Both outdoor advertising and banner advertising consist of placing a strategic marketing message in front of a large number of potential customers. We advertise our message to this “Traffic” in the hope of attracting some of the “passing people” to come into our store or to contact us for more information. Traffic on the road in front of a web page is essentially the same. The more people traveling by road or the more people visiting a web page obviously determines the amount of exposure we get from our ad.
So how do they differ?
Our first obvious difference is where our advertisements or billboards are located. We all know that billboards are on the side of a particular road or highway. Therefore, banner ads are placed on the side, top or bottom of a web page (s). You’ve seen them and probably clicked on a few searching the internet for your heart’s desire.
Now let’s look at the BIG differences you need to understand before spending your advertising budget on one or the other.
Read this and you will know which method of billboard advertising will work best for your business.
Market exposure:
Billboards:
- Predefined locations on certain streets or roads. Depending on the location you choose or can get to, will determine the amount of traffic you receive. Obviously, you can target more locations for more exposure if you are comfortable with the expense of multiple billboards.
Banners:
- Full control to place one ad or multiple ads on any relevant web page in a single city, state, country, or all of the above! You can make your ads appear on an unlimited number of relevant websites, increasing your exposure to unlimited prospects and extending the reach of your business.
Orientation and monitoring of clients:
Billboards:
- It is considered a minimal targeting. You have no control over the needs or wants of the people who pass through your billboard. Nonetheless, billboard advertising is great for branding your business in your hometown or cities where you get placements. Tracking results can only come from asking each customer who visits your business or website “How did you find us?”
Banners:
- You target your customers by advertising on web pages that are closely linked to your industry. If you sell automotive accessories, you can place your advertising only in front of people who would need or want floor mats or trailer hitches. You now have a steady stream of “targeted” traffic. Tracking is set up to run automatically and accurately so you can eliminate waste and put your money where the sales are.
Cost:
Billboards:
- The average minimum for Cookeville, Tennessee is around $ 400 per month and does not include setup. Nashville, TN will cost you a lot more averaging around $ 800 more per month. Additional charges occur when you want to change your message. Higher monthly charges apply for updated digital billboards, However, your message and marketing can change repeatedly.
Banners:
- The average minimum for installation is less than a thousand dollars. You choose how much $$$ you want to spend per month on advertising, run as many ads as you want and choose; Display ads, text ads, or even video ads. Pay only for customer traffic who decides to click on your ad and visit your website.
How does banner advertising work?
Banner advertising consists of placing banner ads (boxed display ads) on relevant web pages on the Internet. The major search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, serve advertising on what they call a “content network.” Once you have set up an advertising account with the search engine of your choice, it will load your display ad and instruct the search engine to place your ad (s) next to content that is similar to what you are promoting.
For example purposes, let’s say you own a florist and want to promote your fabulous wedding bouquets. Set up and design an attractive image that tells customers that you are the florist of choice for wedding bouquets. When someone visits a popular wedding website, or any website where wedding bouquets are relevant, your ad will show up somewhere on their page. This potential client did not do an intentional search for flowers, but it is a fact that any bride will insist on a beautiful bouquet for her wedding. Therefore, when the search engine hits this popular site, the site’s attention is drawn to your ad. They click on it and visit the “Su” website to talk about buying your wedding bouquet.
Outdoor billboard advertising vs. Online banner ad
Outdoor billboard advertising is …
- Excellent for localized brand by keeping its name in public view.
- Good for constant local exposure to clients who may need your services.
Banner advertising is …
- Able to expose your business around the world.
- Aimed at reaching your precise customer no matter where you live.
- Less expensive in the long run.
Outdoor billboard advertising has great results for many types of businesses and will always be a great advertising medium as long as people have cars. Banners are pretty much the same, well, except for the differences!
You know your business better than anyone, and hopefully with this information you can decide which advertising method is best for your bottom line. The Internet is changing the way people buy products and services. Could you see increased revenue and business as you expand your reach on the “internet superhighway”?