MARKETING EXPOSED

Words…a part of all advertising.  A way to convey ideas and impressions.  They can be over used, misleading and yet insightful and creative. 

When I was younger it was part of the learning process to absorb and retain words that filled pages and books.  The written word is still held in high regard today but with the immediate need for information and short attention spans, blogging has emerged.  Conveying ideas and thoughts in a shorter more casual format.   

But maybe even blogging has become to lengthy?  Our demand for connection now leads some to believe is is.  Now with the explosion of Twitter you must limit your thoughts to 140 characters!  Is this all too limiting, this new wave of brevity?  

How about expressing your business in 7 words or less?

The oldest form of media can be traced back to outdoor!  Billboards.  Most of them promoting a traveling circus or show.  In our current world, look around you.  Our lives are more mobile than ever.  There are a startling array of different forms of outdoor…mobile, transit (buses), transit shelters, stadiums,  airport, train stations/subways and more. Outdoor can  obviously create great impact if done correctly.  Let’s just talk about the 2 basic forms of outdoor, posters and bulletins. 

Posters are the smaller boards that you generally see within cities themselves.  The posting utilizes a paper product and is sold on a 4 week time frame with multiple locations.  Bulletins are the larger signs you see on highly traveled roadways like highways.  A heavy vinyl is the product often utilized on this space and is sold on a 6 month to an annual contract.  Tri-vision boards were a new innovation years ago and are now being reverted to digital boards in larger markets.  With digital the rules are a little different but let’s talk about the basic form of the media.  There are 5 basic tips to remember when considering Outdoor mediums in your plan:

1.  Be visual.  The board is a huge space but use it wisely and be creative!  A picture or graphic can express what a sentence of words can, but at a single glance.  Use colors that contrast the landscape where the boards are located and utilize colors that pop!  Use fonts that are easily readable and large enough to see from a distance.

 The museum… Cute but hard to read!  Ron Jon Surf Shop..right on!

2.  Placement.  If considering a poster campaign remember the objective is several boards to get maximum population impressions.  Requesting the billboard right in front of your business for one location is not wise!  You already have a sign out front…why not use that posting on the opposite end of town to reach a completely different audience?  When using bulletins location is everything!  If it’s directional that’s self explanatory.  But if you’re utilizing a bulletin for branding choosing a roadway that is highly traveled is important.  Your building a brand with repetition and frequency. 

3.  The power of white space.  Blank space can create more drama and attention to your boards.  Remember, you have only a few moments to catch someones eye.   Chick-fil-A is great at getting noticed using white space!

4.  BREVITY!  This is by far the most important aspect of utilizing billboards and the most abused by clients.  In the outdoor medium the most effective billboards have 7 words or less.  That’s right…get to the point.  Stop trying to place a newspaper ad on a billboard.  This can be challenging but highly useful.  Getting the message you want to convey down to 7 words or less can illuminate  the core of your business.  “Elevator pitches” is a  buzz of today’s business world.  Being able to explain what you do in one brief sentence or phrase.  The brain can only store 7 things at one time and when it comes to billboards…you have seconds to make an impression. 

5.  No phone numbers or addresses!  Sorry folks, them are the rules!  The only exception to this rule would be if you have a vanity number.  Otherwise….be creative and they will find you!  Think of your own habits…do you remember a phone number on a sign or a display in a window?  Use the space to promote the idea, not information.  However, if you must have a reference use your website address.  People driving 50-70 miles an hour past your sign might remember a website – if it’s extremely simple to recall.  But avoid it if possible.   

I’ve had great successes with clients incorporating outdoor into their marketing plans.  But like any medium, it must be used correctly to get the return you desire.  As far as the pure creativity of them, there are some great “out of the box” uses of billboards.  They can be more costly and your business can get lost in the creativity.  And then again, they can be brilliant!   Keep in mind….outdoor is less about space and ALL about impact!

- Catherine

Words photo: powerbooktrance