Below FAQ are some common questions that some of our other customers have raised.
If you have other questions, that we didn't highlight here please just send it to support@clearlylocalmedia.ca
- All
- Pre Sale Questions
- Technical + Theme Questions
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Pre Sale Questions
Just like most media, billboards are priced on their audience delivery. The cost per 4-week period will vary based on the traffic – the number of people that see the ad, the size of the panel, what type of road it’s on, the psychographics of the viewers and more.
Out of Home advertising has the best delivery and lowest Cost per Thousand of any traditional media. For a fraction of the cost, an Out of Home program will deliver impression levels comparable to much more expensive TV campaigns.
Billboard advertising may seem like a relic of years gone by, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Few things capture attention like billboards with an estimated 71% of people admitting to often looking at the messages on roadside billboards while driving. The reason for this is that billboards are simple, straightforward, and non-intrusive.
A Clearly Local Media account executive will have a meeting with you to identify your business goals, target customers and expectations of the program. They will have our in-house designers create a couple of draft ads for you to review. Upon approval, we will post the ad to our digital billboard. We offer full service from beginning to end. We may need your help with your logo and other art elements.
One of the advantages of digital billboards is that your ad can be posted within a few hours of final approved art.
Some other variables about your business that affect results include:
a) Are consumers familiar with your company and products?
b) What is the market perception of your business?
c) How many nearby competitors do you have?
d) Is your location easily accessible with plenty of parking?
e) Do you and your staff provide an enjoyable shopping experience?
f) Do you have enough inventory and a competitive price of what you are advertising?
Variables about the billboard that affect results include:
a) Is the ad easy to read – limited text, simple fonts, color contrast?
b) Does the ad connect emotionally – use of an image or concept?
c) Does the ad portray benefits to the consumer or is it a menu?
d) Is there a call to action motivating the consumer to respond?
On a colour printer, print a (horizontal landscape) version of your ad on a standard 8/12 by 11 piece of paper. Tape it on a wall or have someone hold it 8 feet away from you (roughly three large steps away). Get a friend or family member to look up at the ad for a count of 6 to 8. Then ask them to tell you what you saw and what they were able to remember.
Did you clearly see the business name and what you are promoting?
Did you feel a connection to the message – a sense of need, urgency, solution, happiness?
How long will it take before I begin seeing results?Did you understand how you could take advantage of the ad message?
(See How Do I Know the Advertising Will Work?)
Remember that the advertising needs to build awareness, build trust in the provider, modify consumer behaviour and get them to spend. The longer the decision making process, the longer it takes to see results. Constantly look for ways to ease the sales cycle for the customer: selection, price, knowledgeable staff and financing.
The technology for Digital Displays has opened the door for billboards to be even more responsive to sponsor needs than traditional TV or Radio.
An advertiser can now post more than one piece of copy, at a time – rotating different offers or promotions. You can daypart your messages – a morning ad can be different than an afternoon ad – or a Monday message can be different than Friday’s.
The advertiser can do a countdown, prompting consumer response – Sale Begins This Weekend – or Only 2 Day Remaining.
The messages can include real time content such as temperature, time or weather forecast triggers.
Social media can be integrated, such as Facebook posts or Instagram photos.
The process for creating digital billboard artwork is generally the same as for vinyl billboards. Our in-house design team is aware of special nuances that are part of digital displays , so it’s best to rely on their expertise.
Ad rotation on digital billboards is: There can be up to 8 different advertisers (segments) on one panel. Each ad is displayed for 6 seconds. Each advertiser or each segment gets 1440 6 second ads per day.
Technical + Theme Questions
We are happy to provide designs, design guidance or we can work with your existing design or PR agency. It takes a partnership to succeed!
Selling campaigns in 4-week increments allows for a 13th period every 12 months. This provides a buffer for downtime / vacancy of ad positions. If running an annual campaign this may benefit your package pricing.
The shortest length of campaign that you can run will vary greatly based on the medium chosen. Digital outdoor advertising campaigns can be compressed into whatever timeline is necessary while traditional outdoor media requires longer. Outdoor media has been sold in 4-week periods for 100+ years but this is evolving quickly as traditional media locations are being converted to digital in all major markets.
Don’t forget about production costs, which make shorter traditional outdoor campaigns much more expensive. If you amortize production costs over a longer campaign, it stings a bit less.
As often as you need.
The size of your ad needs to be 1440 x 720 pixels. This perfectly fits the our clearly digital screen perfectly.
You can provide your own ad or feel free to reach out to us to see what it will take to have our design team build it for you.
Customers can be billed monthly with an approved New Client application or pay the contract in full.
Our creative team can rebuild logos, often within the scope of your design project. There is a reasonable fee for more complicated logo rebuilds but you get to keep the results.
Billboard photos should be high resolution - 300 dpi or more. Photos for a digitial billboard can be as low as 72 dpi. However, we don't recommend 72 dpi.
Clearly Local Media has a repository of stock imagery that we can draw from to help you design a professional looking ad.
Clearly Local Media does not currently support tobacco, recreational cannabis, or vaping. CLM will not sell to adult entertainment or any business perceived to be related to human trafficking. Social or political messages must be informative and truthful, but attack language will be declined.