Your Billboard to the World

Hope you had a great Father’s Day weekend.

Ours was fun. We celebrated Father’s day with my Dad at Robert Keenan winery in Napa, California. What a wonderful view from atop the mountain…and good wine too.

On the ride up, I noticed an EBMUD billboard which read, “Fixing leaks is an easy way to save water. And money!” It’s a pretty good incentive to fix a leaky faucet, but who’s reading it at 65 MPH? Not many I’m sure. The general rule when developing a billboard is to have no more than eight words.

What they should have done was have it read:

“Fix Leaks, Save Money”

This slogan says the exact same thing without the extra words that really don’t need to be there. The object of any billboard is to attract drivers in split seconds. No driver has time to read sentences on billboards while driving at 65 mph.

The Most Successful Billboards are the Most Succinct

Billboards are supposed to attract attention and give your message in less than 5 seconds. And on top of that people are now on cell phones, listening to the radio, eating and putting on their makeup. There are too many distractions nowadays and stuff vying for our attention. Advertisers only have seconds.

Your Website is Like a Billboard

You also only have a few seconds to get your message across on your website. People rarely read every word. They skim and scan your site. Also recognize how long it takes for your website to load. Download time should only be 10 seconds or less. If your visitors have to wait longer for your site to load, they’ll go elsewhere. Time is precious.

Think of your website as a billboard to the world, with people surfing the internet at speeds of 65 mph. You only have seconds to make a first impression or to get your message across.