6 Important Factors That Impact The Effectiveness Of Your Billboard Advertising

We all know that billboards have formed a major part of advertising for more than a century now. But how do you maximise the impact of your outdoor advertising company and prevent your potential customers of becoming bored? There are some important factors that influence how effective you billboard advertising is, and if you follow certain guidelines, you can vastly improve the take-up of your advertising by people who see it.

1. Billboard characteristics: Height, width and positioning make a huge difference. It has been proven that if the board is too high or set too low, the view of the contents of the board is poor. This is especially true in high traffic areas where there are many other advertisements competing for attention. Large boards placed too close to the traffic area cannot be taken in entirely as it takes the eye away from the road too long, and the message becomes diluted. Smaller boards also have to be positioned carefully in order to stand out over other boards in the area so that potential customers can perceive them effectively. The width of the board is also important – this has to be calibrated according to the placement and the surroundings for optimal visibility.
2. Setback: The distance of the billboard is called the setback, and this should be maximised according to the amount of traffic that uses that particular route. Studies show that the typical driver only possesses a 20 degree horizontal view range while driving, and therefore the setback should be further from the road in order to let people notice it from further away.
3. Angle: This is not always calculated as a factor but it can make a huge difference to the visibility of the billboard. The board has to be positioned at a specific angle in relation to the traffic. Billboards that are placed horizontally to the road are less likely to be noticed, but those placed at an angle or directly facing oncoming traffic are more visible overall.
4. Lighting: While it may cost extra, it is well worth investing in great lighting to illuminate the board during the night and also during dark or rainy days to increase visibility.
5. Text: There are many factors that involve the type of fonts used, the size of the characters and the number of words used on a billboard. Experts reckon that no more than seven words should be used in addition to the logo, but this can vary according to design. The size of the letters is important because the bigger the letter, the better the legibility distance. This means your customers can read the text from further away.
6. Word lengths: Less is more. Keep words short and don’t use complicated language. Your message should come in quickly and clearly!

There are many other factors that may affect your display power when using outdoor advertising. Give our team at Face First Media a call to find out more about how we can help you to boost your outdoor display power with clever design and modern billboards!

Increase Your Brand Visibility with Highly Effective Billboard Design

Any marketing plan worth its salt will include advertising to increase the visibility of their brand, service or product. For more than a century, billboards have been used to do this – and very successfully too! Because there are now more motorists than ever and traffic is heavier than ever, billboard advertising is still one of the most popular advertising tools out there today.

But it is not just about sticking a picture of your brand up there. The design of your actual billboard has to draw the eye for all the right reasons, while still being able to transmit a certain perception of your brand to the potential consumer to stimulate interest. Billboard design is therefore very important. Here we provide you with some tips on great billboard design that will catch the eye of the right people and encourage them to remember your brand.

• Tell a story: People tend to remember stories better than facts, and because billboards depend on the visual design it is necessary to translate the story through the design, which means that you have to have a design strategy about the story you want to tell with images (mostly) and text (less). An ironic or fun take on current situations that relate to your story can have a big impact, especially if they can generate some laughter or a catchy slogan that is easy to remember. Images are also important and, in fact, they should be the main focus, underlined by the text.
• Less is more: Remember that people driving on highway billboards and roads only have a few seconds to view your billboard, and therefore maximum impact is needed. Focus on an idea that will tell the entire story in about 5 – 7 seconds. 7 Words of text should do the trick.
• Get Noticed: Go big when it comes to images. Loud images with large, easy-to-read text will get the message across a lot easier. Fonts should be easy to read, large and bold. Don’t be afraid to create maximum impact!
• Use colour wisely: While bright colours are noticeable, they have to be within the context of the message. Advertising an established law firm in vivid pink, for instance, may cause confusion about the seriousness of the organisation. Colour attracts, this is for sure, but care has to be taken in terms of the colours and colour combinations used to advertise a brand. Bold colours have to be in the forefront, and duller colours used as a background or setting. Dynamic, active images attract attention, so be sure about the message you want to convey with the colours you use!
• Location, location, location! Not all billboards will carry the same weight. If you have the luxury of using a billboard at a busy crossing, you are able to impart a lot more information to the observer because they will have time to look at it while they sit in their vehicles waiting for the lights to change. Be cognisant of the type of advertising you use and where it is being used. Fly-by billboard advertising on very busy highways will be different to the type of billboard advertising you could choose if you have a lot of stationery vehicles.

If you are unsure about good billboard design and how to harness the power of great billboard design and location, our experts at Face First Media are only too happy to help!