billboard advertising

Billboard Advertising In The UK

98% Of People In The UK See Outdoor Advertising Every Week

Did you know that billboard advertising is more cost effective than any other format if you want to engage with a large audience. Furthermore, its more affordable than ever for local businesses.

What Is Billboard Advertising?

Billboard advertising has been a prominent marketing tool for decades, captivating audiences with its larger-than-life presence. These towering structures, strategically placed along roadsides, busy streets, and in high-traffic areas, serve as powerful visual mediums to convey messages and promote products or services.

Billboards are designed to grab attention and leave a lasting impression on passersby. With their eye-catching graphics, bold colours, and concise messaging, they have the ability to communicate a brand’s essence in a matter of seconds. Whether it’s a thought-provoking image, a catchy slogan, or a memorable call-to-action, billboard advertising aims to create an immediate impact on potential customers.

Why Use Billboard Advertising?

In today’s fast-paced digital world, where consumers are constantly bombarded with online ads and social media promotions, billboard advertising offers a refreshing and effective way to cut through the clutter. Here are a few compelling reasons why you should consider incorporating billboard advertising into your marketing strategy:

Maximum Exposure: Billboards are strategically placed in high-traffic areas, ensuring maximum visibility and exposure to a wide range of potential customers. They provide an opportunity to reach a diverse audience, including commuters, pedestrians, and even tourists.

Brand Awareness: The sheer size and visual impact of billboards make them ideal for building brand awareness. By consistently displaying your brand message in key locations, you can establish a strong presence in the minds of consumers, increasing the likelihood of them choosing your product or service when the need arises.

Targeted Advertising: Billboards can be strategically placed in specific locations to target a particular demographic or geographic area. This allows businesses to tailor their message to a specific audience, ensuring that their advertising efforts are reaching the right people at the right time.

Cost-Effective: Compared to other forms of advertising, such as television or radio commercials, billboard advertising offers a cost-effective solution. With a one-time investment, your message can be displayed 24/7 for weeks or even months, providing continuous exposure without recurring costs.

71% Of consumers Said They Regularly Look And Engage  With Messages Being Displayed On  Advertising Billboards

How Much Does It Cost To Have A Billboard In The UK?

The cost of billboard advertising varies depending on several factors, including location, size, format, duration, and demand. Generally, billboards in prime locations, such as major roads or busy urban areas, tend to be more expensive due to higher visibility and traffic.

On average, billboard advertising costs can range from £600 per 2 weeks for a digital billboard and £350 for a fortnight on a traditional billboard. However, it’s important to note that these costs can be significantly lower if you had a longer term commitment.

On the subject of maximising exposure, we should also highlight that traditional billboards enables businesses to promote their advertising message without sharing the space with anyone else for the duration of the booking.

Conversely, digital billboards often rotate up to six different adverts over the course of a one minute period, this restricts your exposure and you’ll be required to compete with alternative ads on a continual basis.

With all this information in mind, digital and classic billboard advertising is really affordable for small businesses, while they also offer significant value in terms of impact and achieving a return on their investment.

Can Anyone Advertise on a Billboard?

Absolutely! Billboard advertising is accessible to businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small local business or a multinational corporation, billboards offer an affordable and impactful advertising solution.

Thanks to advancements in technology and the availability of digital billboards, businesses now have more flexibility and options when it comes to billboard advertising. Digital billboards allow for dynamic content changes, enabling businesses to display multiple messages or promotions within a single campaign.

83% Of People Recall Seeing Outdoor Adverts Within The Last 30 Minutes Before Shopping

What Makes A Good Billboard Advert?

1. Keep It Simple

A passing motorist would roughly have 5-10 seconds to read a billboard as they pass by. Even if you’re trying to engage with people who are stuck in traffic, it’s always best to use no more than 10 words within your creative.

This is what our capacity is to digest a message in this environment. Businesses trying to get greedy with the amount content is the biggest barrier to creating an effective billboard advertising design.

2. Use Contrasting Colours.

Colours are more legible when they have a sharp contrast. Studies have shown that using highly contrasting colours can improve recall by 38%. The highest contrasting colours are black and white or black and yellow.

3. Images.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Use a powerful image that really pops!! Nothing grabs peoples attention like a high impact image.

4. The layout of your billboard advert

One simple rule to follow. Adverts with branding at the top, middle and bottom are consumed better than those when the key elements are scattered around. Why is that? we naturally reads posters in a “z” shape path.

5. Entertain

The most powerful Billboard advertising campaigns are the ones that encourage positive emotions. If possible, try to deliver your message in an entertaining manner without jeopardising the effectiveness

Find Out The About The Options For Billboard Advertising Near You

If there’s a location within the UK that you’ve already found, please feel free to get in touch.

Alternatively, We can help you identify the best billboard ads that will reach your target audience.

We can offer you a free quote and a great package deal.

Digital Billboard Advertising

When used in the right way, advertising on a digital billboard is the perfect way to promote your brand and increase your popularity amongst your targeted demographics within your local area.

​Digital billboards are state of the art LED screens that vary in size. These digital advertising screens enables advertisers to show pin sharp images to a mass market. The flexibility allows the marketeer to promote different messages at different times of the day.

​Artwork can be uploaded in seconds and in real-time so that messages stay relevant based on things such as current events and weather.

You can also choose what times of the day that you want to advertise. This is good at reaching out to your target audience (morning commuters, weekend shoppers etc.)

What Are The Billboard Sizes In UK?

Here we’ll take a look at some of the traditional billboard advertising sizes that are favoured by local businesses and also national brands.

6 Sheets

This advertising format tends to deliver messages around towns and the local community due to them being situated in highly pedestrianised areas. 6 Sheets are mainly located to reach a pedestrian audience and impact shoppers at point of sale to alter purchasing decisions.

6 sheet dimensions:-

  • 1.8 metres x 1.2metres
  • 47.24 inches  x 70.87 inches

48 Sheet Billboard

48 sheet billboard advertising is 20ft x 10ft in size. The most popular large outdoor advertising format and favoured by national brands and local businesses. Furthermore, they are easily viewed from distances.

Often seen near busy roadsides, in high traffic count areas, on main arterial roads and populated areas.

Seen has a portfolio of 48 sheet billboards with the capacity to put your business in the heart of Towns and Cities.  They can offer a cost effective coverage throughout a large area.

  • The 48 sheet billboard size in photoshop and illustrator is 1524mm x 762mm.
  • 20 feet x 10 feet is the billboard size in feet.
  • The standard 48 sheet billboard size in metres is 6 metres x 3 metres.
  • A 48 sheet billboard size in inches is 240 inches x 120 inches.

96 Sheet Billboard

The difference between a 96 sheet and 48 sheet is the 96 sheet is 40ft x 10ft and double the size. It is one of the largest outdoor advertising displays thats intended for viewing from a distance. As mentioned, it’s double the size of a 48 sheet and is perfect for building brand fame whilst adding prestige and notoriety.

This size has a massive impact within the urban landscape and situated on main arterial roads and high traffic areas.

A 96 sheet billboard size is:-

  • 40 foot x 10 foot
  • 12 metres x 3 metres
  • 480 inches x 120 inches

Digital 48 Sheet Billboard

When it comes to outdoor advertising, the digital 48 sheet billboard has become one of the most popular formats for  advertisers both locally and nationally. D48 sheet billboards offer flexibility for businesses to run timely or location-based adverts, or alter messages in real-time depending on factors such as time and weather to increase audience engagement.

The same display size as the traditional but the digital 48 sheet specifications are different. A D48 should be created in Illustrator or Photoshop with pixels and in a JPEG Format.

Billboard Advertising Effectiveness

Outdoor advertising reaches out to 98% of the UK population.

Research shows that there are 53% more cars on the road today than there were 30 years ago. This means more people are seeing billboard advertising today than ever.

You can engage with 87% of the people within your local area.

Billboard advertising works for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Advertising on a billboard V’s Newspapers

The print media relies on readership and circulation figures. Local publications tend to have a circulation of around 30,000 but these figures are dropping rapidly year on year.

Most newspapers and glossy magazines promote high distribution figures to try and sell you advertising without the stats to prove it, Like ABC (Audit Bureau of circulation). They fabricate their print run.

This cannot be said for billboard advertising, people are spending more time “out of home” and due to this, engagements with outdoor adverting is always on the increase. It offers brands and businesses exclusivity along with maximum exposure.

Billboard advertising V’s Radio

  • 61% of UK adults do not listen to any Commercial Radio stations HOWEVER…. 98% will see outdoor advertising every week.
  • There’s 20% of UK adults do not listen to any form of Radio
  • 42% of UK adults do not  notice the ads on the Radio
  • 57% of UK adults who have seen Bus advertising do not listen to Commercial Radio
  • You can’t turn off a billboard and they deliver your message 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can switch radio stations off or change the station. 

Billboard advertising or bus advertising?

Disadvantages of bus advertising

  • The back of a bus offers a relatively small advert space.
  • Adverts on the sides of buses tend to not face head on to people. Therefore, This would be difficult for the consumer to read.
  • Movement – The bus has pulled off by the time you’ve read the advert. It’s really difficult to read an advert whilst a bus is moving.
  • If your advert is on a shabby looking bus, The prestige of your brand will be diminished in the consumers eyes.

Advantages of billboard advertising

  • Unlike bus, billboard advertising delivers your advertising message 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • A billboard adds prestige and notoriety to your business due to the size and impact.
  • Billboard advertising can offer exact locations and target your key demographic.
  • Unlike bus, Billboard advertising faces head on to consumers. Therefore, making your message easier to digest.
  • It offers a much larger advertising space than bus so you can portray you business and brand to its fullest.
  • A static location placed in front of stationary vehicles.

71% of Consumers look at billboard advertising messages

 98% of us in the UK see billboard advertising or an outdoor advert every week. 68% of consumers frequently make purchasing decisions while in the car.

Our Billboard Advertising Network

Seen is one of the only billboard advertising companies in the UK that makes it affordable for businesses of all sizes to use this very effective format. Our advertising network gives SME’s the opportunity to put their message in front of their target audience at a very competitive cost.

All locations are situated on all major arterial roads into and out of Towns and Cities throughout the UK. All sites face head on to oncoming traffic which ensures a high engagement from consumers.

  • Wales
  • Cheltenham & Gloucester
  • Bedfordshire
  • Herefordshire
  • Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire
  • Manchester & Liverpool
  • Birmingham & The West Midlands
  • Dorset
  • Hampshire
  • Wiltshire
  • Somerset
  • Cornwall
  • Devon
  • Kent

Plus many more areas to advertise on billboards

Don't take our word for it,
Here's what our clients say about us

4.9/5

Jenny Pearce
Diverse Abilities

FANTASTIC SPOTS AT VERY COMPETITIVE RATES

After working with Matt for a few years now, I can honestly say it has been an absolute pleasure. His billboards are in fantastic spots and at very competitive rates, plus his customer service and professionalism is spot on. He always makes sure we receive the best service and the whole process, from booking to delivery, is perfect. I really couldn’t ask for anything more.

Hayley O’Shea
Talbot Heath School

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

I have worked with Matt for a few years now. His customer service is excellent often going beyond the call of duty. He has some fantastic prime spots at very competitive rates. His poster printing service is very reasonable & makes the whole process of booking & managing outdoor media seamless.

Matthew Lawrence
Urban Guild

PLEASURE TO DEAL WITH

We’ve been working with Showcase for a couple of years principally to promote our Christmas parties. As a local business with 4 restaurant and hotel venues in the town it’s great to support another local business and still achieve the reach and exposure that outdoor advertising offers. Matt’s a total pleasure to deal with and I would recommend asking him about your next marketing campaign.

Want To Know More About Advertising On Billboards in Your Area?

Call us on 01202 670687, email us at matt@seenoutdoor.co.uk or fill in your details below…

Ready to unlock the power of Billboard advertising?

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