Advertising has come a long way since paper-painted signs were posted on the side of the road. Now, digital billboards convey your brand narrative more effectively than ever before. An LED sign isn’t a magical tool, and it takes a little know-how to get them working effectively for your business. Here are a few tips to help make your digital adverts really shine.
Dynamic Technology
Billboards are still one of the most effective ways to grab potential customers’ attention. Adding flashy lights and colors to the mix makes them more noticeable, but that’s not the only thing digital billboards can do. Some other functions include:
- Multimedia: These billboards can display static text and images or moving video and animation, increasing your advertising options.
- Automation: Because it is entirely computer-controlled, the tech can be as hand-off as your business requires.
- Fluid: Like a TV screen, these billboards can cycle through different displays quickly and easily, allowing multiple ads to play on the same device.
- Interactive: The dynamic nature of LED signage makes it digitally interactive through social media and news platforms, as well as physically interactive by incorporating touch displays with a touchscreen object recognition system.
With new technology, advertisers have the chance to be much more creative with their advertising, making unique billboard designs that celebrate not only products but a brand identity as well.
Engaging Visuals
Designing digital billboards is different than a traditional one. Instead of relying on exterior lighting, LED signage is its own light source. This gives marketing teams much more freedom when creating new campaigns since they no longer have to rely on weather conditions and time of day to successfully project their message. There are quite a few things to keep in mind when creating digital signs, such as:
Fonts
Like standard billboards, you’ll want to have your fonts readable. The number of options and ease of use can make the choices feel overwhelming, and it’s easy to make LED billboards look too crowded. Use simple, easily legible fonts to promote your brand. Larger fonts are easier to read at a distance, and most motorists only have around three to five seconds to catch the message.
Colors
Because they light up themselves, digital billboards can have much more eye-catching colors. However, it’s not a good idea to go overboard as there are brightness guidelines that limit how intensely you can shine those LEDs. Using fewer colors is also better than a visual cacophony of shades that are more distracting than alluring.
Images
Nothing makes a statement like an LED billboard. Using exciting still images or animated action, your signs can stand out from the crowd. Again, it’s easy to overcrowd your precious ad space, so focus on a singular concept that can be summed up in one or two pictures. One giant image will make more of a statement than many tiny, cluttered ones.
The Digital Advantage
Using fonts, colors, and images is a good start, but designing effective digital billboards can offer your business much more than static advertising. With access to a wealth of multimedia options, your signs can draw attention to your brand and reach much broader audiences than standard billboards do. Three of its greatest benefits include:
Targeted Marketing
The diversity of billboards lets you focus your ad campaigns on individual markets much more efficiently. A static billboard will show the same message throughout the day, but dynamic LED upgrades can make what is shown on the morning commute different than the messaging for the lunch rush!
Versatility
Being able to change your marketing with the click of a button and let it cycle through different ads as the day goes on is an invaluable tool for testing new campaigns. Being able to run a new set of ads in a particular district makes implementing marketing strategies much more dynamic. During the school year, ads can be geared towards a college audience, while summertime can shift marketing to the tourist crowd.
Rapid Response
Social media is an important tool for any business, allowing it to constantly check the pulse of its target audience. A digital sign can integrate with Instagram or TikTok, allowing you to respond to news and events in real-time. This kind of communication creates a real connection with customers and your brand by making them feel influential and part of the action.
Do I Need a Digital Billboard?
If an LED billboard can fit into your marketing budget, it can be a great addition to your advertising strategy. It may even be more cost-effective to rent space on a digital sign than lease a static billboard, though traditionally you’ll only get an eighth of the exposure. The ability to dynamically change your ads and update signs as needed more than pays for itself. With an interesting design and creative use of the space, a digital billboard can change the way you look at advertising forever.
On-Line Advertising
And let us not forget that online advertising is yet one of the most effective ways in delivering your message. The creation of intelligent messaging is very important if you want to stay ahead of the competition.