Billboards actually came of age in America in the early 20th century as people with something to say printed up posters (advertising bills) of various sizes, coated the back with glue and plastered them on barns, walls and fences – hence the term “billboards.” If a circus was coming to town, for example, a week or two ahead, it was common for hundreds of circus posters to literally cover the countryside. With the popularity of the automobile, billboards really took off as advertisers sought to capture the attention of drivers as they headed down the highways of America. As a result Burma Shave became famous overnight for its clever advertising on fence posts. The message was in several parts and when a person drove down a country road every few feet was another part of the Burma Shave advertisement. Today, with freeways, that is totally in the past.

Types of Billboards

The largest billboards are the huge “paint” bulletins, found mostly on freeways and major highways, usually measuring 20 x 60 feet. And the most common smaller “poster” boards are 14 x 48 feet. Incidentally, these sizes have remained constant for decades. Bus shelters have become more popular in the past 20 years or so. Cities have allowed them in residential areas because they provide not only a bench (as is also the case with bus bench ads), but also an overhead covering as well, which is welcomed when the weather turns bad. If you’re in New York or Las Vegas you’ll see taxis everywhere and yes, they are a form of billboard advertising as well. Another form of “rolling billboards” are city busses. Not only do you see posters on the sides and backs of busses but sometimes the entire bus is covered with advertising. So, you’ve got lots of choices. The question is can they help advertise your business?

What Does It Cost?

Unless you have a fairly large advertising budget you probably won’t be using the large 20 x 60 bulletins. In a large city they can run upwards of $4000 per month and even in medium to small cities the costs can add up. And this doesn’t include the production costs. The regular billboard posters usually do the trick, along with using either bus benches or bus shelters. The availability is sometimes restricted due to city or county ordinances. In some areas no billboards of any type are allowed so you may not be able to advertiser everywhere you want to. Ideally you’ll need at least one billboard near your place of business. By the way, the sign on your premises isn’t defined as “outdoor” advertising. The cheapest form of billboards have always been bus shelters because they are the least desirable (remember that people will often be sitting on your advertising message). The cost in some cities can be as little as $25 or $50 per month. If you buy enough of them they can still work to get the word out. Bus shelters would be the next step up and again, in some residential areas, they are the only form of billboards allowed. They can run from upwards of $200 per month. A regular 14 x 48 poster board can cost up to $500 per month depending on what city you’re in.

Technology Rules

It wasn’t that long ago that mural artists were very busy in the billboard industry. These huge paint bulletins were in fact hand painted by these highly skilled artists, and indeed many consider it a form of fine art. And bill posters were also busy. Almost all poster billboards were covered with printed paper delivered to the billboard companies in packets of sheets. Most typically a 14 x 48 poster board had 30 sheets of paper to cover the board. The bill posters had to organize them correctly and then paste the backs with glue. Then it would be a matter of climbing up on the billboards, scraping off the old paper and pasting on the new sheets. Not an easy job! As you might guess, today technology has mostly taken over. Today vinyl is king. That means the advertising messages are printed on huge vinyl sheets and rolled onto long tubes. The bill posters of today drive out with trucks and simply roll up the old advertisement and replace it by unrolling the new one. They are hooked securely around the perimeter of the billboard panel and they’re good to go.

Secrets For Success

Billboards can indeed make an impact for your business. If you don’t have an advertising agency, the billboard companies will design the boards for you. Keep in mind that the biggest mistake is to put too much “copy” on a billboard. The actual “reading time” for a billboard is about 3 seconds. That means the average driver only has that much time to read your message so if your message is too long or “busy” it won’t work very well. The other thing you’ll need to be aware of is that in advertising the rule of impact is “reach and frequency.” This means that the more messages you have that are repeatedly read, the chances of making a real impact grows substantially. What this means is that buying just one billboard may not work too well. The axiom is “the more the better.” Also, keep in mind that your billboard will only be posted for a 30-day period. Again, a one-month display will achieve limited results. So plan accordingly. It also might make sense to have a mix of billboards, i.e. bus benches, shelters, a few posters and maybe one large bulletin. One more thing to be aware of is “illumination.” Virtually all paint bulletins and bus shelters are illuminated as our most (but not all) posters. Even taxi cab tops are illuminated but you won’t find that on bus shelters and sides of busses. If you have an after-hours business you might want to catch the nighttime crowd.

Some “Extras” You Should Know

Your local billboard company can discuss production costs with you and also provide maps of your city so you can see all available locations. They also can provide what is known as the DTC (or daily traffic count). Most cities have this and it tells you on average how many people drive by that particular billboard location. They also have pictures showing how each billboard looks and where it is located on the street.

A final word about effective billboard advertising. Try and be creative with your message. Maybe you have a catchy slogan or selling phrase. It gives people something to remember and they’ll think of your business. And that’s the bottom line!