Creating Your First DOOH Campaign – Best Practice Recommendations

Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) advertising is a powerful global advertising channel that combines the impact of digital screens in public spaces with the precision of digital marketing. Creating your first DOOH campaign can be an exciting opportunity to reach consumers in high-traffic locations such as public transit hubs, shopping centers, and busy streets with contextually relevant messaging that drives brand awareness, engagement, and desired action.

In this comprehensive guide, we provide best practice recommendations to help you launch a successful DOOH campaign, optimize its performance in real time, and integrate it effectively with your broader digital advertising strategy across multiple types of online channels and media formats.

What is DOOH Advertising?

Digital out of home (DOOH) advertising refers to the use of dynamic digital billboards, transit displays, and other digital signage in public locations to serve ads to audiences outside their homes. Unlike traditional out of home advertising, DOOH ads can be updated instantly, allowing for greater creativity, audience targeting, and campaign flexibility. This digital advertising format enables advertisers to reach audiences with highly relevant, ad relevant content that creates a lasting impression.

Why Combine DOOH with Digital Campaigns?

One of the most effective strategies for maximizing your marketing impact is to combine DOOH campaigns with online digital advertising. For example, DOOH can generate awareness and drive traffic to your website or social media platforms, where consumers can engage further with your brand through search ads, social media ads, or paid social campaigns.

This omnichannel approach creates multiple touchpoints, reinforcing your brand message and increasing the chances of converting viewers into customers by encouraging them to take the desired action. Research shows that integrating DOOH with other digital advertising channels boosts campaign effectiveness and helps marketers deliver contextually relevant messaging that resonates with target audiences.

Best Practices for Creating Your First DOOH Campaign

1. Define Clear Campaign Objectives

Start by identifying your campaign goals. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, promote a new product, or drive foot traffic to a store? Clear objectives will guide your creative, targeting, and measurement strategies.

2. Integrate Your Brand Identity Across Channels

Ensure that the messaging, visuals, and branding used in your DOOH ads align seamlessly with your online digital campaigns. Consistency builds a cohesive and memorable brand experience for your audience.

3. Use Compelling and Dynamic Visuals

Leverage the advantage of digital screens by using high-quality images and engaging video content. Dynamic creative can capture audience attention more effectively than static ads, making your campaign more memorable.

4. Target Your Ads Effectively with Location-Based Targeting

DOOH allows precise audience targeting by location. Choose screen locations in areas where your target audience frequents — such as bus shelters near shopping centers, highways to airports, or iconic city locations like Times Square or Trafalgar Square.

5. Incorporate Interactive Elements to Boost Engagement

Consider adding QR codes, short links, or hashtags on your DOOH ads to encourage viewers to interact with your brand via their mobile devices. This helps bridge the gap between offline and online engagement.

6. Measure Campaign Performance in Real Time

Utilize analytics tools to track impressions, engagement, and conversions generated by your DOOH campaign. Platforms like Blindspot offer detailed real-time performance reports that help you optimize your campaign on the fly.

7. Test and Optimize Using A/B Testing

Run different versions of your ads to see which messaging, visuals, or calls-to-action perform best. Use these insights to refine your campaign and increase effectiveness.

8. Retarget Audiences with Digital Advertising

Enhance your DOOH campaign’s impact by retargeting users who have been exposed to your ads with paid social media ads or Google Search ads. This layered approach increases conversions by keeping your brand top of mind.

9. Leverage Social Media to Amplify Reach

Promote your DOOH campaign on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter through both organic posts and paid ads. This drives additional traffic to your online content and strengthens audience engagement.

Differentiators of Successful DOOH Campaigns

• Contextually Relevant Messaging: Use real-time data such as weather, traffic, or local events to tailor your ads and make them more relevant to the audience’s current environment.
• Real-Time Flexibility: Unlike traditional OOH, DOOH ads can be updated instantly, allowing you to respond quickly to market trends or campaign performance.
• Multi-Format Creative: Combine static images, video content, and interactive elements to create a rich and engaging advertising experience.
• Omnichannel Integration: Connect your DOOH campaign with digital advertising channels for a seamless customer journey and better attribution capabilities.

Getting Started: Step-by-Step Process

1. Create an Account on a platform that offers access to DOOH inventory across multiple locations:
2. Select Screen Locations and Types: Filter by country, city, and specific venues. Options include bus shelters, highway billboards, transit hubs, and iconic urban centers.
3. Design Your Creative Assets: Develop dynamic visuals and interactive elements optimized for digital screens.
4. Set Your Campaign Parameters: Define duration, budget, and audience targeting settings.
5. Launch and Monitor: Activate your campaign and use analytics to monitor performance and make adjustments as needed.
6. Analyze and Report: Review campaign insights to understand impact and inform future campaigns.

Conclusion

Launching your first DOOH campaign can significantly enhance your brand’s visibility and engagement by reaching consumers in their daily environments with relevant, eye-catching messaging. By following these best practice recommendations and integrating your DOOH efforts with digital advertising, you can create a powerful omnichannel marketing strategy that drives measurable success.

Ready to take your DOOH campaigns to the next level? Sign up for Blindspot today and gain access to real-time analytics and optimization tools that help you maximize your campaign’s impact and ROI.