How do I get my business on a billboard?

If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you will no doubt be well versed on the effectiveness of billboard advertising. But that still leaves the question that buzzes around most marketer’s heads at some point: how do I get my business on a billboard?

Demystifying billboard advertising

There’s something daunting about getting your business on a billboard.

Partly this is due to the way the internet shapes how we think about advertising. The fact that billboards are usually large, outdoor affairs makes them seem quite alien, particularly to small or new businesses.

And partly it’s to do with concerns over budget. It’s tempting to think, for example, that to promote a tweet is cheap, and to advertise your business on a billboard is expensive. This is misleading for two reasons.

One: businesses actually spend a lot on social marketing (to stick with that comparison). A study by the Content Factory found that the average US business spends up to $7000 per month on social marketing.

Two: billboard advertising is no longer the costly medium it once was. It’s actually possible to rent billboard space from as little as £143 +VAT per week.

And whereas it’s easy for online advertising to get lost in the morass of content out there, advertising outdoors has a big impact and significantly boosts your brand profile.

So, now that we’ve got budget out of the way, and established that billboard advertising can do wonders for your brand, let’s take a look at how to advertise your brand on a billboard.

Find the best location

Perhaps you want to find a spot near one of your stores or venues. Or maybe you want to appeal to aspirational shoppers by advertising in a shopping mall. Then again, you can make use of longer dwell times by advertising at bus stops or in Post Offices.

There are many possibilities when it comes to finding a location. Think strategically about what you want to get out of your campaign and where the most effective locations might be. You need to satisfy yourself that you can answer the question, “why did you choose that particular location for your billboard?”

Bubble has an interactive map which you can use to find available ad slots. Once you’ve found the most suitable locations you can then book a space via the map.

Book a space

On the map view you can search for a specific town, city, postcode, road or venue name. Use the tool panel that you find on the left to filter available billboards in your chosen area.

You can then select the start date and duration, add as many sites as you want to your cart and follow the onscreen instructions to pay.

Design an ad

This of course just leaves the little question of the artwork for your business’s billboard.

When designing an ad check out our artwork specifications which will show you the format you need to send your artwork in.

When designing your advert, it helps to know what not to do, so check out or post on 5 common OOH advertising mistakes. Next, you can find inspiration with our article on the rules of effective street advertising.

Alternatively, you can let Bubble design your ad for you for an extra charge of £100+VAT.

Once done you just need to upload your artwork to us and check out your cart.

So there you have it; a quick and easy way to get your business on a billboard in one integrated method via Bubble.