Marketing and advertising are exciting fields to work in. Finding effective and creative ways to reach new audiences and convert potential customers is a huge task to accomplish. Thankfully, there is a plethora of opportunities and methods that marketing companies can use. One demographic that has a particularly high yield for marketing departments to target is daily commuters.
Even though recent years have seen a massive and growing shift toward remote work, or work from home, the average American still commutes to work. Even for businesses that have the opportunity to allow their employees to work remotely, it’s not uncommon for them to have some kind of hybrid structure that keeps employees in the office to some degree. With so many millions of people commuting to work every day, this represents a uniquely captive audience for marketing departments.
Commuting to work can look unique for a wide variety of people. For example, some people who live or work in large cities like New York City, or DC, may have daily commutes that take place on trams, subways, or trains. Others who live in more rural or accessible cities may have more traditional style commutes where they can drive their personal vehicle to their place of work.
Regardless of what the commute looks like, the average commuter will spend around 30 minutes going to or from work. It’s not unusual at all for some individuals to have an hour or hour-plus long commute. This equals a substantial amount of time that people spend in a captive state, which is a great opportunity for marketing and advertising departments to take advantage of.
If you have been curious about some of the best ways to advertise to daily commuters, here is everything you need to know!
- Audio Advertisements
The rise in technology has opened up the doors for so many kinds of new marketing and advertisement techniques. One aspect that has been changed by advancements in technology, is what people listen to while commuting. In the past, the radio, cassettes, or CDs were the main method of entertainment while on the road. Now, accessing streaming services or podcasts is commonplace and has become an expected commodity.
So, this has raised the bar for how marketing companies can reach their prospective audiences. While radio advertisements are still effective and reach massive audiences, they aren’t as dependable as they have been. Instead, partnering with streaming services that require advertisements, or sponsoring podcasts is a great way to reach commuters who use these services while they commute.
- Outdoor Advertising
Another form of advertising is OOH media, like bus advertising. Bus advertising, in particular, is a great form of advertisement in cities because it can catch the eye of the daily commuter who may not have the capacity to look up at a big billboard. A bus advertisement is a base that has been wrapped in a particular advertisement that is meant to catch people’s attention.
One of the big advantages of using bus advertising is that it’s mobile and can reach an exceptionally large audience. One of the goals of advertising to commuters is to use media that is unique enough to have them pay attention. While they are a captive audience, this mundane part of their week can become so predictable that they simply fly into auto-pilot mode. Using something like a bus advertisement can help to break up the monotony of the commute and get the attention you want.
- The Traditional Billboard
One of the oldest forms of marketing, the billboard has been around for decades for one simple and easy reason – it works. Billboards may not be as interesting as a moving advertisement like bus advertising, but these massive signs garner hundreds of thousands of impressions each day. The major advantage of using a billboard, especially in an area with high traffic, is that it passively interacts with a large audience.
This kind of interaction creates a high ROI and is cost-effective, because once the advertisement is decided on, the location is solidified, and the billboard is live – it does the rest! With little to no management, a billboard can reach potentially millions of new customers within a single campaign.
- Be Witty
One thing that commuters are looking for, is entertainment. Something to get their minds off of one of the most mundane and predictable parts of their day. When it comes to advertising to this demographic, having an eye-catching design isn’t all you need to do, you also need to engage potential customers. So using witty slogans, or humorous phrases can be a great way to garner more attention.
Conclusion
Finding ways of marketing to daily commuters is a challenge that is worth taking on. With so many daily commuters, this represents a great target audience to focus on.
