BillboardsIn is Here to Help!
Check out this list of our most frequently asked questions.
- What is BillboardsIn?
- Why should I use BillboardsIn?
- How does BillboardsIn work?
- What is a quote?
- I’m just trying to get a general idea of what billboards cost. Can you help?
- What does CPM mean?
- How far in advance should I reserve my ad space?
- How long do I have to make a decision after being quoted?
- I only want to run for a couple days. Am I allowed to do that?
- What is the ideal campaign length?
- What if I want to add time to my campaign?
- How do I know which way the billboard I’m interested in is facing?
- I just received my quote. How do I know which option is right for me?
- I don’t have a creative/ad. Where do I begin?
- I finished my artwork. How do I submit it?
- I want to add an extension to my billboard. Is that possible?
- What’s the difference between digital and non-digital billboards?
- I’m thinking of reserving a digital billboard. Exactly how much exposure am I getting?
- What is programmatic advertising?
- What does the quoted price for my billboard include?
- How do I submit payment?
- My question wasn’t here. How do I contact BillboardsIn?
1. What is BillboardsIn?
BillboardsIn is the nation’s largest online outdoor advertising marketplace, designed to help you easily find your perfect out of home ad space. With over a million assets nationwide, BillboardsIn can provide a great selection of competitively-priced options for you to choose from.
Whether you’re new to the out-of-home advertising industry, or are an experienced pro, you can rely on BillboardsIn to deliver an interactive quote with cutting-edge metrics to help you build your next campaign.
2. Why should I use BillboardsIn?
Using BillboardsIn makes your life easier, and the billboard buying process faster. You don’t have to wait a week for pricing and availability, and our account managers will work with you to quickly find you the best options to fit your needs.
We think that buying an ad should be so easy, anyone can do it—that’s why we make sellers compete for your business, and handle production ourselves, getting you the best deal around.
We also have a variety of inventory, just in case billboards aren’t quite what you’re looking for. We’ve also got digital advertising options in public spaces like gyms and convenience stores, transit shelters, and even digital trucks.
3. How does BillboardsIn work?
BillboardsIn utilizes its massive database of over a million assets to find all of the ad options in a designated search area. We then work directly with every seller in your target market to get competitive quotes for the spaces that are currently available.
Then, we take all of the available options and make them accessible to you on our easy-to-use, interactive map, where you will see all of the essential information—everything from design templates to how many views you’ll get—for each ad space.
The coolest thing is, you can check out entirely online, without even having to pick up the phone. Or, if you’d rather chat with your account manager, they’re available via phone, text, and email to help you out and answer any questions.
4. What is a quote?
Essentially, a quote exists to communicate the price of an ad space, but they’re a little more complicated than that.
BillboardsIn quotes also include valuable information such as the number of impressions a board receives, estimated CPM, and demographic data of the people who reside in the billboard’s surrounding area. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry! All of this information is available within your campaign, and your account manager will be happy to walk you through it.
5. I’m just trying to get a general idea of what billboards cost. Can you help?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t so simple. Billboards can vary widely in cost depending on location, format, and size; essentially, cost is based on how many people see them. A small billboard (known as a poster) might be $900 in a city, while a large highway bulletin could have a five-figure cost.
Our best recommendation to you would be to create a campaign in your target area for your desired dates, and take a look at what options you get back. If you have any questions about those specific billboards, your account manager will be available to help you out!
6. What does CPM mean?
CPM = # of Impressions (in thousands)/Total Cost
CPM is a marketing metric that stands for “Cost Per Thousand.” It is defined as “the cost of reaching one thousand advertising exposure opportunities in a market.”
It can be helpful to use CPM when comparing numerous ad spaces at once. It can also be used to compare outdoor advertising against other advertising formats as it is a commonly used metric across the advertising industry.
7. How far in advance should I reserve my ad space?
We recommend reserving your ad space at least four weeks before your desired start date for a static advertisement, and about two weeks in advance for a digital advertisement, but the sooner, the better! This allows time for designing your ad, finalizing payment, and asking us any questions you might have before we handle production.
While it is possible to make a campaign happen in less time, it can result in tight deadlines, and some additional stress on your part. We do, however, understand that your campaign may be time-sensitive; if this is the case, reach out to your account manager, who can help you run through your options.
8. How long do I have to make a decision after being quoted?
Quotes on BillboardsIn expire after one week due to regular changes in inventory, but we are able to reopen quotes and re-confirm availability even after their initial expiration!
Just reach out to your account manager or send us an email at support@BillboardsIn.com, and we’d be happy to inquire about the availability of a specific ad space. If it is still available, we can add it back to your campaign for you to purchase.
9. I only want to run my ad for a couple of days. Am I allowed to do that?
BillboardsIn can help find you an awesome ad space even if you only want to advertise for a short time. For many digital options, we can run week-long campaigns, and for static options, the minimum run time is typically four weeks.
After receiving quotes and deciding on an option, contact your account manager if you need different dates; they will be able to get you the answers to any questions regarding campaign length for your desired inventory, and assist with shortening your campaign to make your selected space available for that desired timeframe.
10. What is the ideal campaign length?
We recommend three-month campaigns because they afford you an ample amount of time to really evaluate the effectiveness of your ad. Ultimately though, your campaign should be based on your advertising goals, so if you need to run for one, two, or even 12 months, you shouldn’t shy away from doing so.
If you have questions about this or are unsure of what campaign length is right for you, just contact your account manager or send us an email at support@BillboardsIn.com. We’ll help you out!
11. What if I want to add time to my campaign?
While this is sometimes possible, it’s best to make that decision as soon as you can. When you reserve your ad space, you are reserving it for only the timeframe that you choose, and other advertisers are able to reserve the space directly following your campaign time, at any given moment. This means that you might be able to add some time if you make that decision towards the end of your campaign, but it may already be booked.
We recommend that you discuss any added time with your account manager as early as possible, or talk it out with them up front if you feel you may need a longer campaign than you originally thought.
12. How do I know which way the billboard I’m interested in is facing?
When reviewing your quotes, select the option you’d like to view. Then, in the tab that will pop up on the right side of the page, look for the section labeled “Direction.” Under this section the direction noted will be the cardinal direction that the board is actually facing. For example, if the direction is marked as “East” that asset will be appealing to westbound onlookers.
13. I just received my quote. How do I know which option is right for me?
BillboardsIn offers a variety of ways to help you find the right ad space for your campaign. In addition to comparing location, price, and estimated views, you can evaluate value by comparing the CPM between your options.
You can also reach out to your account manager directly with more specific questions based on your unique campaign.
14. I don’t have a creative/ad. Where do I begin?
No artwork? No problem! Whether you want to create your ad yourself, or feel like you could use some assistance, we have you covered.
- Got artistic aspirations? Once your purchase is finalized, a member of the design team will reach out to you with the correct template for your ad, notify you of your deadline, and provide any other important information regarding the art process. From there, you will simply need to create your art and upload it to your campaign dashboard.
- Need help, but just a little? Select “Artwork Review,” at checkout, and our team will provide critique and assistance based on what you have created. They’ll let you know if your sizing is off, if you’ve put too much text, or provide any other pro-tips to help you design an effective ad.
- Completely lost, and desire design assistance? Our design team would be happy to create you a brand new ad from scratch, or utilize your old marketing materials to create something fresh and new. Just select “Custom Artwork Design” during checkout and we’ll take it from there! Or, if you’ve already checked out, you can purchase that here.
15. I finished my artwork. How do I submit it?
After your artwork is finished, you can upload it to your Campaign Dashboard. From there, a member of our design team will look it over and let you know directly if it’s good to go!
16. I want to add an extension to my billboard. Is that possible?
Yes, this is often possible, but is largely dependent on the specific inventory that you choose. For example, a smaller billboard may not be able to accommodate a large extension structurally, but a large billboard more likely will.
It may also depend on guidelines set in place by our vendor partner, and will likely result in an added cost and an earlier artwork deadline, so we suggest that you check with your account manager to figure out the best way to make that ad literally stick out. 😉
17. What’s the difference between digital and non-digital billboards?
With non-digital boards (also known as static boards) your ad will be printed and installed on your selected ad space. Ads placed on digital billboards, however, will be displayed on a screen for approximately eight seconds at a time, as a part of a larger loop.
Despite their slight variations, both digital and static boards are incredibly effective. Learn more about the pros and cons of each format by checking out this blog post.
18. I’m thinking about reserving a digital billboard. Exactly how much exposure am I getting?
Digital billboards are a great way to maximize the value of your campaign. Time slots typically vary from vendor to vendor, but generally, you can expect to receive around eight seconds per rotation, and share the space with seven other advertisers.
Additionally, while most digital billboards have around eight different slots, most advertisers find that they actually get more exposure because sellers often don’t fill each ad space.
19. What is programmatic advertising?
Programmatic advertising is impression-based advertising, meaning you are paying for available impressions at the location you choose. Programmatic ads were created to fill space on digital panels that wouldn’t have been filled otherwise, so they are able to be purchased at lower prices compared to a standard full slot. The trade-offs are that the times your ad will show are random (we can choose specific days/times to have your ad show though) and they’re not guaranteed to run.
Programmatic campaigns vary on a case-by-case basis, so please reach out to your account manager or to our support team at support@BillboardsIn.com for specialized assistance!
20. What does the quoted price for my billboard include?
Each and every quoted price is comprised of the following:
- The most competitive price required to secure the selected ad space.
- Any production costs associated with getting your ad up and running.
This means the costs to print, ship, install, and take down your ad are baked into the quoted price. So, focus on securing your dream ad space and we’ll handle the rest.
21. How do I submit payment?
At BillboardsIn, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop-shop and can run your transaction via credit card directly through our marketplace portal. We are also able to process transactions via ACH, but be sure to check with your bank first.
Additionally, for multi-month campaigns, we can work with you to create a payment plan so you don’t have to dish out all that dough at one time—just ask your account manager!
22. My question wasn’t here. How do I contact BillboardsIn?
No worries! You can easily contact our dedicated support team here at support@BillboardsIn.com. We’re happy to help!
