Outdoor Advertising as a Marketing Strategy: Effective Tactics That Work

Implementing an outdoor advertising marketing strategy still works despite the widespread use of digital channels.
 

Traditionally, companies relied on outdoor advertising as their marketing strategy to reach more people. Using outdoor media is still a viable form of marketing strategy, especially for brand awareness. Outdoor advertising complements well with your other campaigns and is also an added boost for your marketing efforts.
 

Outdoor advertising is continuously growing owing to the demand of various businesses. By the end of 2023, out-of-home advertising will have an expected $11.7 billion total spend in the United States.
 

Companies invest in their outdoor advertising marketing strategy as it's an effective way to reach more people with less effort. Additionally, out-of-home ads are even more effective than other forms of advertisements, according to a report from OAAA.org:
 

• 382% more effective than TV
• 200% more effective than print
• 63% more effective than radio to lead consumers online
   

Let's explore what outdoor advertising marketing strategy constitutes and how you can use it to promote your brand effectively.

What Is an Outdoor Advertising Strategy?

The interchangeable term for outdoor advertising is OOH, which means out-of-home advertising. Using the term out-of-home is a more formal way of indicating that an advertisement is situated outdoors.
 

As the name implies, an outdoor advertising marketing strategy is one where you use outdoor locations and public spaces to promote your business.
 

Out-of-home advertisements come in various formats, which you can choose depending on your preferred outdoor advertising marketing strategy.
 

Types of Outdoor Advertising To Gain More Exposure
 

The goal of outdoor advertising is to expose your products and services to as many people as possible. There are many outdoor advertising formats you can choose to use. It depends on the intent, target customers, and branding of your business.

1. Billboard Advertisements 

Easily recognizable billboards are everywhere for a reason - they capture attention instantly without forcing the viewers to take a look. As one of the most common types of outdoor advertising marketing strategy, billboards come in different formats, which are mainly:
 

• Static print billboards
• Digital billboards
• Interactive billboards
   

You can choose the type of billboard that suits the location you're eyeing to place the outdoor ad. Large printed billboards can have maximum exposure on a busy highway. Digital or video billboards are best shown during the night to attract more people to look at them. Meanwhile, interactive billboards entice more people to engage when you place them in busy public spaces such as malls or public transport stations.

2. Advertisements on the Streets 

Strategically placed along the streets are advertisements that seemingly blend within the surroundings. You can see them across areas where people stop by or pass through, such as:
 

• Street furniture
• Bus stops
• Pedestrian walkways
• Store signages
   

This type of outdoor advertisement is easily noticeable as people walk around or even while inside their vehicles. Outdoor ads on street furniture or walkways have this subtle appearance, making people familiar with your brand without blatantly advertising or distracting their sight.
 

3. Vehicle Advertisements 

To take your outdoor advertising marketing strategy on mobile, you can put banners on buses, taxis, or even trains. Public transportation carries several people on board, which means you already have a guaranteed audience while people take their daily commute.
 

If the stickers on these vehicles are not enough for you, mobile outdoor ads can be an option. These vehicles serve as moving advertisements for your brand. You will typically use mid-size trucks for this purpose, where the trailer in the back contains only the printed ad or video as their carriage.

4. Retail Spaces 

On the shelves and strategic retail areas, you can see advertisements as people shop for various items. These outdoor ad placements serve to capture the shoppers at the moment when they are making a purchase. They are effective for conversion when people see large banners of your product at a place where they can readily buy them.

5. Information Kiosks 

Public areas such as malls or tourist spots place a kiosk where people can get directions or learn about the location. You can have your outdoor advertising marketing strategy when they view an information kiosk, preventing your ad from looking overly promotional.

6. Point of Sale Displays 

This format is an effective way to capture customers right when they are paying for their items. Grocery and convenience stores usually have advertisements for items available on sale, or a company may highlight their product in the cashier's POS area.

7. Merchandise Items 

When you hand out items with your logo, tagline, or promotional details on them, people will take your outdoor advertising merchandise item wherever they bring it.
 

Among the items that you can provide as a freebie or as a reward to customers can be:
 

• Umbrellas
• Caps
• Shirts or hoodies
• Stickers
   

The advantage of this method is that people will use these functional items. Instead of having a single location for your outdoor ads, people will take your brand with them to different places.

8. Construction Advertisements 

Buildings still under construction usually have cladding that separates the on-site work from street view. Real estate companies take advantage of the barren wall by placing outdoor advertising to announce the new property, contact details of accredited realtors, or invite future foot traffic.

How Can You Attract Customers With Outdoor Advertising?

Ideally, you would want more people to recognize your brand with outdoor ads and convert them into paying customers. To ensure that your outdoor advertising works, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Go for simple messages

People looking at an outdoor ad are on mobile. They do not have not enough time to read a lengthy advertisement. Thus, keep your messaging simple and focus on hard-hitting one-liners or taglines that can catch their attention.

• Make it enticing to look at

When your advertisement is outdoors, you compete against the various sceneries that people see. To make people notice your outdoor ad, create images that make them take a second look. Use eye-catching graphics for people to be attracted to see what the ad is all about.

• It's all about the location

Since your ad is outdoors, take advantage of high-traffic areas such as a busy highway, public transportation points, and other spaces where people converge.

• Visible logo and contact details

Another thing you need to ensure is a visible logo indicating that the ad comes from your business or brand. Outdoor ads work well for brand awareness to a large number of people. Having your logo on an easily noticeable outdoor ad is a surefire way for brand visibility.
 

Additionally, contact information, such as a website or phone number, right on the outdoor advertising is a marketing strategy that works well as the equivalent of call-to-action.

• Display them for 30 days

Various outdoor ad companies have varying minimum contracts to show your advertisements. However, if you opt for a shorter than a year duration, a 30 days period maximizes the amount of exposure for your brand.

• Track the ads

While you cannot immediately count how many eyeballs went to your outdoor ads, there are still various ways to monitor them and check if it works. Among the methods you can implement can be:
 

• UTM tracking in a short or custom URL
• A separate phone number to answer queries from the outdoor ad
• Roughly estimating the foot traffic in the area
• Through digital means, such as interactive outdoor ads with built-in measuring tools
   

With these tracking methods, you can attribute the conversions or website traffic visits. Consequently, you will know if your outdoor advertising marketing strategy brings leads and conversion or if you need to scout for a new outdoor ad location.
 

How Do You Create Outdoor Advertising Materials?
 

Whether a flat graphics, video animation, or an interactive experience, you have various options to craft outdoor ads that will win over customers.
 

Having an in-house marketing team working full-time might be too costly when you only need to produce seasonal outdoor advertising materials. On the other hand, freelancers can be time-consuming to find and post projects every time you need an outdoor ad.
 

You can look into a graphic design subscription service such as Delesign, a cloud-based design firm. Skilled graphic designers, motion graphics creators, and video editors are available when you subscribe to Delesign.
 

With a subscription to Delesign, you do not need to look for different freelancers or agencies who can create outdoor ads for your business. Delesign will assign your project to a dedicated designer who can produce the out-of-home advertisement, whether it's in a print or digital format. Thus, reducing the burden so you can concentrate on your overall outdoor advertising marketing strategy to grow your business.