Use Outdoor Advertising to Drive Online Traffic

​Many billboard operators know that a happy advertiser who sees the impact of their ads is more likely to renew their contract, which in turn provides operators with a reliable stream of revenue. One of the best ways to keep outdoor advertisers happy is to increase the effectiveness of every billboard ad that they run. A recent study indicates that to increase an ad’s effectiveness, the content should drive traffic to an online presence for additional engagement.

Study Confirms the Power of Digital Outdoor Advertising
A 2020 Nielsen study reports that 34% of digital billboard viewers in the past year visited an advertiser’s website or searched for them online after seeing an ad on a billboard. Previously, the primary measurement for billboard advertising was based on impressions, but in today’s climate of integrated branding, engagement is also vital. By combining advertising campaigns on billboards and similarly branded online website banner ads, advertisers can increase customer recognition of their products, services and brand messages.

We spoke with the director of outdoor media Dave Mehall at Times-Shamrock Outdoor, a company that has seen some recent success using this marketing strategy on their Watchfire digital billboards. “We’ve been running billboard ads for local newspapers in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Pottsville, Penn., markets throughout the pandemic. We encouraged people to check out TheTimes-Tribune.com, CitizensVoice.com or RepublicanHerald.com to find the most current information regarding COVID-19,” said Dave Mehall. “The newspapers have seen online pageviews increase from 25-40% over the last few months.”

This success validates findings in the 2020 Nielsen Out of Home Advertising Study, which determined that 52% of viewers engaged in an online action via a mobile device after seeing a billboard ad.

Increase Web Traffic Digital Billboard Advertising
By using a unique online call to action, advertisers can track traffic patterns for online engagement and determine if those clicks were a result of billboard messaging. Keeping billboard ads concise, with simple messages and vibrant visuals will optimize the impact of digital advertising. Plus, the responsiveness of digital billboard ads and the ease with which a digital message can be tailored to the time of day, weather, or other changing conditions make it a perfect medium to test and track different approaches that drive web traffic. While the impact of traditional media may be in decline, studies show that consumers in vehicles consistently notice billboard advertising.

By partnering billboard advertising with an online call to action, digital operators can provide high impact ads with measurable results for their advertisers. This translates to more traffic and sales for advertisers, and repeat business for billboard operators. Harnessing this advertising power helps everyone grow.

 

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