For those interested in marketing, there are many opportunities to advertise your brand and your products. One of the more obvious and self-explanatory concepts in terms of advertising is bus shelter advertising. This form of advertising – also referred to as transit shelter ads – entails a form of promotional and marketing content that is published on bus stops and stations nationwide.

In terms of a target audience, this form of advertising is meant to target commuters as they go about their daily business. Generally speaking, the spaces that are best suited for this kind of advertising include bus shelters that exist in the midst of busy, bustling, and centrally located high streets that experience high levels of traffic.

Using these kinds of spaces allows marketers to directly target and communicate to their ideal audience. This kind of advertising – also known as out-of-home (OOH) advertising – has become, over time, an increasingly effective and accessible tool for building brand awareness.

So what are the main advantages of bus shelter advertising? We’ve got all the tips as to why you may want to choose this option below. 

6-Sheet and 16-Sheet Posters

Traditionally, bus shelter ads make use of affordable materials such as paper – though the materials might differ depending on the size of the billboards, the materials advertised, and the sizes of the bus shelters and stations. Generally speaking, compact, 6-sheet ads are often used at individual bus shelters. In terms of measurement, they are usually 1800mm x 1200mm (or 1.8m x 1.2m).

The benefit of these posters is that they pack a lot of punch – namely, they actively double brand recall while simultaneously boosting purchase intent by effectively reaching a more targeted audience.

In the case of 16-sheet traditional ads, these typically are found inside the larger bus and train stations, and their dimensions are generally 3048mm x 2032mm. These posters tend to be elevated above the floor and used in high-traffic locations, given their size.

Digital Bus Shelter Ads

If you are not as interested in paper ads, another area of growth in bus shelter advertising is making use of the technology and digital bus shelter ads. While this kind of advertising is much more expensive than classic alternatives, these ‘interactive’ ads use contemporary technologies to garner far greater engagement between customers and brands. Part of this occurs because many digital posters may feature motion detection.

This means that they can be triggered and activated with a specific sound or animation and immediately alert and become visible to potential consumers as they pass by. Other options are digital ads that feature a touchscreen and facial recognition technologies. These kinds of interactive additives make it possible to get customers far more engaged with the brands that are on display.

Reach Many People

Regardless of whether you are using more classic or digital options in the area of bus shelter advertising, it is incredibly important to reach a huge volume of customers and to do so effectively. Generally speaking, all bus shelter ads make it their business to target their key demographics at specific times of the day – especially when travelers en route are either making their way to work or back home after a long day at the office.

To ensure that they are maximizing the number of potential clients that are reached, bus shelter advertising takes into account how to best recruit viewers and get them to engage with the brand as the overall goal is to increase sales and activity with the brand.

Visually Appealing Ads

Given that bus shelter ads are often quite large, it is also incredibly important that these ads are memorable, eye-catching, and lend themselves to developing content and a brand identity that speaks to the audiences that are encountering these ads. To ensure that these ads are engaging and visually appealing, marketers tend to create shelter ads on a blank canvas that deploy high-quality imagery and striking color contrasts to catch the eye of commuters.

The ultimate intent here is to create content that engages, is immersive, and non-intrusive with potential customers who are passing by. By following these very simple rules, you can really optimize the impact of your bus shelter ads.

Your Target Geographic Area

Finally, when creating bus shelter ads that deploy either classic or digital technology, it is really important that you remember to target a specific geographic area. By keeping this in mind, you will be able to achieve large numbers of targeted and tangible leads over the course of a particular campaign – which will ultimately lead to increased sales conversion rates over time and the best possible financial and audience return on the total costs of your marketing campaign.

The reach of bus shelter advertising also provides new businesses with an immense opportunity to build brand awareness within the local area, which can provide a solid foundation for future campaigns that may be focused on a particular product, service, or promotion.

To fully capitalize on this process, consider investing some of your marketing resources in moving or mobile billboards – that is, ads that are placed on the side of a bus or moving vehicle. By doing so, you will be able to make your marketing efforts mobile and maximize the reach that your campaign and specific message can have.