How to Buy Billboards
Buying billboards close to your location can be a strong complement to the corporate brand advertising that capitalizes on the value message, and is one of the best ways to influence a hotel decision at a critical time.
Look for board locations that will be viewed by traffic heading toward your location, on interstate highways or main surface arterial streets. Try to avoid boards that are set too far back, are difficult to read, and stacked in pairs or side by side. Right hand reads (right side of the road) are usually better than left.
Most boards will have the company name on the bottom. Contact them to ask about availabilities and pricing.
Pricing will vary depending on market, location, traffic counts, demand and size of board. You may be able to strike a better agreement for a longer-term commitment than for a shorter one.
Trading for Radio Advertising Can be a Win-Win
Radio advertising is a perishable commodity, similar to hotel room nights. When demand is high, the price can also be high. Empty rooms mean no revenue, just like unsold commercial time means no revenue for radio stations.
Some radio stations are willing to trade advertising for room nights. Call at least three stations and speak with a sales manager. Ask how many impressions they will give you in trade for a set number of room nights. Let them know that you’re talking with more than one station. Go with the most impressions, not just number of commercials, because commercials running from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., for example, will have many more listeners (impressions) than commercials running late at night.
Radio stations like to do on-air promotions and may want to give away room nights to their listeners or have a pool party. They might have their announcers talk about your hotel, or they might want to run a 30-second or 60-second commercial.