The billboard formula (hint: less is more)
It doesn’t get bigger than a billboard in church marketing…well, unless you make the unfortunate choice of a giant Jesus statue…so what do you put on such a thing?
It’s the size that gets many in trouble…more size, more content, right? Wrong. 7 words max.
Your biggest challenge is catching people’s attention. You need come up with something that is really different, off the wall, if you put up something unexpected you’ll have a big advantage over everything else that’s going on as I drive down the road with my iPod on, kids fighting and my mind on my destination.
Billboards are not informational. They are either directional (think hotels and restaurants) or in the case of churches they are a reminder medium. You are reminding them of who you are, reminding them of your brand and connecting them back to other materials you are using. This is not the place for all the details…give them one place to go for more information (website). I know it will feel like you need to put the times and address and all that information but if you do, no one will pay attention to it.
There most be support for your billboard. Other print materials, promotional items…a billboard can’t remind you of something you’ve never seen before. A great example is a campaign by Grand Rapids First. They handed out hundreds of bottles of water with a design we created “Be Refreshed”. 
Later that month when people drove by the large “Be Refreshed” billboard they were reminded not just of the campaign that was started that day, but also the great people they met that were handing out those bottles of water.
So here’s the formula: great image + logo + website + supporting materials = successful campaign
What do you think, do you have a different formula for billboard success?
Tags: advertising, billboards, content