With the rise of social media and the dominance of digital marketing, there are a lot of options to promote a brand or business nowadays. It's no wonder that businesses are having difficulty determining whether to spend their advertising budget on the internet or traditional media. Many individuals, especially in this technological age, disregard outdoor advertising as a viable option.
Outdoor advertising, also known as out-of-home advertising, targets customers when they are away from their homes. Billboards, street furniture, and transportation advertising, as well as exterior signage and point-of-sale displays, are all examples of this. Outdoor advertising is still a popular way for businesses to reach out to the public, but there are just as many drawbacks as there are benefits.
The advantages and disadvantages of implementing outdoor advertising for your brand or business are discussed below.
Pros of Outdoor Advertising
Cost-effective
One of the most cost-effective forms of advertising is outdoor advertising. Customer impressions can be created for a reasonable cost by advertising on a billboard, a bench, or within a store. Outdoor advertising can be less expensive than digital marketing, even in high-exposure areas. Outdoor advertising is a cost-effective strategy for a small business to reach a local audience.
It has an immediate impact
If someone is looking for what your company or brand has to offer and sees your advertisement, it might have an immediate influence on them. A potential consumer who sees your outdoor advertisement, whether on a billboard or a bus, may decide to stop and contact your company using the phone number, email address, or website listed on the ad. When it comes to outdoor advertising, making sure your ad is positioned in the proper location is important, especially if you want it to make an immediate first impression on the buyer.
Encourages impulse buying
The main objective of outdoor advertising is to get a potential customers to buy what your company is selling since it is something they require. An advertisement is intentionally placed to appeal to emotions and the current physical state. This type of marketing is intended to promote the good qualities of a brand's message while also making a value promise that a person's objectives will be achieved.
Cons of Outdoor Advertising
Cannot guarantee success
You may put your billboard on a busy highway and get no response. Simply erecting a billboard does not guarantee that people will desire or require your product. Because it is not targeted at any particular population, placing a billboard on the side of the highway, even if it is in a high traffic region, is difficult to stimulate customer attention.
It is not targeted
Outdoor advertising does not target a certain demographic. It is utilized to acquire new clients as a result of chance rather than a deliberate marketing strategy. There is a target audience in mind when utilizing online advertising. A company offers its product to this target group since they know the potential buyers will want it based on past research. Thousands of people drive by a billboard on a highway every day, yet it's possible that none of them are interested in the goods being advertised.
It is difficult to remember contact information.
Billboards, transit signs, and posters are all designed to be noticed in a matter of seconds. In this situation, it makes it extremely difficult for someone to find the time to write down the contact information on the sign, especially if they are driving. This may cause problems with your customer base and prove to be a waste of money. It is much simpler for someone to see a social media ad, click on it, and be automatically routed to the company's website.
Outdoor advertising should be considered as a part of your entire marketing strategy, but possibly not as a top priority and as a supplement to other marketing channels. Remember that it takes an average of eight interactions with your brand before a customer is willing to buy, so a comprehensive marketing approach that incorporates several touchpoints and channels is more likely to result in conversion for your brand or product.