What are the benefits of poster advertising?

It may be one of the oldest forms of advertising still in existence but, to this day, poster advertising remains one of the most popular. While the world may be gradually becoming more and more technological and internet-focused, the high visibility that posters can provide makes them one of the best methods for advertisers to use.
You only have to walk down the street to see their power in full effect – poster adverts are literally everywhere. Whether it be a clothing brand advertising a new sale, or Netflix showcasing a new TV programme, posters are one of the most effective ways of reaching new and existing customers.

Here, we go through each of their benefits in further detail, clarifying why poster advertising remains such an effective and widely-used form of advertising.

Design

Posters are, in effect, a blank canvas. They are ideal for brands and businesses who want to show their creative colours, providing a design freedom like no other. Depending on the type of business or purpose the advert is being used for, it is easy to be as creative as you like in their design; if you fancy using bright, attention-grabbing colours – go for it. Want to inject a bit of humour? Why not. How about filling the advert with tons of text? You can, but it’s probably not the best idea.

Nailing the design can make a big difference to how or whether a customer will respond to it. Most businesses tend to hire the help of a professional digital printing service at this stage, to ensure that the poster they want to print is both of sufficient quality, and meets the relevant printing guidelines.

Location

Inside, outside, wherever – posters can be used everywhere and anywhere. You will often find them in shops and on windows, billboards, walls and hoardings – wherever they are likely to be seen. For instance, bars and restaurants often use posters in toilets or bathrooms to advertise particular events, such as quiz nights, happy hour deals and live music events. In essence, wherever you come across people, you are likely to find a poster or two.

Size

The size of posters really varies depending on its location. For a poster placed inside a retail or business premises, smaller posters – such as A4 or A3 – are the most commonly used sizes. Whereas, at a large shopping centre, outdoor poster sizes are normally much larger.

The chosen poster size will largely depend on how customers are expected to interact with it. For example, an A3 poster may look huge when you’re holding it in your own two hands, but it will barely be seen if used outdoors. Similarly, while an A1 or A2 poster may be perfect to use outside, if it takes up half of the wall when using it indoors, then it probably isn’t a practical choice.

However, having this flexibility to decide the ideal size is one of poster advertising’s key benefits. If you are looking to print a poster, here are some of the most common sizes used:

A4 – 210 x 297mm
A3 – 297 x 420mm
A2 – 420 x 594mm
A1 – 594 x 841mm
A0 – 841 x 1189mm

Visibility

Since posters are typically located wherever people are, they are incredibly visible. Whether a business worker walks past a particular advert at 6 AM, or a dog walker sees the same advert at 12 PM, the advert is always available and able to reach a wide range of people, whatever the time of day may be. This means that a huge number of people will be able to see, interact with and respond to a wide variety of brands throughout the day, which could lead to several potential conversions.

Plus, posters which feature a particular call-to-action on them, such as an email address, website, or social media information, will encourage customers to engage with them, influencing their online and buying behaviour.

Durability

The longevity of a poster really depends on the quality of the material it is printed on. Most good indoor posters are printed on strong, heavy matt or gloss laminated paper, with a ‘Grams per Square Meter’ value between 90gsm and 350gsm.

Outdoor posters, on the other hand, are typically printed on durable water-resistant paper that adheres to the material without cracking or tearing. Take a look next time you walk past a large outdoor poster – there won’t be a crack or blemish anywhere in sight.

Cost

Having a number of stunning posters produced can cost a lot less than you might think. Compared to a large interactive billboard or another form of digital advert, poster advertising can be a much more cost-effective method to use. It could also potentially reach a lot more people, so could offer a better return on investment. Likewise, it is generally considered a more trusted and tolerated form of advertising to consumers over digital or online alternatives.

Final thoughts…

There you have it – the various reasons why using poster advertising can be such an effective way of reaching more customers. It may not have the interactive pizzazz that digital adverts can provide but, as one of the oldest and most widely-used forms of advertising, it certainly is a cost-effective and incredibly popular choice.