Despite the self-evident nature of the phrase, some people don’t still don’t fully grasp what billboard advertising entails. It’s an easy concept to grasp, but one that is vital to understanding the methodology and reach behind this kind of advertising.

Simply put: billboard advertising refers to any large outdoor signage–usually seen on the interstate &/or surface street–that promotes or advertises a business or service. These signs vary in quality and design, but they are all big and bold advertising canvases. If you’ve ever driven on the highway, you’ve definitely seen billboard advertising before. Billboards are just about everywhere, y’all.

Like any business question related to cost, this question is loaded as can be. There are a lot of factors you have to consider, each one skewing pricing in a particular way. I could go on and on about this topic, but I’ll keep it short here. What you need to know is that in the Atlanta market, billboards typically range from $1K – $10K, depending on location, visibility, and term. What exactly do those terms mean? And how do they interrelate to dictate billboard pricing? That warrants a much larger discussion…which you can read here!

Knowing where to best place your billboard is like knowing which wine is best to drink with dinner: it varies often, and is directed by outside factors. Are you eating fish or steak? Are you trying to drive foot traffic of build your brand? Etc.

But just like a lot of people don’t know which wine would be best with their meal, not every business immediately knows the best place to display their billboard advertising. That’s where Effortless Outdoor Media comes in. Like a great waiter directs you to the best wine pairing, we guide you to the best locations to achieve your billboard advertising goals. By running a needs analysis for your company, we determine what you really need to drive business.

If your business is located further back from the street, we might target a billboard that can maximize directional copy (e.g. “Turn right in 0.5 miles”). Or, if you’re trying to dredge up more business on the Southside of town, we might locate a billboard on 75 North heading into the city from McDonough. Sometimes these needs mix and intermingle in interesting ways, which makes location seeking a fun challenge. But, in the end, we always find the perfect place for your billboard advertisement!

Ok, so first off: there are 3 main subtypes of billboards:

1. Stitial/Digital: These are digital display billboards that look like giant tv screens. These billboards are way more common in urban areas, though they have grown in popularity out towards the suburbs in recent years. These are designed to house up to 8 different billboard ads at one time, rotating through them ever 6-8 seconds.
2. Static: Traditional, no-frills billboards. When you think of billboards, static billboards are almost assuredly what pops into your head.
3. Posters: These are like static billboards, just much smaller. I’m talking ½ the size smaller.

Knowing these 3 different types of billboards, it’s easy to run some cost/benefits analyses in your head for each type. For example, the benefits of using a stitial billboard include a reduced price (remember: you’re sharing the board with up to 7 other advertisers) and the ability to change your messaging frequently. However, with all the ads rotating off and on, you lose some of that ever-so-precious messaging “stickiness.”

Just like knowing where to advertise, knowing what type of billboard advertisement is best for your business varies. But having a partner with over 30+ years of experience in the industry (that’s Effortless Outdoor Media, btw), is a big help!

Like any work of art (or any advertisement, for that matter), what makes something “good” is subjective. Unless you’re talking about Starry Night, The Godfather (1972), or Publix subs, there will always be dissenters. It’s impossible to distill a career’s worth of experience with this issue into a few sentences, but the big takeaways are:

• Know your most important image(s) right off the bat.
• Be big, bold, and direct.
• Never stray too far from the idea that “a picture is worth 1,000 words.”

Even writing just those doesn’t seem enough, though. This is a complex issue that deserves a lot more time and thought. So, if you’re interested, I highly recommend reading another post of mine, entitled “The Dos & Don’ts of Billboard Design.” It’s a work of art in and of itself.