Outdoor Billboard Investment Articles

It's surprising to encounter poorly designed billboards even today, given the wealth of design knowledge and technology at our fingertips. To address this, I've compiled a set of fundamental design principles that should underpin every effective billboard in 2024 and beyond.

In the evolving landscape of outdoor advertising, securing long-term ground leases for billboards remains a pivotal factor in ensuring the sustained profitability and value of billboard investments. Reflecting on successful strategies from the past, this article delves into contemporary methods to persuade landowners to commit to extended billboard ground leases, emphasizing mutual benefits and forward-thinking approaches.

In today's competitive advertising landscape, understanding and aligning with your advertisers' goals is more crucial than ever. The key to successfully leasing billboard space is not just in presenting your offering but in speaking the language of profitability and value from the perspective of your clients. This mindset shift can significantly enhance your sales effectiveness and foster long-term client relationships.

Securing a legal spot for a billboard is just the first step in a nuanced process of deciding on the best size and type for your investment. The landscape of outdoor advertising has evolved, offering a diverse array of options to match every possible scenario. Here's how to navigate these choices effectively today.

We all know that a recession is looming for the U.S. economy – but what will the impact be on the billboard industry? American billboards have been around for over 100 years and have weathered every major recession in U.S. history, all the way back to the Great Depression. And the results are pretty remarkable. Billboards have proven to be highly successful during times of economic strain. Here’s a description of how billboards react to economic downturns, as found in a textbook for mobile home park valuations that is sold to appraisers:

When you encounter a billboard structure that deviates from the standard – such as the one featured in the accompanying photo – it's likely that you're observing a one-of-a-kind, custom creation. Standard monopole signs rely on a single pole for support, while wooden and I-beam signs distribute their weight across multiple poles for stability and balance. A structure that diverges from these conventional patterns indicates something unusual, like a construction from salvaged parts. For instance, it's possible to cobble together an I-beam structure using scraps from a steel yard.

When it comes to advertising mediums, mobile billboards often make bold claims about their visibility and effectiveness. However, it's essential to understand their limitations, particularly if you find yourself competing for ad dollars against them. Here's a rundown of why mobile billboards often don't provide as much bang for your buck as traditional billboards.

As you embark on your journey to rent a billboard, you've found a potential advertiser and you're about to meet with them. Should you present the contract right at the outset, aiming for a quick closure? Unless you want to risk losing the sale, it's recommended not to. In the realm of billboard rentals, the most effective strategy often involves closing the deal through a technique called "creative engagement". Let's delve into how this strategy unfolds.

As someone who has been in the billboard business for decades, I am often asked how I would approach entering the industry today, considering the rapid changes and developments. Here are some of the key focus areas and cautionary points for those looking to venture into the billboard advertising business in the present landscape

When planning to build a billboard, you might wonder whether to construct a "stack" unit, which offers both advantages and disadvantages. Before making a decision, it's crucial to weigh the various factors that could impact your potential revenue and future opportunities.

Finding the funding to construct a billboard can be a challenge, but there are several options available. Here's an overview of some of the common options for billboard financing:

Signs along roads started during the time of the Egyptians, who would carve advertising messages on rocks. But the term “billboard” didn’t come into effect until the 19th century. So why are signs called “billboards” today?

There are many problems with America but one of the worst is the current environment concerning having an employee. At the same time the U.S. work ethic has evaporated, lawsuits regarding employees have increased by a thousand percent, and the drag on your net income from having employees around is hard to swallow when they are nothing but a source of trouble. One of the great attributes of the billboard industry is that it’s not really people reliant. So how can you own billboards and have no employees?

Part of owning a billboard is renting the advertising space. Even thought you only typically do it once per year, there’s no question that ad revenue is the life’s blood of making money with your billboard. And one of the most important goals of any billboard owner is to find the right advertiser and keep them on the sign year after year. So how does that work?

One of the key attributes to any billboard is how high it is up in the air. Next to size, that’s one of the biggest decision that a billboard owner must make. So how do you decide how tall to build a sign? Here are the items to consider.

Back in the 1920’s two bicycle repairmen named Foster and Kleiser created and tested the standard billboard sizes that we all use today. But even 100 years later, occasionally some individual tries to reinvent the wheel and brings out their own line of “custom” sign sizes, which typically proves to be disappointing. So why not be a billboard “pioneer”?

One of my favorite billboard case studies was the sign I purchased and brought back to life on Highway 75 near Plano, Texas. It’s a perfect example of what smart billboard deals look like and there are similar opportunities like this still available across America if you seek them out.

The U.S. economy is well known for its cycles, from boom to bust and back again. Two quarters of negative GDP growth is the definition of a recession, and America officially entered that zone just a few days ago. Having successfully guided 300 billboards through the horrific Texas depression of 1987 to 1991, I am pretty well qualified to talk about how to successfully rent billboards during recessions.

There are a lot of billboard options in America, ranging from giant steel monopoles to smaller 8-sheets mounted to walls, but there are a range of choices that cost $5,000 or less. These options include 1) wooden telephone pole units 2) vinyl wallscapes 3) 8-sheets on metal poles and 4) 8-sheets mounted to walls. There is no greater investment option based on rate of return than these billboards and, if not, I challenge you to let me know what that option is. So what type of rates of return should one expect?

Those who seek to build new billboards in the U.S. quickly learn the necessity of getting permits. Billboards are one of the final regulated industries in America, governed by the Highway Beautification Act from a half-century ago. As a result, selecting a fertile market often comes down to understanding the key components of a city ordinance and what the implications are, as well as to quickly cut loose those that have little promise. So how can you quickly size a market up?

The New Year is beginning. As the ball goes down on Times Square, you should be considering what you’re going to do differently in 2022. And if financial independence is important to you, then maybe this is the year you actually start considering building a billboard portfolio of assets.

Billboards are a unique part of American culture. And one of the reason for this are the timeless quality of an advertising form that is centuries old, dating back to the Egyptians.

You can’t watch television without being concerned about the future of America and, even more particularly, your finances. Relying on others is no longer a good plan. Living paycheck to paycheck – even if that check is a big one – is filled with stress. So how can you get ahead and derive financial security in today’s screwed up world? The answer for many is owning billboards.

When I first got into the billboard business I was always searching for areas that had plentiful billboard locations to examine. And then I found a small town in a very desirable area that only had one legal billboard location and I realized that having a complete monopoly was not a bad idea, either. I have learned that the tougher the billboard laws, the better for sign owners. Why is that?

When Lyndon Johnson enacted the Highway Beautification Act in 1965, he had to choose the limits of the area covered under the law. Since he assumed that billboards would need to be near the road, he selected all the land within roughly 660’ of the highway right-of-way as the “controlled area”. However, this was based on the typical sign sizes of that era. He underestimated the creativity of the billboard industry, and the U.S. has regretted it ever since.