Selling billboards · How-to
How to Find Billboard Advertisers for an Open Face
By Gabie Research · Updated Oct 8, 2026 · 4 min read
Short answer
Find billboard advertisers by starting from the open face, not a list. Look for local businesses within a few miles that sell to people nearby, like dentists, plumbers, auto shops and credit unions. Add new openings, rivals of your current advertisers, event hosts and businesses on travel routes. Then check that each one fits, and work about 20 per open face.
- Start from the face. Its place, size, rate and open dates decide who fits.
- Service firms, health care, restaurants, retail and auto were Lamar's top billboard buyers in 2025.
- Census County Business Patterns counts businesses by ZIP code and industry, for free.
- The Census Bureau counted 534,947 business applications in September 2026, adjusted for season.
- Qualify before you write: open, local, the right size, and a named decision maker.
The best billboard advertiser is a local business close to an open face. It sells to people who live or drive nearby. So start with the face. Then build a short list of businesses around it.
Start from the face, not a list
Write down four facts about the face first:
- Where it is, and which way it reads.
- Its format and size: bulletin, poster or digital.
- The dates it's open.
- Its rate per 4 weeks.
These facts set the search area and the budget. A $650 poster fits a small shop. A $1,850 bulletin needs a buyer with a bigger budget. Search a few miles around the face in town. Go wider in rural areas, where people drive farther.
Five places to find prospects
| Source | Where to look | Why they buy |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses by category and distance | A map search near the face; Census County Business Patterns | They want customers who live nearby |
| New openings | Business licenses, building permits, chamber ribbon cuttings, "coming soon" signs | People need to learn they exist |
| Rivals of your current advertisers | The same category as the ads on your boards now | They notice when a rival is on a board |
| Events | Fairs, games, festivals, concerts, and the venue's neighbors | A clear date and a short, busy flight |
| Travel routes | Hotels, restaurants, gas stations and attractions near highway exits | Their customers are on the road |
Businesses by category and distance
Pick the categories that buy most. In 2025, Lamar's top billboard buyers were service firms at 19%. Health care was next at 10%. Then came restaurants at 9%, and retailers and automotive at 8% each. Search a map for each category near the face.
County Business Patterns from the Census Bureau counts businesses by industry and ZIP code. Use it to see how many dentists or auto shops a ZIP code has. Its latest data year is 2023, so check that each business is still open.
New openings
New businesses need people to know they're there. The Census Bureau counted 534,947 business applications in September 2026, adjusted for season. Not all of them will open a shop. But some will open near your faces. Check your city's business licenses, building permits and chamber news each week.
Rivals of your current advertisers
Say Kessler Plumbing is on B-114 S. Other plumbers see that ad. Offer them a different face. Don't share Kessler's rate or terms. Check Kessler's contract first, too. Some contracts promise to keep rivals off nearby faces.
Events
A fair, a big game or a festival is a reason to buy now. Pitch the host, the sponsors and businesses near the venue. Digital spots fit short event flights well. Find dates on your visitor bureau calendar, the fairgrounds site and school sports schedules. Pitch early, so there is time to make the artwork.
Travel routes
Faces on highways reach drivers from out of town. Hotels, restaurants, gas stations and attractions want them. In 2025, OAAA data put transit, hotels and resorts at 5.9% of US out-of-home spending. Restaurants were 5.2%.
How to qualify a prospect
Check each business before you write. Five minutes now saves a wasted email.
| Check | Good sign | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | Close to the face, in its trade area | Across town, or out of state |
| Customers | Sells to people nearby | Online only, or a chain with a set media plan |
| Open and active | Recent reviews and a working website | Closed, or no sign of life |
| Who decides | The owner or a local manager | A head office far away |
| Contact | A named person with a real email | Only an info@ inbox |
| Ad habit | Already buys radio, mailers or sponsorships | Has never spent on ads |
How do you find the decision maker?
At a small business, the owner usually decides on ads. At a bigger one, look for a general manager or a marketing lead. Start with the about page on the business's website. Your state's business registry often lists the owner's name. You can also call the front desk and ask who handles advertising.
Then find a work email you can confirm. Skip guessed addresses. A bounced email hurts your sender reputation. Worse, the right person never sees your note.
How many prospects should you work?
About 20 per open face is a good start. Send each one a first email and two follow-ups. Drop the ones who say no. Add new names each week. Keep a record of who you asked, when, and what they said. That way you never email the same owner twice by mistake.
Work the faces that cost the most when empty first. Our empty face cost calculator shows what each empty week costs.
Questions people ask
What kinds of businesses buy billboards?
Local businesses that sell to people nearby. Lamar's top 2025 buyers were service firms, health care, restaurants, retailers and automotive.
How far from a billboard should prospects be?
Start with a few miles around the face in town, and go wider in rural areas. The closer the business, the easier the pitch.
Should I pitch a competitor of a current advertiser?
Yes, for a different face, if no promise in your contract blocks it. Never share the current advertiser's rate or terms.
Where can I find new businesses opening near my boards?
Check city business licenses, building permits and chamber news each week. The Census Bureau's Business Formation Statistics show how many new businesses apply each month.
How many prospects should I work per open billboard?
About 20 per face is a good start. Send each a first email and two follow-ups, then replace the names that say no.
Sources
- 01Lamar Advertising Company Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · Lamar Advertising Company, via SEC EDGAR · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 02County Business Patterns (CBP) · U.S. Census Bureau · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 03Business Formation Statistics, October 14, 2026 release (September 2026 data) · U.S. Census Bureau · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- 042025 January–December OOH Advertising Expenditures Ranked by Total Spending · OAAA (data by MediaRadar) · accessed Oct 8, 2026
Billboard operations and sales research
The Gabie team studies how billboard companies price, sell and run their boards. Every number we publish links to its source.
Published Oct 8, 2026 · Updated Oct 8, 2026 · How we check facts