Roadside billboards are one of the better ways to get attention, but you have to be careful what you place on the billboard lest you make it completely pointless. You want to spotlight your product in an easy-to-see manner that is still creative. If you want to make your billboard ad more effective, follow a few rules that will help you narrow down the right slogans and pictures to find the one you want on your billboard.

Make It Obvious What the Ad Is For

Your ad competes with not only every other billboard ad near it, but also with the driver's attention on the road. Don't make your ad so obscure that no one can tell what it's for in a glance that lasts maybe a half a second. If you've already established a certain look or symbol for your product that doesn't overtly mention what company it's for, but people have come to associate the symbol with your brand, you can still use that symbol; the point is to just make the ad recognizable in a split-second. Art and humor are fine, but not when they make drivers either ignore the billboard or take their attention off the road. A bowl of fruit doesn't do much for a driver; a bowl of fruit with your art school's name clearly visible does.

Avoid Too Many Current-News References

Making a joke about current news items does two things: it gives the ad a limited shelf life, and it potentially insults people involved. Even if the event was big, like a presidential election, eventually people are going to get tired of the reference. Your ad would not be one that you could repeat over and over as years go by (even if the joke references an election as each cycle will have its own issues). And, if the event you reference had any downsides to it, you do risk insulting someone. You can't please everyone, but try to avoid tone-deaf ads.

Simplicity Rules

Sometimes you get lucky and score a billboard spot next to a notoriously jammed section of roadway. You can put more information on the billboard if you've got a captive audience. But chances are, you're going to be trying to grab the attention of people speeding by. Make your ad simple. Very simple. No phone numbers. No emails. Put the name of the company and ensure that anyone looking it up online will go to your website. Otherwise your ad becomes a blur of ink.

Get adequate billboard space and good placement, and you're already halfway to having an effective ad. With the help of a good marketing agency and billboard rental company, you can really make your company's name known.

For more information or assistance, contact companies like Outdoor Networks.

Share