5
Mar
How Much Does a Digital Billboard Cost from Start to Finish?
Digital billboards and other digital signage have become commonplace around the world, and that’s no mistake. They’re incredibly effective at grabbing the attention of passersby and allowing marketers to deliver their message effectively at a glance.
But you might be wondering how much you can expect to pay in order to adopt a digital billboard, and whether or not it will pay off in the long run. After all, if you decide to adopt a digital billboard display, you’ll be investing a hefty amount of money up front. In this article, we’ll be providing you with a full cost breakdown for digital billboard displays from start to finish covering varying types, sizes, and examples of displays we’ve worked on to provide you with some clarity about investing in digital displays.
To give you an idea of the cost of digital displays as a whole, we’ll also discuss other digital signage structures in this article, like in-store displays and various alternative outdoor displays to give you an idea of cost comparison. So, if you’re struggling to decide where to buy a digital billboard, curious about what it costs, or just want to know more about digital OOH advertising, read on.
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).
How do you make a digital billboard?
Here at Media Resources, we cover all aspects of digital billboard design all the way from manufacturing to installation. We have a variety of pixel pitch options for our digital LED displays, offering one system across 9 pixel pitches. We cover any resolutions using 6.7mm SMD, 13mm RGB, and 20mm RGB LEDs.
Our LEDs are manufactured in our North American warehouses where we use high-end Nichia LEDs that are proven to last. For outdoor billboards that are in open areas such as highways, our trademarked technology, Siteline™ is also used in the manufacturing of our digital billboards to help prevent unwanted light trespass in neighboring communities.
Additionally, we offer a 3D fabrication service that can transform your billboard into a unique piece of art, like this 3D Reese’s Pieces billboard you can see below. Our process starts with planning and computer aided design (CAD), followed by 3D printing and then custom completion by one of our specially trained and certified fabricators. You can check out some of that process here.
Where can I buy a digital billboard?
Here at Media Resources, we serve the whole of North America and offer a full 8-step service that covers the entire process from start to finish. Our service looks like this:
- A detailed product proposal
- Research and design
- Permitting
- Engineering and planning
- Construction in one of our North American-based plants
- Installation
- Ongoing maintenance
How much does it cost for a digital billboard?
Now, after seeing all the above information, you’re probably wondering “how much does it cost to buy a digital billboard?” Well, this entirely depends on the scope of your project.
In the past, digital billboards seemed to be limited to large corporations that had huge budgets to use. However, with the increasing affordability of digital LED technology, digital billboard advertising is becoming increasingly available to SMEs too.
Generally, an outdoor digital billboard will cost you up to $280,000 USD but this depends on factors such as size, location, quality/clarity of the screen technology, and duration of the display. In addition to this, you can also expect to pay for the structure and installation of the billboard, which, at Media Resources, will cost you around $150,000 CAD ($118,000 USD) on top of the billboard price.
Interior billboard and digital signage designs, like the corner display featured below costs around $50-75,000 CAD ($59,000 USD).
Are digital billboards profitable?
The short answer is yes. And thankfully, digital billboard solutions are now open to many as marketers can hire screen time via digital billboard vendors if they’re not currently in a position to have their own custom digital billboard manufactured.
Over the long term, digital billboard advertising can save you money as print costs are completely eliminated, and they can generate more profits than traditional print material does.
In terms of ROI, let’s take a look at the figures.
According to a study carried out by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), OOH advertising (of which digital billboards are part of), businesses can expect to see a 497% ROI in terms of revenue and can improve the effectiveness of digital search by over 40% for each campaign. Databank states that although search shows the biggest boost from OOH advertising, all marketing channels tend to see a boost in results including social, TV, radio, and press.
Which other digital signage solutions are available?
We also specialize in products beyond digital billboards. We produce indoor digital displays which include anything from LED TV displays to more sophisticated, integrated designs. We’ve worked on scoreboards for numerous sports associations and can accommodate both larger and smaller budgets.
If you’re not yet ready to take the leap into digital advertising, we offer some of the best quality large-scale printing in the industry. We can accommodate any size project and use varying materials to help convey your message. We offer print billboard to scale that allow you to transform the side of your building into a highly effective advertising tool. Whether it’s vinyl, LED signage, or any other type of sign, we can construct exactly what you need to grab the attention of passersby and make a lasting impression. This custom printed mesh sign for example was placed onto the side of our client’s building to raise awareness for their support of team Canada.
