that get to the point right away.
If you can find ways to get creative with your design elements, the way that viral guerilla marketing campaigns have, you can make your ads stand out amidst your competitors. Make use of art, props, visual illusions, textural elements, and more to make your ads one of a kind.
The recent Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone ads are great examples of effective ad design. Because a big selling feature behind these phone models is the ability to fold the device, advertisers made it a key feature of the ad. Human-sized plastic copies of the Flip were attached to a bus shelter to serve as fold-up seats.
Remember, consumers make up their minds about whether they’re interested in something within a couple of seconds. Getting their attention right away is a must, but at the same time, keep your content aligned with your business, present honest information, and think about what’s socially acceptable to display.
Use Audience Targeting
Location is one of the most critical elements of creating a successful ad campaign, so when you’re planning to post your ads, think about how each location is going to reach your audience.
For example, if your brand sells pet products, posting OOH ads within view of a local dog park is a great way to target the audience you want. If your brand sells workout apparel, advertising near a gym is another smart audience targeting strategy.
Ad locations are competitive, so do your best to make sure the areas you secure are going to reach your audience.
Reward Your Customers
Much of the time, providing incentives is a smart way to draw more customers to your business and keep existing customers coming back. When posting OOH advertising, give viewers something that makes them want to explore your brand. Develop a loyalty or rewards program that you can promote, or introduce a sale that new and existing customers will be interested in pursuing.
For expert assistance in developing your marketing strategy and advertising techniques, reach out to our team at Pearl Media to book a consultation with our advertising professionals.
At Pearl Media, we build partnerships with building owners to create advertising opportunities for the best brands. By pairing premium properties with great-looking ads, we generate new revenue for building owners and growing businesses alike in places where a brand’s ideal client lives, works, and plays.
