Successful billboard owners don’t see their mission as making money, but instead as “matchmakers” that fill a need by combining property owners and advertisers to create advertising opportunities. If you approach the industry in this way, you can rarely not succeed. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the mechanics of “filling a need” and how this focus will help you to be much more successful with billboard investing.
Welcome to the Billboard Mastery Podcast, where you will learn the correct way to identify, evaluate, negotiate, perform diligence on, select the construction type, build, rent the ad space and operate billboard signs. And now here is your host – the guy that built from scratch the largest privately-owned billboard company in Dallas/Ft. Worth – Frank Rolfe.
Many lenders may require that you “record” your billboard ground lease. And some operators do this even when their lender does not require it. But what does it mean to “record” a lease and what the pros and cons to doing so? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to examine the concept and some real-life tips on getting it done.
This is the second of our two-part review on tips to create a better billboard ground lease. More great information that will help you create a more advantageous document or avoid pitfalls.
The most important document for a billboard is the ground lease. It sets out the terms of the agreement between the billboard owner and property owner. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to go over some observations of creating a successful ground lease. And there’s so much to discuss that we’re going to break this up into two sessions.
Life is all about risk, but not all risk is created equal. And some of it can be hedged. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to drill down on the topic of risk and what you can do to mitigate it.
There are many different ways to rent vacant billboard space, and some are more effective than others. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some of my favorite methods and why. It’s not hard to rent any billboard if you follow all of these methods, but some have more impact than others.
If you want to make faster progress, a lot of it comes down to planning. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some methods of attaining greater control of your time and how great the net impact can be on the productivity of your billboard portfolio.
It’s one thing to drive by a billboard, but another thing to actually get to it. When you build a sign or change the ads out it’s imperative that people and equipment have the ability to access it. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to focus on the many issues of gaining access to build and operate a billboard sign.
One of the most important moments in my billboard career stemmed not from a lease I successfully signed but one that I failed on. That setback put in motion a whole new perspective regarding the ways to approach the billboard industry, and life in general.
In a world of internet and SEO, it may seem that the only form of advertising for business today is through advanced technology. But there are some things that the new tech age just can’t match. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the old-fashioned strengths of billboard advertising that reign supreme over all competitors.
No matter how good you are at putting deals together, it won’t do you any good unless you get them signed up and finished. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the tricks and concepts that will help you have a higher rate of closing on your billboard deals.
Some billboards are focused and efficient and profit is maximized. But others are a terrible waste of space. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review the many ways to simply find billboards with poor utilization, take control of them, and profit from the inefficiency.
Bringing old billboard signs back to life can be very profitable. However, there are some things to watch out for that can ruin your plans and make your attempts to make money into losing money. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the check list of reviewing old signs opportunities.
The arch enemy of billboard signs has always been high winds. They can knock out your ad or even knock down your entire sign structure. While none of us have control over the weather, we can take proactive steps to better prepare for the risk of high winds, and we’re going to discuss what those options are and how to institute them.
“It takes money to make money” – but where does that original capital come from? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the various options to raise money to build or buy billboards assuming you are just getting started and financing is hard to come by. As you’ll see, there are many options available to those who really work the system aggressively.
Billboards have life spans that can range from months to centuries. As a billboard owner it’s essential to get as many years on the clock as you can, as once you’re paid off the debt every year thereafter is straight profit. There are some choices you can make that will ensure a billboard to last a long time versus a short lifespan.
The billboard business may seem old-fashioned, but it periodically erupts with new ideas that revolutionize or open new sectors of advertising. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how to harness fresh thinking and being unafraid to try a new direction.
Once you get the hang of spotting abandoned billboards, you can’t stop seeing them everywhere. I recently passed two of them within a hundred yards on the same highway. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss what these opportunities are, how they work, and why there seem to be so many laying around in some markets.
There’s a way for advertisers to often cut their advertising costs by 50% or more on your billboard. It’s an incredibly powerful program that too few advertisers take advantage of. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the concept of “cooperative” (also known as “co-op”) advertising, where the manufacturers of goods cover a portion of the ad cost. This tool can make your sign more affordable and renewal more compelling.
I just talked to a guy named Tim who called to let me know he had just built his tenth billboard, and now was on-track to hit $50,000 per year in income. But it didn’t happen overnight. Tim has been assembling this sign portfolio for years. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss why sometimes the best investment income is derived from assets that take years to assemble – and how this is actually a positive trait.
Most people think in terms of how “high” a sign can go and still be seen by traffic. But there’s a whole different side to that argument on some sign locations and that’s how “low” you can go and still make the sign effective. This is particularly true in some urban areas where signs were built long ago at very short heights. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we explore what the considerations are when buying or building a really “low” sign.
Once an advertisement goes up on your sign, you must then collect rent every month, every year, or whatever interval in your lease. And often you have to do some degree of action steps to get this accomplished. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the right – and wrong – methods to collect your sign rent.
Advertisers are the life’s blood of your billboard investment, yet too many sign owners take them for granted after the sale. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the methods smart sign owners use to make the advertise feel properly appreciated each and every day so they are more likely to renew when their lease comes up, and to feel they have a good value when they write that monthly check.
Some billboards require a lot of effort to find an advertiser, and with other signs the advertisers flock to you. So what do you do when there’s a bunch of advertisers wanting your sign location? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some strategies to maximize your income when you’ve come across a really hot, in-demand location.
The normal strategy in most endeavors is to work from the inside out – but not always for billboards. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the reasons and strategy behind going outside the city limits – where competition and costs are lower – and then start looking closer into the city core as your experience and cash flow increases. This is a proven plan that has been a winner in the past.