Running a business · 10 guides
Outdoor signs (Billboards): problems and fixes, explained by Staci
Staci Stovall is the only outdoor signs (billboards) member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- What a billboard costs in Dallas–Fort Worth, and the six things that set the price There is no single price for a billboard, because every board sits in a different spot in front of a different audience. Here is what moves the number, and how to read a quote so you know what you are paying for. The short answer: each board is priced on its own location, audience, format and length of run1. Location and the audience that passes it2. Format: bulletin, digital or something else3. How long the board runs
- Seven words at highway speed: designing a billboard people can actually read A billboard gets a few seconds of a driver's attention, and most of the boards that fail try to say too much in them. Here is how to design one that is read, understood and remembered. One idea, seven words or fewer, big type and strong contrastYou get a glance, not a readCounting the words, and what countsContrast decides whether the words are seen at all
- Is the billboard working? How to measure outdoor advertising without guessing Nobody clicks a billboard, so owners worry they will never know whether it worked. You can know, if you set up a few simple measures before the board goes up. Here is how. Set a baseline, then watch searches, visits, calls and what customers tell youTwo separate questions: was it seen, and did it workUnderstanding the audience estimateRecord your baseline before the board goes up
- Is a billboard worth it for a small local business? An honest fit test for DFW owners Thousands of people drive past your business every week and never learn its name. Here is how to tell whether a billboard would fix that for you, or whether your money belongs somewhere else first. Yes, when your customers drive past it and your message fits in one glanceThe problem a billboard actually solvesSigns your business is a good fit for outdoorWhen I tell owners to wait
- How long a billboard campaign should run, and why one month rarely tells you much The most common reason a billboard disappoints is not the board or the design. It is coming down before the same drivers have seen it enough times to remember it. Here is how to set the right length. Long enough for the same drivers to see you many timesWhy repetition does the workMatching the length to the goalWhy a short flight usually disappoints
- From the first call to your ad on the board: how a billboard campaign comes together Buying a billboard for the first time feels unfamiliar, but the process is straightforward. Here is every step, what you need to bring, what you decide and what we handle for you. A conversation, a choice of boards, a free design, your approval, then launchWhat to have ready before we talkStep one: the first conversationStep two: board options, quotes and the agreement
- Digital or static billboard: how to choose the right board for your message A static bulletin and a digital billboard can sit on the same highway and do very different jobs. Here is how each one works, what each does best, and how to decide which fits your message. Static for constant presence, digital for flexibilityHow a static bulletin worksHow a digital billboard worksSide by side: what each format does best
- Choosing a billboard location in DFW: where your customers actually drive The best billboard location is rarely the one you drive past every morning. Here is how to pick a board by where your customers live, work and commute, and how to compare two boards that look similar on a map. Start from your customers' routes, not from the mapStep one: know where your customers come fromWhat the DFW inventory looks likeDirection, side of the road and the approach
- Billboard, Google or social ads: where a local business should put the next dollar Billboards and online ads are often pitched as rivals, but they do different jobs. Here is what each one does best, how they feed each other, and how to decide which comes first for your business. They do different jobs, and they work best togetherWhat each channel actually doesWhere billboards are strongWhere online ads are strong
- Advertising at Dallas Love Field: who sees it, which formats exist and who it fits Love Field puts your message in front of travelers who are waiting, walking and paying attention, a very different audience from highway drivers. Here is who it reaches, what you can run there and whether it fits your business. Worth it when your customers fly and when you want their attention in a calmer momentWho walks through Love FieldWhy a terminal is different from a highwayThe formats available