Part of the charm of the southern-style restaurant chain Cracker Barrel is its penchant for “old” things.  But that’s also what’s helping it grow.  With the coming of the digital age, some may consider traditional vinyl billboards an “old” style of advertising.  But Cracker Barrel is spending nearly half of their advertising budget on them and they are killing it.  Analysts say the chain is expected to reach an annual growth rate above 10 percent!

It could be the delicious looking food they feature on the billboards, or the fact that their stores are purposely placed to be convenient for highway travelers, making the billboards easy to direct hungry customers.  Either way, it’s working.

But how?  Some say it’s because even though we have ads thrown at us in all directions as we use our smart phones, we have learned to ignore the clutter.  But we take notice of real life things like billboards.

So if you’re looking to up the ante at your business, consider billboards in your advertising budget.  Here are four tips on running a successful campaign:

1. Take a page from someone else’s book.  Outdoor advertising is clearly working for Cracker Barrel and other brands.  Take their ideas and adapt them to fit your own brand, product or service.
2. Create a great message and graphics.  Because the billboards still exist in such an interactive environment, the need to be eye catching and unique. Think about how to make your ad an attraction in its own right.  That’s how brands get noticed in big cities that are inundated with ads and billboards.
3. Know your audience. Most of the people that see your ad will be traveling or commuting.  Speak to their needs and try to meet them on common ground.
4. Use embellishments when possible.  Some brands, like Coca Cola and Carlsberg beer, used taps to dispense their products to passersby.  A cupcake shop made their billboard design completely out of cupcakes that they iced while stuck to the board.  If using something like this isn’t possible, make sure your graphics are as eye catching as possible.  Billboard Connection has award winning graphic designers to help you with this process.

If you are interested in learning more about getting a billboard for your business, click here or call 770-391-8528.

This article was adapted from one written by Drew McLellan for Entrepreneur magazine.