Billboards for Small Businesses

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Billboards are perhaps the most impressive form of advertising. But how feasible are they for small businesses?

From gigantic roadside signs to neon-lit digital billboards in the heart of a city, billboards tower over passersby and capture attention.

The most expensive spaces in Times Square can cost several million dollars per year, with the single most expensive digital billboard costing over $2.5 million for one month. But that’s an outlier, and there are far more affordable options that are just as effective for small businesses.

Size, Location, and Cost

These are the most important factors for small businesses buying a billboard. Larger billboards attract more attention but cost more, and premium locations cost more than others. Outside the largest U.S. cities, billboard prices are relatively affordable.

Average monthly billboard cost

New York City

~$25,000 / month

Houston

~$5,000 / month

Tucson

Under $2,500 / month

New Orleans

~$2,000 / month

A medium-sized billboard in New Orleans costs about $17,000 for a full year—less than the average New York City billboard for a single month.

Digital or Traditional?

Traditional

The typical large printed poster you often see.

Digital

Electronic, the same size as a billboard. Usually pricier and found mostly downtown, but sometimes cheaper since multiple ads rotate on one screen each day.

A lower-cost digital ad may be ideal if you’re willing to share a billboard with other advertisers.

Alternative Advertisements

What if you’re a small business in New York or another big city and feel priced out of billboards? You can still advertise effectively on a smaller scale with cheaper alternatives costing from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month:

Bus ads
Posters
Bench ads

Find an Affordable Billboard

Small businesses have many paths to billboard advertising, with plenty of locations at affordable prices to attract future customers. Visit BillboardsIn.com to get started.

Find Billboards Near You

Image: Billboard on Canal Street, New Orleans