What Role do Billboards Play in the Buyers Journey?
Understanding when a buyer is at a particular stage of the buyer’s journey can guide your decision-making on the mediums and messaging you use to communicate with them.
When someone decides to make a purchase, whether as an individual or as a business, there are several steps they go through before they come to a final decision. These steps are commonly referred to as a “buyers journey.” Understanding when someone is at a particular stage of the journey can guide your decision making on the mediums and messaging you use to communicate with them.
There are different thoughts on the specific steps of the buyer’s journey, but essentially it boils down to:
- Awareness set: People need to know a product exists. You can’t buy something you’ve never heard of or seen before.
- Consideration set: Of the products you know about, which would you even consider buying?
- Evaluation set: This is where buyers begin to compare and contrast the features and benefits of products or services.
- Purchase: A decision has been made and the product is bought.
- Post-purchase: This is where the customer evaluates the product or service based on their expectations. They interact with customer support and leave reviews. Repeat customers and brand loyalty can be developed here.
In order to make sales, you need to walk people through each of these steps. Different advertising mediums and messages speak to different sets. Different sets also have different goals associated with them.
Think for example you are explaining a new game or sport to a friend. The first thing you tell them is the name, equipment, or how fun it is. You don’t lead with intricate details, otherwise, they could get confused and turned off before giving it a try. Similarly, when reaching people in the awareness set, getting them to hear your brand name or see your logo can be a success. They need to know you exist before they consider becoming a customer.
The length of a buyer’s journey depends on a variety of factors, but in general, billboards are effective for hitting people in the awareness and consideration sets. Billboards put your brand in front of people. Now they know your product exists and they think of you when making a purchase. Exposing your branding and logo to someone can make them more likely to click on an online ad, stop at your location, or answer a sales call from you.
Billboards can also be used further along in the buyer’s journey. One popular use of outdoor advertising is directional ads from restaurants or attractions prompting you to take an exit or make a turn. These ads are hitting hungry customers that are in the evaluation set.
Regardless of how you use your billboard, your ads should help people connect your brand with a benefit and become more memorable. Read more about how brand building works here.
