Get Noticed with Outdoor Marketing

approx 9 minute read

Get Noticed with Outdoor Marketing

Regardless of what industry you are in, it is increasingly important to market your outdoor space just as you would your indoor areas.

Signage and outdoor branding are two critical marketing strategies a business should invest in. As consumers, we are exposed to approximately 4,000 pieces of traditional marketing on a daily basis. Whether it be a company’s logo, their signage or outdoor posters and flyers, outdoor marketing plays a major role in our consumer habits. This blog will take a look into the importance of outdoor signage and branding for your business.

What is Outdoor Marketing

It sounds obvious but outdoor marketing is marketing that takes place outdoors. As things have progressively moved into the digital space, many people forget how exposed they are to a brand’s marketing when they step away from their screens. From stickers, to gazebos, vehicle wraps, shop signs and even furniture like cafe barriers. There is an abundance of effective ways you can market your business outside the online sphere.

Outdoor marketing is locally targeted and often encourages consumers to subconsciously interact with a brand when they are thinking about a purchase.

Why is Outdoor Marketing Important?

Outdoor marketing helps to engage and connect your audience to your brand, where they live, work and play. Once mixed with a bit of creativity, you can connect with a number of people who may not have previously been aware of your brand. Marketing outdoors will help you to create a unique brand image and divert foot traffic without a major investment.

Utilizing outdoor marketing as a strategy to grow your business is a worthwhile tool to consider. It is pervasive, yet subtle. You are not forcing your customers to look at your marketing materials but many times it is difficult to avoid it. Due to this, it is a great way to keep your brand top of your customers’ minds. Visibility nurtures familiarity, and familiarity leads to trust. This is exactly what outdoor marketing aims to do and why it is so vital to incorporate within your marketing plan. Developing a memorable brand, both online and offline, will help you generate sales. We recently wrote about developing the memorability and strength of your brand, feel free to take a read.

Benefits of Outdoor Marketing Right Now

Business has been forced outside a lot recently. Using outdoor marketing tactics in your favor can do wonders for your brand recognition and brand trust. This improved recognition and trust leads to a growing audience and high conversions. Here’s how marketing outdoors can benefit your business:

Outdoor Marketing Helps to Improve your Brand Recognition:

Customers rarely purchase from a brand on their first interaction with it. Getting your brand out in the public domain can do wonders for accelerating the sales funnel process. When your branding is exposed on pop-up banners, cafe barriers and signage around the area and splattered on coffee cup stickers, you are actively getting your brand out in the public eye. You are subconsciously planting the seed for them to interact and be aware of your brand. 47% of consumers expect brands to market their business in outdoor spaces.

By placing your logo on something as simple as a parasol in your outdoor dining area, you are capturing potential customers’ attention as they pass your business. Whether it is a giant deck chair or a pavement stencil or sticker, this outdoor branding can help to spark interest in your business. Using a short tagline, bright colors and a powerful logo will effectively communicate the kind of business you are and what it’s like to work with you.

Outdoor Marketing Helps to Deliver Messages to Your Audience:

Utilize outdoor marketing tools to generate interest between you and your potential customers by tailoring your messaging to them. Design your marketing collateral in a way that reflects the needs and preferences of the people that you are trying to target. Doing this will allow your business to better connect and communicate with your target audience. Think of your ideal customer avatar’s tone of voice, visual preferences, and needs. Connect with them through the design and message of your outdoor marketing.

Engage your customers by showcasing your brand. Tell your customers exactly who you are and what you stand for. Give them that sensory insight into your brand. It has been found that 58% consumers find that they are more inclined to interact with a brand after seeing a business’ outdoor branding.

When you market your business outdoors, you widen your reach for potential brand recall. Brand recall is when your consumers automatically think of your brand when they are in need of your products and services. It’s a component of brand awareness which measures the spontaneous recollection of the brand from memory when the customer is prompted by the product category.

This not only generates a greater level of brand recognition, but it also evokes a degree of trust among consumers as they become more aware of your branding and your offerings.

Build these long term associations with your audience through effective messaging. An enticing brand will encourage people to want to get to know your business more. Outdoor marketing allows for this to happen and gives your audience the opportunity to interact with your brand without any distractions. It can help to captivate their attention and permit positive results when it comes to sales and brand recognition.

The ability to contact your audience in real time and cut through the clutter at their convenience is incredibly beneficial. Outdoor marketing helps to pull them towards your brand, establishing a seamless way of marketing your brand and conveying your message.

Outdoor Marketing Helps to Boost Your Sales

The impact outdoor marketing has when it comes to enhancing your sales is surprising. It has been found that 66% of people who have a smartphone reported that they have taken some form of action after observing a business’ outdoor marketing. When your outdoor marketing can trigger engagement and grab an audience’s attention the probability of a potential consumer interacting with your business massively increases.

When you can garner attention with outdoor materials to your benefit, you will not only increase your brand recognition, but also amplify your brand value. Your outdoor marketing strategies have the ability to fortify your brand equity which in turn benefits your credibility among your audience.

Being creative with your outdoor marketing can help you to effectively entice an audience into your sales funnel. Through outdoor marketing you can display your branding in a way that successfully attracts your audience. Consumers subconsciously choose a brand based on their branding and overall brand image. Getting your brand seen is of utmost importance and by marketing outdoors you are opening your business up to a larger audience than by not. Increasing the potential to grow your customer base and sales.

Outdoor Marketing is Cost Effective

Outdoor marketing allows potential customers to learn that your business exists before they know anything about it. It helps your business to get noticed. Even if a customer becomes aware of your brand via a digital medium, if they then see that your business invests in outdoor marketing like signage, they are automatically more likely to consider your brand to be reputable. This is a result of the consistency of your branding and marketing materials.

We know that investing in outdoor marketing materials is worthwhile when it comes to increasing your brand equity, but it is also a cost effective way of marketing your business. Outdoor marketing gives businesses the opportunity to market to a larger audience at a relatively low cost.

Drives Online Engagement

Outdoor marketing creates a unique opportunity to engage the general public. It’s a non-intrusive method of marketing. It subconsciously encourages potential customers to interact with your brand. An outdoor marketing campaign has the potential to drive customers to learn more about your business across a number of different mediums.

With this type of marketing, you can generate a powerful creative experience and engage your customers. We all know the influence the digital sphere has on consumer decisions. The way that consumers digest their information is constantly changing and, as mobile and digital marketing continues to saturate the landscape, outdoor marketing can be used to intercept consumers along their journey. Using creative outdoor marketing signage to cut through the clutter. You can engage potential customers by earning their attention and driving them to learn more about your brand online.

The broad reach and high consumption that outdoor marketing offers a brand remains constant across all demographics with social media being the only channel that is on par for reach when it comes to 16 to 34 year olds, according to IPA’s 2019 Touchpoints Report. This illustrates that an omnichannel approach and integrating outdoor marketing strategies into your overall marketing plan is essential.

Types of Outdoor Marketing to Consider Investing in:

We have seen the benefits of outdoor marketing, now let’s look at the different examples of cost-effective, sales-converting outdoor marketing that your business should be investing in.

Shop Front Signage

Branding the outside of your bricks-and-mortar business and investing in window decals and signage will make your business appear to be more reputable. When you invest in your business’ exterior you are making your business easy to find and giving your customers an insight into your business before they even enter your store. First impressions are everything, so make sure you offer a great one!

Outdoor Dining Marketing Materials

If you are in the hospitality sector make sure that you take the time to invest in your outdoor marketing materials. Whether that’s a cafe barrier, parasol, or deckchairs and beanbags. Capture your audience and flaunt your branding to promote your business to customers who may just be passing by. Doing this will not only make your business more attractive but it will make your business more memorable to potential customers.

Flags & Pavement Signage

Use alternative promotional materials such as flags and pavement signage to catch the attention of those passing by. Advertising your brand by simply placing a flag outside your storefront or a sandwich board with a quirky and creative design can do a lot when trying to encourage potential customers to interact with your brand. They may not walk into your store straight away but they may easily interact with your brand online and do a little bit more research. When this occurs you have enticed them into your sales funnel!

Vehicle Wraps & Graphics

Branding your vehicles delivers incredible results when it comes to driving brand awareness and the reach you can receive from branding your vehicles, whether that be a vehicle wrap or just a removable car magnet is fantastic. This passive form of advertising subconsciously grabs customers attention yet it also is an incredibly cost effective way of promoting your business.

Conclusion

Marketing your business in an outdoor space is just as important as marketing online. The potential to get new business by doing so is evident from the points above and if you are looking to create an outdoor marketing campaign, get in touch with your local Nettl studio and a member of our team would be delighted to help!