I bought the one that said how to build, and sell billboards.
I am looking to do the Junior Billboards in my area and I was looking for two things in your book.
How to build one of these junior billboards - a steel monopole with two faces. I didn’t find it in there. I was looking for information on where to buy them from, the steel sign, the faces, the parts I need ( I still don’t even know what parts I need - how do I attache the vinyl?)
How do I put the vinyl on. There wasn’t anything in there about how to actually attach the vinyl.
I have found multiple spots on this forum of people asking where to get billboards, and the answer is look for used ones. I would like to get a new one. Who manufactures these things?
Are you describing 8-sheet billboards (approximately 5’ x 12’ in size) or 30-sheet (approximately 12’ x 24’ in size? The term “Jr. Billboard” has been used to describe both. I’m assuming you are talking about 8-sheet.
8-sheets are a great opportunity in many markets because there is often a vast supply that are already installed but abandoned. The reason is that they were originally intended to promote tobacco and liquor, but those two industries are no longer heavy users of outdoor (tobacco no longer uses outdoor at all). As a result, some companies were stuck with hundreds in their inventory and, since the dollars are so much higher on larger steel signs, they just abandoned them. You can often take over these signs for anywhere from $100 to $1,000 paid to the owner, and re-activate the groundrent with the agreement to start paying them again (paying nothing against any back rent).
If you want to build new ones, contact the larger manufacturing plants such as Formetco and Keeler Iron Works. They are often sold as “kits” since they are very easy to construct.
Vinyl installation is equally easy. You can get it printed at many fabricators, such as Lindmark and Formetco, and it only takes a few ratchets to put it on.
If you ever have any questions on 8-sheets, you should call into my weekly live question and answer hour. That’s something you get free from buying the book. Contact our office at (800) 950-1364 for the call-in numbers.
You can purchase billboard panels from Tiffin Metal. I used a company called Productivity Fabricators for a monopole billboard structure - excellent service and work.
Formetco and any other sign product company has the ratchets, or you can even buy them from such places as Home Depot. The vinyl has pockets that rods fit into that allow the ratchet to hold on and stretch the vinyl. You will need those also, which come from the same providers. As far as connecting to the structure, you pretty much hook onto whatever you can find. The installer will know how to do it.
Thanks That helps. I wasn’t aware of the rods. So It looks like I need to find a printer that has the capability of putting that rod pocket in, any suggestions there.
The traffic count looks like it is around 20000 per day in certain areas where i want to put them. I have called on some 30 sheet poster billboards (12 x 24) on the outskirts of town and they said they would lease 4 of those for about 250 each if I commit to a year. I would say the traffic in those areas is more towards 10000 per day. Am I realistic to think a Junior billboard can yield 200 per month in those higher traffic areas if a full billboard isn’t even doing much more than that?
The vinyls that Foremetc or Lindmark sell have the pockets already in them (but you better ask them to make sure). You need to double-check your comps – is that $250 for one unit or a large showing? That rate in incredibly cheap. No, if they are getting $250, you will not be able to get $200 in all likelihood – but you need to re-check that comp as that would be the lowest 30-sheet rate I’ve heard of in a long time.
The price to print vinyl is around 85 cents to $1 per square foot. That equates to around $571 to $672 for a 14’ x 48’. There are several different groups offering this service on our website, but probably the two best-known are LIndmark and Formetco. Both have been doing it for a long time and are fast with good quality products.
You can vinyl “wrap” almost anything – monopoles, old wooden telephone pole boards, 8-sheets, wallscapes, anything.that has enough strength to handle the tension and has something for the ratchets to grab on to.