Yes, I realize this is probably an unfair comparison.  However, I think it’s one worth making.  Why?  Because for many small businesses, with limited marketing budgets, this is a choice they have to make.  Traditional media vs social media.

First, let’s take a look at the billboard.  Here’s what it has going for it…

• It’s big.  Lots of people will probably see it.
• For a business targeting drivers (gas stations, restaurants, etc.), it can be pretty effective.
• Did I mention that it’s big?

Now let’s look at the limitations of the billboard…

• There’s no way to tell how many people, exactly, actually saw it.  Even if you counted cars and passengers in those cars, how many people actually saw it and/or paid attention to it?
• It’s static.  It doesn’t move, it doesn’t interact, and if you have to quickly change the message…good luck.
• It can be damaged by the weather.
• It’s competing with thousands of other billboards for attention.  How many billboards do you see everyday, just on your drive to work?

Okay, now let’s look at the Facebook Ads.  Here are the advantages…

• They can be highly targeted to an exact demographic.
• Facebook provides the ability to measure, exactly, how many people saw the ads and how many people actually clicked on them
• The ads can be quickly changed, allowing a marketer to test the effectiveness of different ads, or to quickly respond to changing conditions, competitor ads, etc.
• The budget for a Facebook advertising campaign is highly flexible.

And now let’s consider the downside…

• They’re not very big.
• It’s possible that your target market isn’t on Facebook.

So, all things considered, there are probably more advantages to using a Facebook advertising campaign vs using a billboard.  Obviously, this isn’t true for every business.  Sometimes, yes, a business may be better off going with a billboard.  However, given the advantages/disadvantages to each, it certainly should give pause to any business considering spending on advertising.  This is especially true if the marketing budget is small, because as I mentioned, a Facebook advertising campaign can be much more adaptive and budget-flexible.

Just something to consider.  All for now.

-Dan Cheek
LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467