Here are some best practices for creating a real estate billboard campaign:
- The fewer the words, the better: Considering that people are on the move when they read billboards, allot for about six seconds of reading time; that’s the industry average for reading a billboard. So, six words is about the max that you have to get your message across. Being concise is tough, but too much text will get passed by. If you have a sophisticated brand, product or service, you should stay away from billboards completely.
- Get noticed, but don’t distract: Most of the time, billboards target drivers, bikers, cyclists or pedestrians. You have just a few seconds to get a message across to people who are on the move, which creates an interesting dilemma for the advertiser. You want to get noticed, but you don’t want to cause any accidents.
- Billboards are not for direct response: There are some genuinely awful billboards covered in phone numbers and website addresses, and without a doubt, people are not calling those numbers or visiting those websites.
- Remember, they’re not the be all, end all: A billboard is an effective secondary advertising medium, which means that it’s ideal for brand-building and supporting a campaign, but it just can’t do the heavy lifting. Billboards are the wrong medium for anything other than a quick message.
- Don’t be too clever: A boring billboard will get no attention. A smart billboard will grab the attention and leave a lasting impression. A billboard that’s trying too hard to be clever, well, more than likely, it will get lost on the audience.
- The more billboards, the better: One billboard is not cheap — but it’s also not very practical either. Billboards are a mass market medium, but they need more than one location. You want as many eyes on them as possible, which is a compelling argument to go with digital billboards to get on more signs in heavily trafficked areas.
- Get creative: Get creative with your billboard ideas. A flat billboard is the standard, but it doesn’t have to be the norm.
- Keep it simple, stupid: A billboard is a quick read. Most of the time, you see it as you speed past it in your car, so it needs to get the message across as efficiently as possible.
- Be wary of logo size: You might be tempted to spend your valuable space on your logo. That would ring true if your logo were easily recognizable like the golden arches or the Coca-Cola ribbon. If your logo is not that iconic, it’s better to match logo with words that make an impact and drive awareness.