The holidays may feel far away, but they’ll be here before you know it. So if you haven’t planned your holiday advertising campaigns, now’s the time to start making that list and checking it twice. Read on for 3 ways to improve holiday sales with outdoor advertising and get ready for your 2017 holiday sales to be bigger than Santa’s bag of gifts!
According to Visa’s 2016 Retail Spending Monitor, last year saw a growth in holiday spending of 4.8% – the biggest in the last 5 years! In total, consumers spent more than $658.3 billion dollars. And not just at retailers. Nearly $123 billion of those dollars were spent at non-stores (like restaurants and gas stations).
And the outlook for the 2017 holiday season is just as bright. This year, experts are predicting at least a 4% increase in sales over last year!
So how can your business benefit? Here are 3 ways to improve holiday sales with outdoor advertising.
3 Ways to Improve Holiday Sales with Outdoor Advertising
1. Plan Outdoor Advertising Campaigns Early
According to recent reports from the National Retail Federation, consumers have the holidays in mind long before the first snow. During the 2016 holiday season, over half of Americans (54%) started planning for the season in October, and the majority (36%) started shopping before Black Friday.
That means that your campaigns should be launching now. Not only does this help spread awareness about your business, it also allows you to take full advantage of the entire holiday season. When people repeatedly see your billboard, your company will begin to stick with them and they’ll think of you first when planning their shopping trips.
2. Keep Out-of-Home Advertising Fresh
Have you ever seen a commercial so many times that you started to ignore it? That’s known as ‘ad fatigue.’ The best way to prevent this from happening with your advertisements is by updating them regularly.
Changes don’t have to be dramatic either. Switching out the copy, using different images, and changing color schemes are all easy ways to keep your billboards fresh and consumers paying attention to them. Certain elements will also appeal to different segments within your targeted audience, so you’ll also increase your chances of sending the right message to the right people at the right time.
And with their flexibility, digital billboards are ideal for this since they’re quick and easy to change without the added cost of installation.
3. Trigger Impulse Spending
In their 2017 report on holiday spending, CreditCards.com found that 3 out of 4 shoppers made impulse purchases during the 2016 holiday season. And while that’s slightly less than 2015, your business can certainly reap the benefits of shoppers’ urge to splurge. It just takes the right strategy.
Since people are 33% more alert when they’re away from home, billboards are perfect for grabbing – and keeping – attention. Additionally, 68% make purchasing decisions while in the car and most likely to see your billboard. So focus your ads on triggering emotional, on-the-spot purchases that lessen guilt and watch your bottom line grow.
In Summary
Outdoor advertising is one of the best ways to improve holiday sales for large and small businesses, alike. They reach the shoppers when they’re out-and-about, most alert, and making purchase decisions. And if you use these tips for your campaigns, your business is sure to have a very bright holiday season.