Fresh Trends: are billboards for your Bakery?

It’s no secret that small and medium-sized bakeries often find themselves having difficulty competing against the big guys. Making the best bear claws in town doesn’t matter if no one is coming in to try them.

Learn how billboards can be an affordable and effective way to attract customers and establish your brand.

KNEAD YOUR BRAND INTO SHAPE
For newer bakeries, one of the most important things you can gain from advertising is brand recognition. Before anyone will try your sweet treats, they need to know you exist and where to find you. Seeing your goods on a billboard during their commute every day is a fantastic way to make potential customers aware of you. It begins to establish your brand and also starts to create an emotional connection with them. A well-designed billboard will also generate interest and be shared on social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, all at no additional cost to you!

SELL MORE SWEETS
Billboards on roads let drivers know where they can quickly satisfy their sweet tooth. In more downtown or urban areas, they can perk up foot traffic, too. Sometimes all the persuasion consumers need to try a new place is an image on a delicious-looking sign to entice them. Billboards lead customers right to your front door.

SPEND LESS DOUGH
Cost is likely the most important factor in deciding how to advertise. This is especially true for smaller and newer bakeries that don’t always have thousands of dollars in their advertising budget. Billboards and other outdoor ads are affordable on nearly any budget. Generally speaking, they’re more affordable than newspaper, magazine, and television ads. We’re talking around 30 dollars a day.

THE CHERRY ON TOP
While all sorts of different ad formats can be effective, people have gotten good at ignoring or skipping most of them. Many people find digital ads frustrating. Billboards are loud and big, but they are also considered to be one of the least annoying types of ads. 85 per cent of all consumers believe outdoor ads are useful, with 83 per cent believing they informative. Why use an ad format that you know will annoy your audience?

BIGGER THAN A BREAD BOX
Outdoor ads work. They’re huge! They’re colorful! They’re memorable! Just how impactful? According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, of those who have seen an outdoor ad:

• 41 per cent are more likely to learn about the brand being advertised
• 70 per cent say outdoor ads are very, or somewhat likely, to influence a purchase
• 58 per cent search the web as a direct result of seeing an ad
• 55 per cent use mobile and social media to share information while viewing an outdoor ad
• 35 per cent buy a product after seeing an ad. 

Cody J. Riebe is a Public Relations and Content Specialist for BillboardsIn.com, an online marketplace for outdoor ads