by sneaking (13) 4-week billing periods into your contract when you are expecting invoices for 12 calendar months.  Your income and expenses are tracked on 12 calendar months. Yet the giant media companies have devised a way to bill local advertisers an extra (13^th) 4-week period of billing, causing a disruption in your advertising budget. When comparing advertising options of locally owned vs. publicly traded billboard companies, make sure to multiply the publicly traded company’s rate per “4-week period” X  (13) 4-week periods and divide by 12 calendar months to derive your true monthly advertising cost.

after promising a “Deal.”  We often see local business owners and marketers get duped into believing they are getting a deal on the price to rent a billboard. Beware of deals that involve cheap face rent on billboards with either low traffic (aka the billboard in the desert) or poor visibility, where you actually wind up paying more for each consumer reached.  Don’t buy on face count or face rent.   When comparing billboard options, buy like a professional media buyer.  Make your purchasing decisions based on your Cost to Reach 1,000 People (aka “CPM”).

after renting your company space on their billboards.  Too often, self-serving sales reps or lease agents “Renting Space” fail to provide advertisers the creative leadership or copywriting expertise necessary to consistently drive foot traffic to your door, web traffic to your site, or call traffic to your phone.  Insist upon a “Revenue Growth Partner” that will utilize a proven process to connect your brand, generate leads, and drive sales.

or create a conflict with your values by displaying your advertising in between controversial, non-brand friendly, or non-family friendly advertisements. Recently a large billboard company placed a local Church’s Easter service on digital billboards also displaying adult entertainment and marijuana.  Choose to partner with billboard companies that display advertising consistent with your core values.