How to Use Outdoor Advertising to Get Your Small Business Back on its Feet

The coronavirus has hit the UK business community hard, none more so than small companies. However, after months of closure for many, the UK government has eased lockdown measures to enable most businesses to reopen.

We appreciate that many other small businesses have remained open throughout lockdown, and this has presented other challenges. However, one area that has affected small businesses both open and closed during lockdown is the ability to utilise outdoor advertising. After all, there’s been no one on the streets to advertise to for months.

While some businesses got creative with their outdoor advertising during lockdown, having already committed to paying for the space, the loss of revenue that out-of-home advertising would normally generate for small businesses has been hard to take.

Why its time to advertise outdoors again

We understand that spending on outdoor advertising right now might seem illogical. Your small business will no doubt have been hit hard financially. However, your recovery hinges on winning back customers in your local community, and the only way you can do that is to let them know you’re there.

More important than anything else right now, yes even profit, is rebuilding your brand. Why? Well, people will be looking to brands they can trust. Right now there is still a lot of fear and anxiety within local communities. Your outdoor advertising has one job, to help ease that fear and anxiety.

The way to use outdoor advertising in these challenging times is to be visible and active in supporting your local community. You can use out of-home advertising to be a beacon of hope and lead the way in setting an example when it comes to customer care and safety.

Bubble Outdoor is here to help facilitate communicating your message with your customers and get you back on your feet in your local community.

Making use of out-of-home advertising

If you’re new to out-of-home (OOH) advertising, it’s simply buying space on billboards, street furniture, bus stands, outdoor digital signage and more, to alert customers to your brand, products, and services. If you’re familiar with OOH, well you need no explanation.

However, whether you’re a newbie or prolific outdoor advertiser, what you have in common is that you need a post-coronavirus advertising strategy to win back customers and rebuild trust.

There are many reasons for a small business to use OOH advertising, but given the challenging times that we’re in, let’s make sure your next OOH campaign focuses on specific pain points facing customers right now.

Many customers are apprehensive about returning to the high street, so your outdoor advertising should have a two-pronged goal:

To reassure
To let them know how you can meet their needs

Outdoor advertising allows you to get these messages out there quickly. After all, OOH advertising isn’t something people can skip like a TV commercial or a pop-up advertisement online, it’s big, bold and in your face, which means it will get noticed.

As a small business, one thing you rely on is being seen in your local community. OOH removes any doubt that your products and services may not be available in a particular geographic location. If customers are seeing your ad in a specific location, it means that you’re able to serve.

The key to outdoor advertising in these challenging times is your message. It needs to be sensitive to the current climate, while presenting your brand as a solution.

So, here’s how you can let your customers know that you’re back, open for business and that their health and safety is important to you:

#1 – Use billboards

Arguably the most effective outdoor advertising channel for small businesses, billboards are a high impact way to communicate your message to the local community. Billboards can communicate a really simple message in an eye-catching way. A great message could be:

“We’ve missed you, and we wanted to let you know we’re here for you. Come and visit us, it would be great to catchup.”

You could use a background image that shows your store’s entrance as a welcoming invitation to customers.

Search for price and availability of billboards near you here.

#2 – Use transit advertising

Bus services and taxis have been operating throughout lockdown and now that measures have been eased, more people are using public transport. Side of bus and taxi advertising is a great way to spread your message across the local community. Imagine your message being seen on the side of a fleet of buses or Hackney carriages.

While transit advertising isn’t currently listed on the Bubble Outdoor map (it’s tricky to pin point a moving vehicle on a map!) get in touch with the team and we can talk you through the options.

#3 – Use digital signage

Outdoor digital signage has many benefits for small businesses, none more so than its versatility. Outdoor digital signs allow you to interchange your message and update content quickly and easily. Plus, it’s highly engaging and you can get very creative with your content.

Search for price and availability of digital signage here.

Getting started with outdoor advertising

An outdoor advertising campaign for your small business is a baby step you can take toward rebuilding your brand and customer trust. Ultimately, it’s important for you to be visible to your customers in these challenging times and your road to recovery has to start somewhere.

Outdoor advertising is your outlet into the local community and that’s where you need to be right now. Therein lies the value of outdoor advertising. It’s a fast, trustworthy and effective way to build brand exposure and alert customers that you’re open for business.

Right now your customers need a hero and that can be your business. No matter how small your operation, you will play a key role in rebuilding your local community.

Partner with Bubble Outdoor

Bubble Outdoor wants you to succeed in helping your local community, while getting your small business back on its feet. Our end-to-end service means we can help you create and launch your campaign to come back strong.

Use our online platform to find the price and availability of outdoor advertising from multiple media owners. Then book using your debit, credit card or bank transfer. Start searching now.

Need some advice before you dive in? Talk to our team for advice on crafting the best outdoor advertising campaign. Call 0117 325 6755 or send us a message.