Reselling secondary-market billboard inventory to local businesses
Billboard operators discount unsold weeks to almost nothing. Buy at the bottom, resell to local businesses at retail. Idea — not yet tested end-to-end.
How it works
Outdoor Media Alliance and independent operators in secondary markets have last-minute unsold inventory. A broker who commits to buying 30-60 day windows at 60-70% off rate card and resells to local businesses (dentists, HVAC, injury lawyers) at 30% off rate card could pocket a real spread.
Step by step
- 1Build a spreadsheet of every billboard operator in 3 secondary markets (populations 100-400k). Note number of faces, digital vs. static, published rate cards.
- 2Cold-email each operator: 'I'm building an inventory of short-notice unsold weeks. What's your bottom price for a 30-day static face booked within 10 days of go-live?'
- 3Negotiate written non-exclusive supply deals with 2-3 operators. Commit to nothing until you have your first buyer.
- 4Build a target buyer list of 100 local businesses that already advertise on outdoor: injury lawyers, HVAC, med spas, roofers, mattress stores.
- 5Design a one-page rate sheet: face location, daily impressions (verified via Geopath), 30-day rate at your resell price, mock-up included.
- 6Cold-call and cold-email buyers with 3 specific available faces at a time. Selling generic 'billboards' converts poorly; selling '10th & Main going eastbound' converts.
- 7Handle creative in-house or outsource to a $200 designer on Fiverr. Include design in the package to remove friction.
- 8Sign each buyer to a 2-page insertion order with net-15 payment terms. Never book operator inventory before the IO is signed.
- 9Track spread per campaign: what you paid, what you charged, design cost, your hours. Below 40% gross margin the model doesn't work.
- 10After 10 campaigns, decide whether to negotiate exclusive rights with the top operator in exchange for guaranteed monthly volume.
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