Increasing the public’s awareness of your company is your first priority when you’re a small business. Whether this is through word of mouth from a satisfied customer or a full-on advertorial blitz. What a modern small business owner is looking for is simply the opportunity to create more business. This can be accomplished in several ways, but one of the most tested and cogent solutions to this problem is an increase in your level of advertorial circulation. The only problem is that creating a complex and comprehensive advertisement strategy on a budget can be very complicated.
In this scenario, one must prioritize as many low-dollar/high-impact solutions as possible. For instance, what many experts commonly suggest is to look for advertorial opportunities that have a low point of entry yet also have the chance to be seen by a lot of eyes. Real-world examples of this can include advertising with taxi companies, train stations, or any public place where there is a heavy level of foot traffic. One such place that is consistently underrepresented in these discussions is the humble bus shelter. Yes, the bus shelter serves as the perfect advertising opportunity for businesses of any size. This is due to the shelter’s relatively inexpensive rental cost, coupled with its ubiquity throughout any metropolitan area. A popular bus route ostensibly goes through all the densest parts of a city, which creates the opportunity for the conception of hundreds of potential customers. This is because the shelter offers multiple chances for thousands of people to see your ad every day. In the realm of advertising, you’re fighting for the gaze of a thousand different eyeballs, and a great way to get those eyes to notice you is through repetition. Having your advertorial on multiple bus shelters across the city plays a key role in creating that recognition. Now before we begin, if all of this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry! We’ll take you through step by step all of the benefits bus shelter advertising can have for your business!
What Is an Ad on a Bus Shelter?
To make sure we’re all on the same page here, let’s start by briefly going over the two types of ads you can have on a bus shelter. First, there is the classic paper-based static bus shelter panel. These are the poster-like advertisements you’d see in most bus shelters. They boast a striking design while being incredibly affordable to create and maintain. When someone thinks of an ad on a bus shelter, the shelter panel is probably what they’re thinking about. However, like time’s arrow, the progression of technology has marched on ever forward. Thus creating the digital bus shelter advertisement. This is much like their paper counterparts, except that it can auto-scroll between ads, as well as maintain visibility even at night. This is important because the backlighting of the panel serves to double the time that your ad can be seen out in the world, which creates yet even more opportunities for the creation of potential customers! Now that we’ve got a handle on the distinction between the two kinds of ads let’s move on to our next area of discussion.
The High-Low Strategy
When we’re talking about marketing for small businesses, a concept that many people discuss is the idea of a high-impact advertorial target. That means that even though it’s a singular target like a billboard (or a bus shelter) it is being consistently seen and creating new business for you. What is so amazing about bus shelters is that they are the very definition of this concept. When you rent a bus shelter, you are essentially renting a billboard for half of the cost and just as much traffic. Whether it be someone waiting for the bus, or even someone who passes by a certain bus stop enough, they will almost certainly see that advertisement on the shelter. This maximizes the value of your advertisement without increasing its price point. Meaning that you’re getting more bang for your advertorial budget!
Conclusion
Advertising at any level for any business is a difficult science. It seems to take just as much luck as it does research in a world where some advertisements become viral sensations that become internationally famous. It’s easy for smaller businesses to feel lost in that shuffle. And as with any doubt, thousands of questions start to arise. Should your company react to the cultural climate around them and explore virality? Should they opt for a short and informative commercial that explains their business? It seems like even though there are all these questions, there are no concrete answers. This is why investing in not only advertising but local advertising can be so important for a small business. When a small business invests in ads for their local bus shelter, it’s not only a point of pride for their hometown but a promise that they see the value of their community and want to invest in it. You will be amazed by how much that show of respect gets reciprocated by the people around you. When it’s time to grow your business, it’s a great idea to try to look as far ahead as you can. Just remember not to look so far out that you miss the people right next to you!