Banner advertising excels when banners are placed in high trafficked areas, a college campus being one of the epicenters of overly-abundant foot traffic. Considering the volume of foot traffic compared to the area of a college campus, banner advertising is ideally suited for universities everywhere.
What is often unknown about banner advertising is its low cost and high ROI. Banners are a lower-cost advertising piece compared to the majority of digital and other traditional advertising options like radio, television, or social ads. Banners only have to be purchased once. They do not have a cost associated with advertising them daily and can be reused again and again so long as the messaging and brand remain relevant to the institution.
Banners also have the tendency to spark word-of-mouth advertising. Seen once by one person, its content is often repeated to others they know, who may not have encountered the banner nor known about the information the banner presented. Recall of visual information is exceptional as visual information is processed and retained much faster than written or spoken information. In fact, “we respond to and process visual data better than any other type of data. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual,” according to Harris Eisenberg, Executive Vice President of Thermopylae Sciences + Technology.
To optimize the efficacy of your banner advertising consider the target groups you are looking to get your banners in front of. You have current students; faculty; potential students; parents of current and potential students; and groups, organizations, or other businesses attending campus for a function or event all of which are walking your campus on a routine basis.
Each of these groups can be targeted with banners placed in locations on campus they are most likely to frequent. Be sure to maximize the success of your banner advertising by strategically placing your banners in buildings or areas on campus that your ideal viewer will pass.
Tailor your banner’s messaging to attract the attention of one or two of the above-mentioned desired groups to ensure your message is relatable and intentional. If your banner messaging is too general, it will not resonate with any of the targeted audiences strongly enough to make a lasting impact.
The last strategy we want to leave you with is a way to incorporate your traditional banner advertising with your digital campaigns. Banners are not boxed up in the land of traditional, rather they can serve as drivers of digital traffic and conversions. As mentioned in previous blogs, running digital and traditional campaigns congruently increases a school’s impact and return on its marketing campaign. Adding social icons to banners tells your audience where to find more information easily and how to stay up to date with what is happening on campus. Adding a simple URL offers an effective way to push onlookers to visit your conversion page or find out more. Offering a unique URL for each banner also gives your marketing department the ability to track each banner’s effectiveness and ROI.
Universities and colleges everywhere have a unique advantage in their ability to serve banner advertising to an elevated audience size. Paired with the low cost and high ROI potential, it’s an advertising strategy that should not be overlooked.
Velocity Print is a higher education partner you can rely on to create and roll-out your banner advertising campaigns. Let’s talk strategy! Chat us using the chat feature on your screen or call or email us at 888.372.3487 | infoNY@velocityprint.com.