One of the most effective ways to strengthen your company's brand recognition is billboard advertising. It doesn't come cheap, so before you put your company name in lights above the interstate, make sure it's right for you. If placed in the right location, billboards can:

1. Increase traffic to your business.
2. Familiarize customers with your brand/product/service.
3. Attract new customers who make an impulse buying decision.
4. Create a buzz for a new product or service.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Calculate the return on investment

A single billboard can cost anywhere from $500 to $5,000 per month based primarily on location. Before you write a check, make sure billboard advertising will meet your objectives.

I recommend: Compare other forms of advertising with the cost of billboards and determine which media will target your audience most effectively. Check out how other companies in your industry have benefited from billboard advertising by looking at case studies performed by The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA). If you aren't sure if billboards will work for you, Clear Channel Outdoor has a list of ten reasons you should use billboard advertising.

Location, location, location

The key to success is to choose the best location to target your desired market.

I recommend: To find an outdoor advertising company in your area check out the OAAA's list of national billboard companies. If you want to launch a regional or national campaign, an outdoor advertising agency can negotiate locations and rates with a variety of billboard companies on your behalf. One of the most comprehensive agencies in terms of location and type of outdoor media offered is EMC Outdoor. To find the right billboards in your neighborhood, heed the advice of Entrepreneur.com.

Size matters

Choosing the right size and type of billboard can be the key to a successful campaign.

I recommend: Get a handle on the various types and sizes of billboards at sizes.com. Learn other need-to-know terms like ‘cross-read' and "eight-sheet" with a billboard glossary.

Honk for simplicity

A driver only has a few seconds to view your billboard, so keep your message simple.

I recommend: The OAAA has a comprehensive guide to designing effective billboards including coming up with a clear and concise message, choosing the right fonts and colors, and creating multiple designs for a long-term advertising campaign with continuity. Learn the top ten rules for designing a simple billboard at bpsoutdoor.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Billboards are often leased for months at a time, so plan ahead by calling the billboard company to stake your claim when the lease is up.
• •  Before you lease a billboard, drive by it at different times of day to view it in different light and traffic.
• •  If you're advertising a new product or service, consider using repetition to enforce the advertisement by leasing several billboards on a main artery of traffic.
• •  For a long-term ad campaign, lease the billboard for an extended period of time and change the poster design periodically during the campaign.
• •  Realize that billboards have limitations and shouldn't be your sole advertising strategy. Include billboard advertising as part of an integrated marketing strategy that includes advertising in other media as well.