Tag: client engagement

Remember when you would go to the mailbox to get the newspaper, or wait excitedly for the next issue of your magazine to get delivered? What about the hours you spent burning your favorite music onto a blank CD? And pictures – getting to thumb through a scrapbook of family photos and relive great memories. Feeling nostalgic yet?

Maybe it’s nostalgia. Maybe it’s just getting older. Or maybe, as our lives continue to become increasingly digitized, we’ve realized convenience isn’t the only thing we value.

There’s a certain satisfaction in experiencing something in its physical format. Something that takes up real space, more of our attention, and immerses itself in our everyday surroundings. Vinyl records have found a new generation of collectors, all things “old school” have grown in popularity, and even print publications are finding opportunities to reconnect with readers. 

Take LIFE Magazine, for example. After years of mostly digitized publication, the iconic title is making a more consistent return to its original print-format in November 2026 with a new quarterly edition. Its revival isn’t just about “bringing back” an iconic magazine, it’s about bringing back the experience of print while creating something that lives beyond the pages themselves. And in a culture where we’re constantly consuming information in increasingly fleeting pieces, there’s something to be said for something we can hold, spend time with, and return to.

For years, marketers have been encouraged to move everything online. Content has become faster to produce, easier to distribute, and increasingly personalized. We’ve found ways to reach people almost anywhere at any time. But in that process, did we become a little too focused on how many ways people can see our content, and not enough on how they’re experiencing it?

Digital platforms have opened up incredible opportunities for businesses of all size, industry, and caliber, and made the search for information significantly easier for consumers – there’s no doubt that it has been beneficial to both. However, the sheer volume of content everyone is exposed to online has created a new challenge: making something worth remembering.

HubSpot’s 2026 State of Marketing Report puts emphasis on this challenge. In its “Content Trends” section, 52% of marketers stated that AI has made content so easy to create that it’s becoming less effective overall. 53% of marketers struggle to differentiate their brand’s content in an AI-saturated market.

So, while we’re creating more content at an unprecedented speed, distributing it across more channels, and finding new ways to directly target individuals, we are still struggling to make content that truly stands out to our audiences. In short, maybe the answer isn’t always to create more – maybe it’s to pay more attention to the experience we’re creating instead.

Our audience won’t remember every single advertisement or piece of content they see, but they always remember the experiences that catch them off-guard, make them laugh, or give them something to ponder. And to avoid your experience getting lost in the noise online, why not make them engage with something in the real world?

If you live in Ohio, chances are you’re familiar with the “Hell is Real” billboard along I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati. In fact, the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati soccer rivalry is even named after it! What started as a roadside religious message has become a recognizable piece of Ohio culture, inspiring plenty of conversation, social media posts, and even a name for one of the region’s sporting rivalries.

Think about that for a moment – a billboard has become part of a community’s identity. People recognize it, talk about it, take pictures with it, and associate it with a place. Whether you love it, hate it, or simply find it amusing, you remember it.

That’s one of the things that makes Out-of-Home advertising so interesting. Billboards exist in the physical world, alongside the everyday experiences that make up people’s lives. They’re part of a daily commute, a bus route, or a trip to the grocery store – familiar routes people take almost every day. And unlike digital ads that disappear from both feed and memory with a single scroll, billboards remain part of the environment that people engage in. A billboard can serve as more than a promotional message. It can be a creative expression, a nod to the community, or even a moment of humor. And while this interaction won’t have a click or comment recorded, something more meaningful will have been achieved.

One of the most compelling aspects of physical media is its relationship with its environment. Magazines become part of a home’s décor. Photos become part of a family’s history. And billboards become part of the daily drive. Out-of-Home advertising offers an opportunity to create messages that feel relevant to the people who see them. Whether it reflects a community, refers to a local icon, or brings a little personality to a place people know well, it’s a way to show up where life is already happening.

Of course, we’re not suggesting canceling your streaming services and throwing your phone in a lake. Physical and digital channels don’t have to compete – rather, they can complement each other. But that also means understanding each medium well enough to not just repurpose the same piece of content on every channel. A billboard can introduce an idea that continues through social media. A print ad could inspire online conversation. A real-world campaign can give people something worth sharing with others digitally.

That’s where the human side of marketing comes in. Behind every impression, view, and engagement metric is a real person going about their day. Someone with routines, memories, favorite places, and experiences that exist far beyond a screen.

We have more ways than ever to reach people, but perhaps the real opportunity is to create something that will impact them in a meaningful and memorable way – even after they scroll or look away.

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A Q1 article released by marketing agency Genesys Growth reported that customer acquisition costs (CACs) have increased by more than 60% over the past 5 years across both the B2B and B2C sectors. As businesses of all sizes and industries work to maintain profitability amid tariffs, inflation, and other economic factors, the cost of attracting new customers continues to rise. However, Genesys also noted that retaining current clientele drives a 25%-95% increase in profits.

While many advertising strategies are focused on attracting new customers, there may be another opportunity worth considering: advertising with the intention of retaining clients long-term and encouraging repeat purchases.

When it’s time to plan a marketing strategy for the year, a significant portion of resources are allocated towards the acquisition of new customers. And while bringing in new clientele is important for continued growth, the cost of these efforts continues to rise. At the same time, businesses may be overlooking an audience they’ve already invested time and resources into acquiring – previous clients.  

A largely discussed topic among both businesses and consumers is the importance of building and maintaining trust. A new prospect begins as a cold lead and may require multiple touchpoints with the business before feeling comfortable enough to make a purchase. A previous client, however, has already established a sense of trust based on their prior interactions with the business, and can be considered a warm lead. That existing relationship and trust may mean less time and resources are required to encourage another purchase, making long-term client retention an opportunity worth exploring when drafting the marketing strategy.

While maintaining a relationship with this audience may require fewer resources than acquiring a new prospect, the most effective retention strategies require more involvement. Once a client purchases a product from a business, they may not think about that business again until a need or want prompts them to make another purchase. However, the relationship doesn’t have to be a “one and done” interaction. As established in marketing psychological concepts such as the Mere Exposure Effect, creating opportunities of repeated exposure to a brand can contribute to familiarity and lead towards greater preference over time. By continuing to put a brand, product, or service in front of consumers, businesses can remain familiar and recognizable even when an immediate purchase isn’t necessary for the consumer.

Re-engaging with previous customers can be equally important to generating repeat purchases. Now that multiple opportunities for this audience to encounter the brand and offerings have been established, the next step is to give them a reason to act. This could include promoting seasonal or new products, creating events they can attend or participate in, inviting opportunities for feedback, or offering specific discounts or promotions. The main objective is to introduce something that gives consumers a reason to return.

The re-engagement of this audience can lead to not only repeat purchases, but also to positive reviews, referrals, and word-of-mouth recommendations – beneficial byproducts that can extend towards the retention and acquisition of current and new customers.

Though repeated exposure is a widely known and utilized marketing strategy for both acquisition and retention of clients, it’s important to be mindful of how these exposures are delivered. In recent years, consumers have reported experiencing increased digital ad fatigue, which could be correlated to businesses relying more heavily on hyper-targeting across digital platforms like social media and search engines. Too much repeated exposure across too few platforms, no matter what the intention, can begin to make the campaign content feel too intrusive or easier to overlook.

One way to diversify that exposure is through utilizing tangible forms of advertising, such as billboards. Rather than competing for attention within a crowded digital feed, out-of-home advertising can provide a consistent, physical presence along the routes consumers already travel. Additionally, a billboard’s messaging versatility gives the opportunity to utilize multiple targeted ads at once, providing previous customers with multiple new reasons to consider making another purchase.

This strategy applies across both B2B and B2C businesses, with consideration towards the repeat purchase paths looking slightly different from each other. For a B2C business, re-engagement may look more direct than its alternate sector; to re-engage, introducing a seasonal offering, influencer feature, or promotional offer can lead directly to additional purchases. For a B2B business, retaining and re-engaging may take longer, with consideration toward the budgetary structures and individual needs of each client. To encourage re-engagement, highlight the benefits of investing in a longer-term relationship. For example: a cleaning company could promote the value of a routine cleaning plan by advertising their complimentary service inclusions that are otherwise an additional charge for one-time services. Alternatively, seasonal promotions and sales can be just as effective to B2B sectors as they are with their B2C counterparts.

For businesses looking to retain previous clients, the goal isn’t to simply remain visible – it’s to build a series of touchpoints that move the customer from recognition to renewed interest. Billboard’s versatility as an advertising medium can play a role in each stage of this strategy, and help businesses turn a previous customer into repeat business.

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