Get the best billboard placement

Consider which locations will work best for your billboard advertisement. If you have a bed and breakfast inn, placing your ad along the highway may pull drivers to stop at your establishment for the night. Placing the same ad outside a downtown line of hotels might have completely different results.

I recommend: Think outdoors -- billboard advertising companies often sell ads for outdoor banners, transit systems or golf courses. Look for billboard advertising companies like FastSigns, Gateway Outdoor and Golf Ads USA. Work with agency representatives to decide which part of town has the highest traffic for your business type so the right people see you.

Choose the right type of billboard advertisement

Billboard agencies offer more than just static poster or freeform options. If you want more, and have a higher budget, consider other types of placements.

I recommend: Ask about alternatives such as EMC Outdoor's rotary and digital billboard signs, which cost more but make more of a statement. Gateway Outdoor's static traditional or freeform billboards, which vary in size, have been the traditional way, but necessarily the best way.

Use truckside billboard advertising

Whether you paint your logo and business message on your own delivery truck or rent space on the side of that of a billboard agency, consider this to keep your message on the move. Wherever the truck goes, your message goes with it -- so parking outside a large event or sending a driver through busy streets means more people will see your name.

I recommend: Contact billboard advertising companies about truckside advertising. Add Drive-By Broadcaster's broadcasting to your truck and advertise the radio frequency while combining sight with sound -- this is especially useful when drivers sit in traffic and need a distraction. Keep advertisements fun and light so listeners will tune in and tell friends and co-workers about the unique experience.

Work with a billboard agency in the local or national area

Local billboard advertising works well for small businesses that have a local customer base. If you want to grow your business, consider widening your promotion to include statewide or nationwide areas.

I recommend: Price local billboard advertising rates for the cheapest options. Go over the available areas with an agent and discuss a plan. Buying billboards in a certain region or choosing multiple regions are important decisions, however the type message and frequency of change are just as vital. Review a media kit and price list like the one offered by Montage Billboards before signing a contract or committing to a specific plan.    

Design a clever, funny or memorable advertisement

Drive by other billboards and make a note of the ones you like; think about why you like them and whether you will remember them the next day. Make sure your own billboard advertisement has all the things you loved about the ones you saw.

I recommend: Work with the company's design staff or hire your own to create an uncluttered, effective message that consumers drive by, read quickly and remember later. Billboard companies should have examples of designs they have created and be ready to help you with the creative and business ends of the project.