Big Brand Outdoor Media Buying on a Small Budget

Would you believe that Google, a digital advertising juggernaut, utilizes traditional ad formats like outdoor media buys in their media plan? Even Netflix, a very popular digital brand, utilizes billboards and digital signage to tell the world about all the things they can do online. Fortunately, despite its increasing popularity amongst bigger business it is affordable and just as effective for small and medium-sized businesses.

Why Outdoor Media Buys Work

Just because Google is a billion-dollar company with a multi-million dollar ad budget doesn’t mean they aren’t strategic with their media buys. And outdoor media buying remains a good marketing strategy. While revenue and growth in other traditional formats are stable or declining, the outdoor advertising industry continues to thrive. Last quarter the industry marked 18 straight quarters of growth. Why? Because despite all of the advertising options out there outdoor media buys is still an effective way for businesses to reach their audience. Here are a few reasons the big brands still like outdoor advertising:

  • It’s a 24-hour a day, 7 day a week advertising cycle: It’s always on, can’t be turned off which means there is always an opportunity for someone to see it somewhere.
  • Less expensive than other traditional advertising, (i.e. print, TV, and radio): Cost and ROI are certainly considerations utilizing some lower-cost formats to save money and be able to maximize their budgets.
  • Memorable and high impact: The one goal of most ads is to make an impression. Studies have shown that outdoor ads are among the most memorable and have the highest brand recall among people.
  • Less direct competition: We are inundated with marketing messages, commercials, emails, etc. Outdoor ads often have less clutter and are rarely placed or sandwiched amongst competitors.

Outdoor Advertising like a Large Brand

Just because you don’t have the budget of a big brand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have the strategy. Here are some tips for buying outdoor ads like a big brand does:

Location, location, location: This is probably the most important decision you’ll make when buying your outdoor ad. If you have a brick and mortar store, the best strategy is to place it close to the location. If this is not possible, place it in a space where you will reach a large portion of your target audience like an arena where sporting events are held or close to a college campus.

Integrate with your online marketing: Where possible, consider cross-promoting your website, social media account, etc on your billboard with a URL. Ideally, the goal is to get them from just viewing your ad to actually taking some action.

Track your results: Make sure your media buyer or outdoor advertising vendor can provide you with good data on how often your outdoor ad is being viewed. Another helpful way to link conversions from your ad is use a dedicated number or web address that is only used on the outdoor ad.

Be Creative: Billboards are usually top of mind when it comes to outdoor advertising, but there are many other options out there. Wallscapes, transit, park benches, and kiosks are just a few.

Use a media buyer: The assistance of a media buyer will also be a helpful way to negotiate rates and secure premium placements. Media buyers have relationships with vendors and are experienced at negotiating outdoor advertising deals that can usually result in getting more for less.

Effective outdoor media buys don’t require big budgets. All you need are big ideas and strategic thinking. If your small, medium, or large business is considering an outdoor media buying campaign or wants to get some information on any other format, contact Capitol Media Solutions and speak to a media strategist.

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