Ten years after the installation of the first digital billboards, I’m amazed by how much trepidation still exists towards them. Granted, digital boards don’t make sense for every business, but they do have amazing benefits in today’s marketing toolbox, especially for destinations and attractions.

Below are a two reasons why you should look at digital billboards for destinations and attractions:

Reduced Cost of Entry: One of the largest arguments against digital billboards is that you’re paying between 1/2 to 3/4 of what you would for a static board, but for 1/8 the exposure. Outdoor companies will argue that this 1/8 presence is more visible and, therefore, more valuable. Regardless of the math, what digital billboards have done is allowed smaller businesses and attractions to gain an outdoor presence, which they once could never afford. Not only can you get into a digital rotation for much less than a static presence, but you’re also saving hundreds on the cost of vinyl production.

Flexibility in Messaging: A static billboard is great for a brand that has a static message. But that’s not the case for most regional and national attractions. Museums may have two or three temporary exhibits and a half-dozen permanent exhibits to promote at any given time. Music venues and concert halls  have new performers to advertise on a weekly basis. And every year, hundreds of fairs across the country are enticing visitors with agriculture, food, shopping, concerts, rides, games, and much more. How do you fit all of that onto one billboard?

With a 1/8 share of a digital billboard, your organization’s message will appear roughly 1,440 times in a 24-hour span (10,080 in a week). There is a lot that can be said with 1,440 opportunities. Aside from promoting the various offerings of your destination, you can use this rotation to include time-sensitive and targeted messages. In addition to static billboards, we prepare supplementary digital billboards for our client The Big E, the fifth largest fair in North America, to run when it is raining, when there’s traffic, or during dinner time. That level of flexibility can’t be achieved as easily or inexpensively with static billboards, TV, radio, or print advertising alone.

Granted, consumers aren’t going to see every one of your messages, but if they see 8-10 of your boards throughout the course of a month, they will walk away with a much larger picture of what you have to offer.