Why Outdoor Advertising is on the Rise for Small Business Owners

Small business owners wear many hats, handling everything from HR and finance to sales and operations on a daily basis. But when it comes to marketing, small business owners don’t have to be experts or invest a lot of time – especially when it comes to outdoor advertising.  

Outdoor advertising, also known as out-of-home (OOH) advertising, encompasses any ad consumers encounter when they leave the house. Think billboards, airport advertising, wallscapes, car wraps, bus ads, and the like. Outdoor advertising is easy for small businesses to use thanks to online buying platforms that place the right data at the fingertips of individuals looking to make the most of their advertising budgets.

Here are four reasons why outdoor advertising is a powerful and effective tool for small businesses:

It’s Budget-Friendly

There’s a long-standing misconception that outdoor advertising is expensive, but with an average of $2.84 per thousand impressions (CPM), it’s actually among the most affordable of all traditional media. The cost ultimately comes down to the locations where the ads are placed, not the ad medium itself. Fortunately, options for outdoor advertising are so diverse, the medium can be effective for any budget. These days, business owners can even turn to ad buying platforms to pinpoint target locations and choose the ad format - such as digital billboards or bus benches - that will drive results within their budget.  

It’s Simple to Book

In the past, booking an outdoor ad space was a cumbersome process that involved a lot of vendor research, phone calls, and time-consuming negotiations. Today, securing an outdoor ad or launching a regional campaign is as simple as clicking a few buttons. AdQuick’s OOH buying platform makes it easy for small businesses to get a bird's eye view of the area they’re targeting and access maps that showcase exactly which ad units are available. The result? Fast, transparent media buying that works with their timeline and budget.

Another perk is that small businesses don’t have to go it alone. Free resources like budget estimators, competitor analysis, and market data are available so businesses can create campaigns with confidence.

It’s More Effective than its Digital Counterparts

Many consumers increased screen time during the pandemic and were inundated by digital ads, so it’s no surprise many have reported digital fatigue and that digital advertising has become less effective. According to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), 71% of consumers report tuning out ads on digital devices, whereas 53% of consumers report noticing outdoor advertising more now than before the pandemic. Outdoor advertising’s growing popularity among consumers makes it an opportune time for small businesses to test the waters.  

It’s Easy to Monitor and Measure

Outdoor advertising does more than build brand awareness; it drives audiences to action. But small businesses need to be able to assess the effectiveness of their campaigns in order to strategize for the future. That means asking questions like, who has seen this ad? Is there a way to track conversions? Which designs, or advertising creative, was the most effective?

Modern outdoor advertising makes it possible for small businesses to attribute online and offline traffic, such as whether people saw an ad and then visited their website or storefront. Ad buying platforms can even drill down to show demographic and behavioral data, which also helps businesses strategize their future campaigns.  

Now more than ever, small businesses need an affordable and effective way to stand out in a crowd. Thanks to advances in technology, online buying platforms allow small business owners to launch, manage and measure outdoor advertising campaigns quickly and efficiently so they can get back to what they do best – running their business.

To learn more about how outdoor advertising can help small businesses grow and thrive, connect with a member of our team today.