Until recently, advertisers have had few options to measure their offline channel performance. While they might have tried to track the number of store visits or phone calls received after someone engaged with an offline ad, they’ve primarily relied on these channels for brand awareness and left it at that. But to make investments in offline advertising channels worth it in this digital age, brands need to be able to effectively measure ad performance.
Simple steps like changing the CTA to a custom promo code, URL, or QR code make it possible to track which offline ad a consumer saw and engaged with on their mobile phones, for example — but it’s only the first step. These strategies are impactful only if advertisers are consistent and strategic about using them.
Today’s consumers aren’t solely online or offline shoppers. Bridging the gap between online and offline data with a robust cross-channel measurement solution is essential.
Digital Out-of-Home Advertising and ROI Metrics
DOOH advertising bridges the gap between digital and offline advertising channels. Like offline advertising, it doesn’t live in a consumer’s personal electronic device but has the same targeting, dayparting, and other data-driven capabilities as other forms of digital advertising.
Contrary to popular belief, DOOH advertising doesn’t offer limited ROI metrics. DOOH impressions identify people who are likely to notice an ad, engagement metrics show when or how someone passes a DOOH ad, and conversion metrics show when a consumer engaging with DOOH ad turns into a sale, all of which advertisers can then use to better connect with and convert target consumers.
The Benefits of Digital Out-of-Home Advertising
DOOH advertising offers numerous benefits outside of traditional out-of-home advertising. Marketers can set conditions under which they want to buy a DOOH ad, including choosing the day, environment, and even weather conditions in which their ad will be displayed.
DOOH advertising also gives marketers the ability to update their creative quickly in response to external factors, such as breaking news. They’re 100% fraud-free, consumers can’t use ad blocks on them, and there is no risk of having content displayed next to undesirable content.
Best Practices for Measuring ROI of Digital Out-of-Home Advertising
When DOOH was primarily used for brand awareness, it could only be used for top-of-funnel marketing efforts. However, when marketers know how to measure attribution and conversions, they can attribute DOOH success across all stages of the customer journey, not just the beginning.
Here are a few best practices for measuring the ROI of DOOH advertising:
1. Attribution analysis
Attribution studies are one of the most useful tools in a marketer’s playbook. They provide insight into what campaigns, ads, or channels attributed to conversions. The analysis uncovers insights that can then be applied to future campaigns. In regard to DOOH, location data provides advertisers with ad exposure metrics. This can be tied to both online and offline data and conversions. The use of either of these conversion methods enables advertisers to attribute a portion of the sale to the influence of the DOOH advertising.
2. A/B lift analysis
Today’s consumers are interacting with thousands of ads daily. So while a DOOH ad might be a piece of the puzzle that can be analyzed through an attribution study, an A/B lift analysis will isolate the performance of a single ad. This can also be done to analyze which ads are receiving the best response from consumers. Using similar demographic and geographic regions, advertisers can compare the customer journey of the group exposed to the DOOH ad to the group that wasn’t.
3. Social mentions
Because DOOH provides unique ad formats, these campaigns are highly variable. The consumer may be inclined to share a particularly engaging ad or divulge an interactive experience they had with it. These posts garner free press and greater brand awareness, which require their own acknowledgment and measurement strategy.
4. Cross-channel analytics
This measurement solution helps marketers allocate proportional credit to each channel or tactic across their digital marketing initiatives. Cross-channel analytics also reveal which solutions are working most effectively toward their goals. Plus, it gives marketers the insight to determine which channels should receive more resources, enabling them to optimize campaigns.
Ready to Invest in Digital Out-of-Home?
As with all digital advertising efforts, the key to seeing the best results and the greatest ROI is to stay informed and curious and to avoid limiting perspectives. Technology is constantly producing better analysis and attribution studies that tie offline and online channels.
If you’re interested in making DOOH advertising a bigger part of your marketing strategy, get in touch today.