Creative Site Hoardings
How marketers are using site hoardings creatively
Construction site hoardings are a common sight in every modern city. Concealing new office space, apartments or community developments, these panels are seemingly visible on every street. But for how ubiquitous they are, many construction companies aren’t tapping into their full marketing potential. Why do site hoardings present such a big opportunity, and how can the construction industry start to think bigger?
Adding more value to your development
Construction site hoardings are often only seen as a practical necessity. And this is true - they are needed for various safety reasons, shielding the public from the dangers of an active building site. They’re also important for ensuring the site doesn’t become an eyesore for passers-by. Let’s be honest - there’s rarely anything beautiful about a half-finished building.
But investing in hoardings simply for their ability to conceal building work is surely a huge missed opportunity. Large-scale physical advertising “real estate” with a captive audience of thousands every day would not come cheaply in any other form - but this is exactly what site hoardings can be. In an industry as competitive as construction, firms should be taking advantage of this.
The benefits of this are two-fold - site hoardings allow construction companies to add serious value to their projects and their future prospects.
A computer-generated exhibition of an upcoming building project can transform the way it is viewed. A common way this is done is by printing the architect’s impression of what the finished product will look like onto the hoardings. Site hoardings also give scope to brand a new development more effectively. Building anticipation with a unique name for the development and a representation of what it will bring to the area can add a lot to the perceived value of the future property.
Hoardings also provide contractors with the opportunity to market themselves. The addition of a company logo provides visual ownership of the project, while demonstrating an ability to effectively market new developments. This could be the key to attracting new investment for your next project.
How to make your site hoardings go the extra mile
Making a splash from a marketing perspective with your site hoardings is about differentiating yourself from the competition. So commonplace are they, that many of us will barely register them as we walk past. To avoid this key marketing space fading into the background noise of a busy city centre, there are a host of inventive ways contractors are choosing to fill it. Some of which you might never have even considered before:
Interactive elements. Offer people a sneak peak at a new development - especially new housing - and most will let their curiosity get the better of them. This can be done in more intelligent, interactive ways such as through QR codes that link passers-by to a brochure for the new property. These codes could even link to augmented reality representations of the development. These kinds of features are so useful because they give people reason to stop and engage with a new building project beyond just a cursory glance - making them more likely to seek further information.
CGI representations. “Artist’s impression” visuals bring a new development project to life at street level. These representations, generally produced by the architect, convey an impression of a vibrant new addition to an area. The focus of these images is often on the community benefit the new development will foster, or the cultural capital it will help attract. The size of site hoardings allow passers-by a reasonable impression of how the new project will actually fit into its surroundings, and avoids pointless blank space.
Lightbox lettering. Now this is a way to truly stand out from the crowd. Illuminating your hoarding space with a representation of your new project, a captivating name or slogan for the development or even your company’s name is bound to draw the eye. Lightbox lettering greatly increases the time that your hoardings remain visible. For example in the winter months when your key audience will be commuting in the dark, a bright and bold statement could make all the difference.
Locating the new development. For large sites especially, adding a directional element to site hoardings can be especially useful. The space at your disposal allows for huge arrows and maps of the local area that can direct people around the building work. Not only does this stop them getting lost, it shows where exactly each part of the new development will be going up, helping potential buyers visualise the property better.
These are just a few of the options at your disposal. The great thing about using your site hoardings to market your new development or your company is that the space is yours to do what you want with!
