The digital billboard is one of the most effective outdoor advertising mediums when it comes to reaching large numbers of people at once. Digital billboards are so effective because they can be programmed to display different ads at different times, and they’re also very easy for viewers to see from a distance.
If you’ve ever driven down the highway and seen a scrolling list of news headlines on a digital billboard, then you know just how powerful these ads can be. If you have an upcoming event or promotion that deserves attention from people near and far, consider having a digital billboard built for it.
We’ve helped many clients build their own digital billboards in order to advertise their events, promotions and products. Our team has worked with businesses of all sizes—from small businesses to international corporations—to create custom-designed digital billboards that deliver exactly what each client needs in terms of content, style, and message delivery methods.
The first step towards creating your own custom digital billboard is getting in touch with us so we can learn more about your project goals and objectives so that we can determine how best to approach them together as a team.
What is digital billboard advertising?
Essentially, digital Out-of-Home Billboard advertising is done through large LED Billboard displays that can be placed by highways, in city central high-traffic pedestrian areas – anywhere basically. The number of digital Billboards in the US has grown 50% since 2016 and is expected to continue to grow rapidly over the next few years.
Digital billboards are flexible and customizable. They can be altered within seconds if needed thanks to integrated, cloud-based content management systems (CMS).
Types Of Digital Billboard
Single-Faced Wood Billboards
Typical sizes are 12 feet high, with the top being about 25 feet above the ground. Widths can range from 25 to 48 feet. These types of signs can cost between $5,000 and $20,000 to build, based on height and size.
Double Faced Wood Billboards
The cost for double-faced wooden billboards is about twice the price of single-faced ones. Single-faced boards can have angled supports at the rear while the structure for double-faced boards must be smooth on both sides. While these sizes vary, the approximate cost of building the 12 feet high billboard, with the top about 25 feet above the ground and the width ranging from 25 to 48 feet is between $9,000-40,000.
Digital billboards vs. traditional billboards
In terms of functionality, digital billboards beat traditional billboards by nearly every metric. They can rotate through multiple displays while traditional billboards can show only one. It’s also time-consuming and labor-intensive to swap from one ad to another on a traditional billboard whereas digital billboards can accomplish this — automatically — every few seconds.
Traditional billboards are also prone to wear, tear and discoloration by the elements. Digital billboards remain brilliant year round, rain or shine.
Another factor to consider is that consumers can see digital billboards from greater distances than traditional ones. That means companies may be able to grab the attention of passers-by from further away with a digital billboard. The only real downside to choosing a digital billboard instead of a traditional billboard is the price — but we’ll touch more on that later.
How Much Does Digital Billboard Advertising Cost?
As digital out-of-home becomes increasingly commonplace, what effect will it have on marketing budgets? Is it more expensive or cheaper to advertise on a digital billboard?
Well, the reason why DOOH is set to expand so rapidly in the coming years is partly because the cost to produce LED screens today is significantly lower than in previous years. It can cost anything from $5,300-$180,000 to install a digital screen, depending on its size. And so OOH media owners are rolling-out more digital screens across a lot cities.
DOOH installation costs may not be directly relevant to advertisers seeking to rent a digital billboard. However, as these digital billboards become more commonplace, rental costs become more affordable.
The cost to display your ad on a digital sign can vary greatly from one market to the next, and from one sign to the other based on exposure and campaign length. Some digital billboard campaigns are ranging from $1,000-$5,500 per four-week period. The ads circulate every 8 seconds. Standing digital billboards, on the other hand, can cost between $850-$7,000 per four-week period, depending on location. Like all outdoor advertising, prices are negotiable. You should rely on an agency that has longstanding relationships with the major out-of-home advertising providers.
The average cost of a 2′ by 8′ display size DOOH with a pixel pitch of 16mm is about $4400 per face plus parts and shipping. The average cost of a 4′ by 8′ DOOH with a pixel pitch of 16mm is about $7800 per face plus parts and shipping. The average cost of a 40′ by 90′ DOOH with a pixel pitch of 10.66mm is about $8600 per face plus parts and shipping. And, the most expensive being, a 14′ by 48′ DOOH with a pixel pitch of 16mm is about $154,000 per face plus parts and shipping.
As you can tell, the rates are estimations and vary depending on billboard provider, location, size, and what not.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Billboard Advertising
In most cases, billboard advertising cost is referenced in cost per mille (CPM), or cost per thousand impressions. These are affected by circulation, demographics, and impressions. Together, these factors inform the billboard’s out-of-home (OOH) rating, as determined by Geopath, an audience location measurement tool.
A billboard’s OOH rating is based on three factors:
- Circulation: Circulation is the total volume of traffic that passes the billboard, as derived from transportation authorities. The circulation does not take into account whether passersby see your ad.
- Demographics: A billboard’s demographics are a breakdown by age, gender, and income level of people who typically pass a billboard. Expect to pay more to advertise in locations that reach people with higher income levels.
- Impressions: Impressions are the likely number of people who actually see the ad, based on the size of the billboard, visibility, the speed at which people are passing, and other factors. This is derived from the circulation and the location of the billboard.
The Cost of an Unconventional Billboard
There are many ways to advertise your business, but one of the most effective and cost-effective is digital billboards. A digital billboard is an electronic sign that can be seen by millions of people who drive past it every day. The average cost of a single digital billboard ranges from $10,000-$30,000 depending on where you live and what kind of ad you want to use. Digital billboards are great because they attract attention from drivers and passengers alike. This means that they’ll see your ad as many times as they’re driving down the road or waiting in traffic—and it may even remind them to buy something when they get home.
The best part about these types of ads is that they don’t just stop at being seen by people who happen upon them while driving around town—they also have access to those who use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter so that if someone posts something about visiting Las Vegas that includes their hashtag (e.g., #vegas), then any relevant ads will appear alongside their post.
How much does it cost to build a digital billboard?
You may think that the cost of building a digital billboard is the same no matter where you are or what size it is. This isn’t true. It varies by location, and also varies by size.
The cost of building a digital billboard in New York City, for example, will be higher than the cost of building one in rural Montana.
Why are Digital Billboards so Expensive?
There are many factors that go into the price of building a digital billboard. The size of your billboard and location will determine how much you pay. For example, if you want to put a 50-foot tall digital billboard on an interstate with heavy traffic, it can cost $25,000 per month. If you want to put up one on a low-traffic road between towns where people don’t pass often enough for advertisers or businesses to be interested in having their messages displayed there, it may only cost $1000 per month.
Another factor is the materials used for construction – which also affects how much power will be needed for them; this means more costs for construction as well as maintenance over time because electricity consumption increases due to high energy consumption rates from large screens like these ones (which could bring down your electrical bill). You might have heard about similar problems from watching movies where characters had trouble getting their bills paid after buying large televisions or other electronics because they had no idea how much electricity they would use (and therefore didn’t know how much money they were going
to need). They were shocked when they found out how much money those items would cost over time: imagine what would happen if this happened with billboards. It wouldn’t just affect our wallets either – imagine all those trees cut down every year just so people who live near cities get their messages across using these giant devices instead. Now think about all those little animals whose homes were destroyed during construction – no wonder why some people don’t like these things being built near them…
Material Used To Create Billboards
The materials used to create billboards are similar to those used for digital billboards. The primary difference is that the digital version uses a screen instead of paint and paper. Both types of billboard structures have aluminum frames, steel supports and lighting rigs.
The most common material used today in digital billboards is LED panels that are usually mounted on an aluminum frame structure which can be freestanding or attached to another structure like a building or wall. Digital signs use LEDs because they’re energy efficient and provide high-quality images with very small pixel sizes making it possible for advertisers to show large amounts of information at once without sacrificing resolution or clarity (source).
The Costs of Construction Vary Widely
The cost to build a digital billboard is affected by many factors, including the materials and labor costs. Other factors include the size of the billboard, location of the billboard, and number of billboards you’re building. The size, number and type of LED screens are important too; but arguably most important is how many media players (or screens) there will be in total.
The average LED screen size for a digital billboard ranges from 45″ all the way up to 60″ or even 70″. With this in mind—and knowing that most companies stick with larger screen sizes due to their effectiveness—we can say that most companies use 10–15 different media players at once (i.e., one big panel for each player). If a company has more panels than media players then it could mean they’re using smaller screens or fewer large-size displays at once on each panel; or perhaps they have some kind of video wall setup instead where multiple smaller ones make up one larger image together (more info later).
Getting the Right Permits Can Be Difficult
When it comes to the permitting process for digital billboards, there are a lot of unknowns. You will have to apply for permits from several different agencies, each with its own requirements and procedures. For example:
- You’ll need a permit from your municipality or county government before you can submit an application to DOT (which is required in order to obtain a permit from DOT).
- If you’re planning on placing your digital billboard on public property, you’ll need approval from that agency as well (for example: if you want to put your billboard up along an interstate highway).
- If it’s going up in a rural area outside of any city, county, or state jurisdiction—that means all bets are off.
Digital billboards can be expensive but have many benefits.
It’s obvious why digital billboards are more expensive to build than traditional ones.
- They have to be built to withstand the elements, which is more expensive than just slapping up a cardboard sign.
- Their lifespan is longer. This means fewer replacements over time, which saves money in the long run (if you’re into that sort of thing).
- They can be updated on a regular basis without having to completely replace the board or its components every time you want an update—so it’s cheaper in the long term too.
Conclusion
Overall, there are many benefits to having a digital billboard. They can increase brand awareness and sales, but they also cost more than traditional billboards. If you’re looking for more information on how much it costs to build a digital billboard, contact us today. We’re happy to share our knowledge with you so that you can make an informed decision about your business needs and wants.
