Billboards vs social media ads: is outdoor worth it?

Key takeaways

Billboards vs social media ads comes down to location. Outdoor advertising is worth it when one site sits where your buyers pass daily and points them to something nearby. For almost every other purpose, social media ads reach the same people with more control and at lower risk.

• A two-week billboard outside London runs about £300 to £1,200.
• Social ads can be tested from £300–£500 a month.
• A poster must be read in three seconds: seven words or fewer.
• A social ad can carry detail, photos and a button to enquire.

What is outdoor advertising?

Outdoor advertising, also called out-of-home (OOH), is any paid advert in a public place: roadside billboards, bus shelters, bus sides and rears, phone kiosks, station posters and digital screens. You rent the site for a set period, usually two weeks at a time.

• Social media marketing vs traditional advertising: what works better for SMEs?
• What is traditional advertising? A plain guide for small firms

How do the costs compare?

A single site can cost about the same as a month of social ads. As an indicative range, a 48-sheet billboard outside London costs £300 to £1,200 for two weeks plus printing, with bus shelters and bus rears often less. Paid social starts at £300–£500 a month. The difference is that the billboard is one message in one place.

• How much does advertising cost a UK small business?
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Who sees each one?

A billboard is seen by everyone who passes, again and again. That is efficient if they are your market and wasteful if most are driving through. A social ad is shown only to the people you select, but it has to stop them mid-scroll.

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What can each one say?

A poster can say very little. Drivers have about three seconds, so aim for seven words or fewer, a name and one image. A social ad can carry a headline, several photos, a short video, a price and a button. Use outdoor for presence and direction, not for explanation.

• Outdoor: name, one line, one picture, direction.
• Social: detail, proof, offer and a way to reply.

What rules apply to outdoor adverts?

Outdoor adverts fall under the CAP Code, and many need consent from the local planning authority under the advertisement control regulations. Established poster sites are run by media owners who hold that consent. Putting up your own banner or sign can need it, and fly-posting is illegal.

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Which is easier to measure?

Social media is easier to measure. Outdoor has no click, so watch for more people searching your name, more walk-ins and answers to 'how did you hear about us?' during the booking. A short, memorable web address helps. Avoid QR codes on roadside sites, because nobody driving can use them.

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• 'How did you hear about us?' Asking the question properly

When does outdoor win?

Outdoor wins when the site is close to the point of sale and the audience is local and repeated.

• A site on the approach to your shop, venue or showroom.
• An opening or event that the whole town should know about.
• A commuter route used daily by your buyers.
• Bus rears on routes through your service area.

• When traditional advertising works better than social media
• Local advertising for small businesses: what works nearby

When do social ads win?

Social ads win when you need to explain, to target a type of person, to track enquiries or to change the message. They also win on risk: a poor social ad can be replaced in minutes, while a poor poster stays up for the full booking.

• Best social media platform for driving local footfall
• Reaching your local community on social media

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with firms trying outdoor for the first time: the poster is designed like a leaflet, with a phone number, a list of services and a web address in small type. Nobody can read it at 30 miles an hour. Cutting it to a name, one promise and a location is usually the single biggest improvement.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Checklist before booking outdoor

• Stand at the site at the time your buyers pass.
• Check the poster reads in three seconds.
• Confirm print and posting costs.
• Run matching social ads in the same area.
• Record name searches and walk-ins during the booking.

Next step

Visit the site you are being offered and time how long the poster is in view. If it is under three seconds, simplify the design or decline.