Blip Digital Billboards [Review]

Blip Digital Billboards: What Is It?

Regular events are often advertised locally, and planners use online spaces and email campaigns to advertise further afield. Event planners are so focused on advertising in the digital space that the value of advertising outside can be an afterthought.

Founded in 2015, Blip partners with digital billboard owners across the US and Canada to allow businesses and event planners to extend their physical advertising and centralize the management of those campaigns.

Billboard services like these often force businesses to make a minimum purchase or sign a contract, but Blip lets you pay on a per-ad basis and allows you to set a budget. Digital billboards rotate advertisements or ‘blips’ every eight to ten seconds. These billboards can be found almost anywhere in the United States and reach thousands of people per day, depending on the location.

Blip’s online service allows you to kickstart your advertising campaign within a few minutes by indicating when, where, and how you want to advertise your event through the Blip platform.

You can upload campaign images and verify adjustments as well as set the locations of specific billboards, your budget (i.e. the frequency of blips on the billboards), and other parameters. In addition to standard tech support, Blip offers a consultation to help you get started and optimize your campaigns.

Let’s take a closer look at the advertising campaign process with Blip digital billboards.

The Main Categories of Features Are:

LOCATION

The first step when setting up your campaign is to decide which locations and billboards you want to use. A map with red dots representing each billboard appears, allowing you to see where the billboards are. Here, users can see details about each individual billboard including its availability, location, pixel ratio, and more. There is a button to select all the billboards in a given area, but it is also possible to select each one individually.

BUDGET

Blip allows you to pay per advertisement and there is no minimum purchase amount. Decide your maximum daily budget to see the estimated number of blips you may receive for that amount. Users can also see the cost of blips that play during both peak times and off-peak times. Decide your budget and blip frequency before moving on.

SCHEDULE

This step allows you to decide when your blips will run. Choose anytime from 12 am to 11 pm Monday to Sunday and select the distribution of your budget. If you are unsure, you can simply select max audience, daily commute, meal times, single hour or off-peak hour depending on your needs. Select as many or as few times as you need before moving on.

UPLOAD ARTWORK

Every advertising campaign needs some striking artwork. In this stage, you will see what size images you need and will be able to upload existing ones. If you don’t have any suitable images, you can request help from Blip’s in-house design team for mockups or guidance. Please note that it can take 24-48 hours for images to be moderated before your campaign can go live.

REVIEW

Once that’s complete, it is time to review your work. In this stage, simply name your campaign, give it a description, and review your details. Adjustments to previously entered campaign details can be made here before purchase. Once you are satisfied, enter your billing information and accept.

ANALYTICS

Once the advertising campaign has been launched, it is recommended that you keep an eye on your analytics. It is almost impossible to track metrics on traditional billboards, but digital ones make tracking possible. Blip provides graphic breakdowns of monthly, daily, and hourly blips, the average cost per blip, average daily spend, impressions per dollar, and more. Billboard ROI is much more demonstrable with billboard metrics like these.

Review

Blip billboards address two main issues for tradeshows and consumer exhibitions: advertising in the physical world and advertising within a budget.

Advertising events via social media and other online channels has become a key focus for event planners. However, promoting your event in the real world can also be effective, especially if your event appeals to the general public. Traditional obstacles to billboard advertising are lengthy contracts and impractical minimum spending limits.

Blip digital billboards are available across the US and parts of Canada, and do not require you to sign a contract or spend a minimum. Campaigns are set up online and there are in-house experts available to provide personalized advice.

Analytics offer planners visibility into how many consumers they reach per billboard and more. As the boards are digital, it is possible to update your campaign based on the data collected in real-time. It is even possible to compare past and present Blip campaigns to assess what works and what does not.

Unfortunately, Blip’s billboard inventory is still growing and is currently only available in the US and parts of Canada; international events or businesses may not benefit from contacting Blip. (To keep on top of what new billboards have been added to the inventory, either check Blip’s map intermittently or join their mailing list for instant updates.)

While this service is excellent for public events and tradeshows with consumer elements, Blip billboards may not be the best advertising solution for private shows or conferences.

Features

ONE-TO-ONE SUPPORT

It can be difficult to decide on the best approach when it comes to advertising, especially if you have more experience in the digital space than the physical. Blip offers advisors that reach out proactively to first-time users to provide advice about local markets in your designated area, including needs and trends local trends in your industry.

This support extends throughout your subscription to answer questions and give details on techniques or recent trends.

IN-HOUSE DESIGN TEAM

Blip requires you to upload images for your billboard advertisements. For businesses who may not have a design team, finding the right images to use in advertising can be difficult. Blip’s professional in-house billboard design team offers advice and mockups for rejected images to provide effective alternatives. Each mockup will be tailored to your needs and still follow Blip’s high standards.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Starting on a new service can be confusing, and sometimes you just want to find the right answer quickly. There are plenty of videos with walkthroughs, billboard design tips, and advice on post-campaign tasks on Blip’s website.

If you need inspiration for your next campaign, Blip has a number of case studies on hand that take an in-depth look at how other brands utilized blips. You can also find tips on increasing brand awareness and staying ahead of the game on Blip’s blog. If you can’t find the information you need, Blip has a live chat box and help center available.

POST-CAMPAIGN FEATURES

Once your campaign is running, it is imperative to observe how well it is doing. Not only does Blip provide analytics on your campaign, but it is possible to compare current campaigns’ metrics to older ones.

Blip users can see records of every campaign, past and present, that their business has run through Blip, allowing you to use trending data to develop and improve your campaigns over time. If your campaign worked well, adjusting and re-running it is a simple process.

Main Differentiators Of This Service

• This service does not require you to sign a contract or pay a certain minimum amount. 
• Proactive advisors will contact first-time users directly to provide personalized guidance and insight to optimize your campaign.
• Simple and intuitive system for running, monitoring, pausing and adjusting campaigns.
• Detailed analytics data to track the success and progress of the campaign.

Who Is It For?

Blip’s digital billboards are for B2C trade show managers and event planners who want to advertise their event in both the physical as well as the digital space within an easily managed budget.

Because of its public scope, Blip billboards are better suited to trade shows or events with a consumer element rather than business conferences or meetings.

Pricing and Plans

With Blip, you decide your budget and how your budget is distributed between blips, and there is no minimum purchase amount. The average amount spent on each Blip is 10 cents, but you decide how much to pay and where that money goes.

The amount that you budget and the times you want your blips to be shown determine how many blips per day you will receive. For example, a $20 daily budget for a mixture of off-peak and peak times is estimated to get you 527 blips per day.

IN CONCLUSION

Blip has a solution for those looking to advertise outdoors with the guidance of an experienced support team and total control over the budget involved. By allowing you to reach your consumers on their daily commute, event planners can take advantage of an often overlooked advertising space to increase their ticket sales and event exposure.

Even beginners can set up their campaigns in a few minutes, and experts are on hand to help. Exposure/impression metrics allow you to monitor your campaign and adjust for optimal outreach in real-time. Digital billboards may not be suited for every event, but Blip provides a consultation to help you determine fit and optimal advertising spend.

If you’d like further details about Blip’s services, contact them for more information.

Disclaimer: Reviews are paid for placements. While Event Manager Blog receives a fee to extensively look at the tool and review it in detail, the content of the review is independent and by no means influenced by the company. If you have any questions please use the contact us section.