When the subject of billboards comes up is your first thought that they need to be located at or near your location targeting only traffic driving toward your business? Additionally, do you limit yourself to coverage only in pockets of the market where you already have customers? Either approach can limit the effectiveness of your campaign.  In many sectors Outdoor Advertising still has the stigma of directional or point of purchase only advertising. Outdoor can be so much more. 

Unless you are a hotel or fast food restaurant, buying billboards targeting traffic driving only in the direction of your business can be short-sighted. How often do people see a billboard, drop everything they are doing and drive immediately to your store and plop down money? Rarely, if ever, are purchases made on that kind of impulse. Most shoppers are going to think about it, make plans for it, research or go to the store when they know they can spend time considering the right purchase.

Studies show that 86% of Americans are away from home on a typical day, involved in many activities besides shopping including work, appointments, chauffeuring kids, etc.   Outdoor reaches 80% of these consumers, 71% of whom say they notice the ads each, most or some of the time. Targeting these drivers using Outdoor allows you to increase reach and frequency of your message day after day.

That repeated exposure is important, because there is a change in mindset when people are driving to different activities. Let’s say a guy is driving to work and has a tough day ahead of him. His office is in the same direction as your store, but he is focused on the day’s tasks. He’s not in a shopping mood. However, he has a great day and is much more relaxed on the way home. Driving home (away from your store) he sees the ad for your sale/business. Suddenly, it’s on his mind. Does this example suggest you always have to buy boards facing both directions? Not necessarily.  The point is to not limit yourself to only one source of business.

In the same respect you can limit yourself by only targeting geographic areas where customers are known to have come from in the past. Demographics, markets and economies are dynamic and our approach cannot remain fixed on previous formulas. We must move beyond them and open ourselves to new opportunities for expanding our customer base. 

Whether it’s by moving beyond the directional purposing of your boards or reaching out to new markets for your business, we at Phase III can negotiate space and make a plan to help you reach the largest potential audience possible as often as possible. Allow us to show you how.