Has anyone ever used BillBoard Advertising? What was your experience?

[TheWebDesignCompany]

Has anyone ever used BillBoard Advertising? What was your experience?

We are thinking of taking out a 3 month contract for a 48 sheet billboard advert for our web design services. But before we do we wanted to check good for reviews and experiences from others who had used a bill board to advertise.

Problem is we couldn't find anything except adverts for billboard advertising.
So if you have any experience as an advertiser using billboard advertising we would love to hear from you...

Thanks,
Joseph

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

Stupid phone changed “Google” to “good”
We tried searching Google for experiences & reviews, and couldn’t find anything...

 

[AllUpHere]

If you have a strong strategic marketing plan to base you decisions and also the advert on, you will get good results. If you are just thinking you'll give it a go and hope for the best, you'll probably waste your money. Almost any advertising medium can work for almost any business type if it's done well. The problem is, advertising is very infrequently done well.

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

I understand that Billboard advertising is better with 9 words or less?

We were thinking of simply showing our logo which you can see in my avatar "The Web Design Company" in the centre of the billboard with: "Do you need help with your website? - Call 07944062954"

Then in a softer grey or lighter blue list a few services like: Logos, New Websites, Fix Websites, Redesign Websites, Hosting, Search Engine Optimisation.

If we do it, it will be there for a minimum of 3 months.

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Imagine people driving past... Will they be able to remember a mobile number?

 

[AllUpHere]

I understand that Billboard advertising is better with 9 words or less?

We were thinking of simply showing our logo which you can see in my avatar "The Web Design Company" in the centre of the billboard with: "Do you need help with your website? - Call 07944062954"

Then in a softer grey or lighter blue list a few services like: Logos, New Websites, Fix Websites, Redesign Websites, Hosting, Search Engine Optimisation.

If we do it, it will be there for a minimum of 3 months.

That could have been written by absolutely any web design company in the world. You literally couldn't have been less original if you'd tried. As I pointed out in my last post, go back a few steps and work on strategy first. Your logo isn't exactly going to inspire confidence either is it.

Sorry to be critical, but putting the cart before the horse is just going to see you wasting your money.

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

Interesting, I could use a local number instead - "01702 313495"
They will know the 01702 anyway and only need to remember the 313495 part...

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

"That could have been written by absolutely any web design company in the world. You literally couldn't have been less original if you'd tried. As I pointed out in my last post, go back a few steps and work on strategy first. Your logo isn't exactly going to inspire confidence either is it.

Sorry to be critical, but putting the cart before the horse is just going to see you wasting your money."


Don't apologise, i'm happy for any constructive guidance. Sales and marketing is not my thing.
ive been building websites for 21 years and always relied on a simple clear - this is what we do approach.

The problem with a bill board is the 9 words or less...

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Most people remember numbers in fours. You'll not get anyone phoning you. Your web address would be easier to remember... OR You could have a quick response shortcode mobile text number.

Billboard could be "TEXT 'WEB' TO 88998" in big white writing on a black background

 

[DavidWH]

"BILL BOARDS DON'T WORK. GET A WEBSITE: TEXT 'WEB' TO 88998"

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

"BILL BOARDS DON'T WORK. GET A WEBSITE: TEXT 'WEB' TO 88998"


lol - thats good...

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

Has anyone actually got any experience with advertising on a Billboard?
I want to know how you got on with it...

 

[GURUCLOUD]

Who are you using for the billboard contract? Are they a local or national player?

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Has anyone actually got any experience with advertising on a Billboard?
I want to know how you got on with it...

In a past life I worked on many billboard campaigns for the likes of BA, Levis, Whitbread etc...
They spent a small fortune on billboard advertising and a small fortune on the artwork/photography. They obviously thought it was worth it.

Depending on where you are there are other alternatives such as displays in shopping malls, tube train cards, etc.

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

The billboard that we want to target is managed by a national company.

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

In a past life I worked on many billboard campaigns for the likes of BA, Levis, Whitbread etc...
They spent a small fortune on billboard advertising and a small fortune on the artwork/photography. They obviously thought it was worth it.

Depending on where you are there are other alternatives such as displays in shopping malls, tube train cards, etc.

Well any tips that you have I would be very glad of.
We are just a small company with 2 branches, one in Southend and the other in London.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

We are just a small company with 2 branches, one in Southend and the other in London.

Tube cards would give people a chance to write down your details. They also spend more time reading them so you can have a more complex message. A 16 sheet poster at Southend railway station is another possibility.

If you use a site that people can read over time you can be entertaining in your copy.

Whatever you do use a strong visual which people can remember and relate to.

 

[saythisinstead.co.uk]

I have many years experience of billboard advertising.

I also have experience of the motorway hoarding type advertising
and petrol pump advertising.

Most of this type of advertising is used to sell the space.
'Advertise here for only £xx a week'

That's really all I need to see to convince me what a complete and utter waste of money it would be. [Oh forgot to say...my experience is based on seeing this type of advertising and never once having responded to it]

I am willing to acquiesce if anyone has any evidence to the contrary......[crickets].....but I won't be holding my breath.

Save your money. If you DO decide against this advice then please come back and tell us how it worked out.

Message me if you want half a dozen better ideas free of charge.

 

[Raw Rob]

I know I'm not the "average" person, but I would not choose a web designer from a billboard ad. There are various ways I might find a web designer, recommendation from a friend or colleague would be my first choice, following the link to the designer from a website I like would be another possibility.

 

[AllUpHere]

Billboards can work, but for services like web design they are pointless. Why spend money when you don't have to?

 

[deniser]

I had only one experience of billboard advertising. We had to give notice to the company which leased the billboard on the side of our building because we wanted to do some building works.

Next thing we knew, two characters who looked like caricatures of gangsters turned up at our offices and threatened to harm one of our staff. I got the impression that some of the lucrative billboard sites were perhaps controlled by some very dodgy people.

 

[alan1302]

That's really all I need to see to convince me what a complete and utter waste of money it would be. [Oh forgot to say...my experience is based on seeing this type of advertising and never once having responded to it]

I've never responded to banners ads/google ads...does that make them a waste of time as well?

 

[Darren_Ssc]

Interesting, I could use a local number instead - "01702 313495"
They will know the 01702 anyway and only need to remember the 313495 part...

I would have thought a throwaway short domain name would be better for a web-design firm and more memorable?

The Web Design Company UK
twdco.uk

Or something like that?

 

[ethical PR]

Has anyone actually got any experience with advertising on a Billboard?
I want to know how you got on with it...

Yes I have. It went well.

I agree with @AllUpHere You are starting at the wrong point.

Focus on putting together a marketing approach. Who is your target market (please don't say all businesses), what sets you apart from your competitors (please don't say quality, good communication etc), what are the best channels to use to reach your target market? How much will they cost? How will you measure the success of the various activities you will undertake?

You can't just pick an advertising channel in isolation. You need to chose all the channels you will use and then look the look, feel and copy of any materials you produce.

You can have the best channels, but if you haven't clearly identified benefits of using you and a strong call to action and your ad is poorly designed it won't get you anywhere.

In answer to your question. One off ads are unlikely to work well, particularly for business to business services.

 

[saythisinstead.co.uk]

I've never responded to banners ads/google ads...does that make them a waste of time as well?

Definitely a waste if their target was you in those instances.

Who knows how many billions are lost by firms spending money on advertising that doesn't work.

A highly targetted online banner ad/google ad campaign wouldn't be a waste of time if it was highly targetted, spilt tested, analysed, tweaked etc etc etc

A hoarding ad, by its very nature, isn't targetted at all. That's why they don't work....we are blind to the message , yes even the funny, clever, eye catching ones.

No need to take my word for it though, I could be wrong. The only way to find out is pay some money for a hoarding ad, measure the results then come back on here and rub it in my face.....as I said before, I won't be holding my breath.

If hoarding adverts worked, we'd never see 'Advertise Here' type hoardings....simples.

 

[AstEver]

Billboards can work, but for services like web design they are pointless.

Indeed. The main weakness of billboards is that they are geographically limited. They can be a good medium for branding and awareness, and sales promotion but it seems that your goal is demand generation.

 

[alan1302]

If hoarding adverts worked, we'd never see 'Advertise Here' type hoardings....simples.

I've seen all kinds of advertising being advertised itself...if you go on that principle advertising never works...which obviously it does.

 

[saythisinstead.co.uk]

I've seen all kinds of advertising being advertised itself...if you go on that principle advertising never works...which obviously it does.

Of course advertising works. I've spent enough on it to know that.

What I'm saying is that untargetted, untrackable and simplistic advertising doesn't work.

Google advertise to sell their advertising platform all the time. However, they have unlimited 'advertising space'.

Hoardings and petrol pumps have a limited number of outlets and the fact that there is space to advertise their service means they're not running at capacity, in other words the supply is greater than the demand.

Untargetted, unmeasurable advertising only really attracts the unwary. Not in the case of coca cola and the like for whom billboard/hoarding advertising is just a drop in the ocean that they add to raise awareness.

A small business would just be wasting their money.

Next time you fill up, look at the pump you're holding....who is advertising there?

 

[fisicx]

Next time you fill up, look at the pump you're holding....who is advertising there?

No idea. I fill the car up at least once a week and have never noticed anything advertised on the dispenser.

We are so bombarded with marketing very little of it sticks. I needed a bit of kit the other day and vaguely remember seeing some sort of promotion but have no idea where and from whom. So I just went onto eBay and brought one from a supplier with a good reputation.

 

[saythisinstead.co.uk]

No idea. I fill the car up at least once a week and have never noticed anything advertised on the dispenser.............

Exactly...you've never noticed anything being advertised....

Business owners beware......if you get pitched by someone selling ad space on petrol pumps.....you have been warned ;0)

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Proof that billboards work.

https://www.facebook.com/ledbydonkeys/

3 guys put up 3 billboards. Just look at how much crowdfunding they've got and how much attention.

 

[House of Silver]

It doesn't really sound right web design company advertising on billboard.

 

[CoinCornerJoanne]

Hi Joseph

I work for CoinCorner, a UK Bitcoin exchange, and we did some billboard advertising for the first time on the London Underground last year. We found a short-run to be successful for us, however, we do advertise in a "hot-topic" industry that gets mainstream media attention on a daily basis. Our aim was to grab attention and we created a campaign that stood out.

For billboard advertising to work, there has to be something visually engaging about the advert to attract people's attention, or something really stupid about it that gets people talking (but that doesn't always end with positive conversions - Google the drinks company Oasis' recent Underground campaign as an example!). I also think it's worth noting that you can't include too many calls-to-action - 1 very clear one is really enough as most people are too busy to spend time reading an advert in full.

Hope this helps!
Joanne