10 Unique Out-Of-Home Sales Tips to Sell More Billboards
There are a lot of aspects to selling billboard advertising. Things that work universally, and different techniques and tactics for specific industries. What about some less obvious and unique sales tips for out-of-home (OOH) and billboard sales… ideas that go beyond the basics and can genuinely spark more deals by thinking differently:
1. Pitch Potential Advertisers Billboard Use for Personal Milestones, Not Just Business Ads
Offer your potential advertisers the ability to celebrate their friends, clients, and family on their billboard (if digital). Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, etc. Create a branded “Life Moments Billboard” for them. Party planners, event and party rentals, funeral homes, or wedding vendors would make great use of this.
2. Create a Localized “Billboard Test Kitchen”
Set up a real-time A/B testing offer where one advertiser gets to test two ad creatives on two boards, and you track response through a phone number or store traffic. Pitch it as a data-driven creative advantage they can’t get from other media.
3. Repackage Unsold Inventory as “24-Hour Takeovers”
If a billboard is sitting unsold, offer it for 1–3-day bursts to local businesses as flash campaigns. Market it as “Your Brand, All Day Tomorrow, for Less Than You’d Think.” Think impulse buys for impulse campaigns. This works best if you have multiple digital billboards you can display their ad on.
4. Pitch OOH to Businesses with Awkward Online Reviews
Reach out to businesses with low online ratings, but good in-person experiences. Offer OOH as a “reputation repair” strategy. Put your real story where stars don’t matter.” You can also highlight testimonials directly in the creative.
5. Gamify Your Billboard Space
Build contests into your sales funnel. For example:
“Your business could win a free month on this billboard, nominate yourself and tag us.”
Use this to collect leads, promote the space publicly, and drive engagement on social media.
6. Treat Billboard Design as a Free Consulting Session
Many small businesses have no real branding. Offer a free 15-minute creative call, during which you sketch out what their billboard might say. You’re not selling space yet… you’re offering clarity on their message. People buy once they see it.
7. Hyper-Personalize Cold Outreach With Google Street View
Use Google Street View to see the front of their business and nearby billboards. Screenshot what it would look like if their ad were up. Email or print it with the message:
“Imagine this driving traffic to your door.”
This bridges the gap between abstract and tangible.
8. Sell to Influencers & Creators
Pitch local influencers, musicians, authors, or viral TikTokers on using billboards to legitimize their image and increase clout. You can even barter or co-promote. “Billboard yourself” is an ego-driven angle that works.
9. Build a “Last 3 Miles” Targeting Package
Create a mini-program that helps businesses target drivers on their way to their store—either last-exit gas stations, billboards near interchanges, or directionals. Bundle those locations under a “Drive-to-Me” campaign.
10. Offer to Match Their Radio, Print Ad, or Social Media Campaign With a Billboard
Many businesses buy radio but skip outdoor. Tell them,
“Let’s give your voice a face.”
Take their radio tagline and build a sample design for a billboard. Cross-media pairing builds recall and brand lift.
