Other Products & Services Billboard Companies Can Offer
If you work in the billboard business there is a good chance you’ve been approached by someone asking you to make them something that is not “billboard” related. The general public may look at out of home companies as sign companies. And, to some extent they are. Just a different medium and approach. There is another revenue source there if you are willing to embrace it.
Let’s look at the other products and services billboard companies can offer:
Banners & Signs
The most popular request billboard companies might get is for printing and sign services. Chances are you already have a printer for your static and trivision billboard faces. What you may not know is your printer can also print banners for you. The finishing may be different though (grommets instead of pockets) but the material is the same.
Signs may be another story, as you need a vinyl plotter, shop with supplies and a knowledgable staff to be able to produce the products. Another alternative is using a wholesale sign supplier like Stouse, Signazon or Signs365. These companies allow you to place orders online for just about any type of sign, fabricate it and ship it directly to you.
What you need to get into this industry:
- A designer on staff with Adobe software experience
- Accounts with wholesale sign suppliers or a sign shop
- Knowledge of the various types of signs
- A pricing list and quote sheet/contract
- Marketing and or sales staff
Promotional Products
It’s fairly easy to get into this booming industry. The promotional product industry has tens of thousands of wholesale suppliers just waiting to take your orders. Their markups are generally at 40% so there is good income potential in this industry. If you are a member of ASI (the Advertising Specialty Institute), you can have your own website where customers can see products and place orders.
The downside to promotional products is there are too many suppliers and too many options. Which makes finding products a headache. There is also a lot of opportunity for errors when you consider you are relying on another company to fulfill your customer’s order. Deadlines, art setup and shipping can be frustrating as well.
What you need to get into this industry:
- A designer on staff with Adobe software experience
- An ASI account / ASI number which is needed to place orders (There is an annual fee)
- A website or catalogs your customers can use to find items and place orders
- Marketing and or sales staff
Design Services
If you have a designer on staff who designs your billboards, they may have some experience designing logos, print pieces, and websites. If so, it’s pretty easy to offer these services to your customers.
What you need to get into this industry:
- A designer on staff with Adobe software experience
- A portfolio of previous jobs or spec jobs
- Marketing and or sales staff
- A pricing list and quote sheet/contract
Did you learn something from this article? We hope so. If you have a question or comment about offering these products or services and want to chat about it… call Shane at 931-881-5979.
