Sure, everyone has a billboard face with poor visibility. Maybe you built the sign for the high visibility of the other side, or maybe it was one great read at a time, but there’s at least one bad public face in every portfolio. So what do you do to maximize that scrap?
Here are some ideas:
If the problem is blocked, try to fix it. Whenever a tree is on private property, you have the right to ask your neighbor if you can trim or remove it. It never hurts to ask. You can offer them cash or some other concession if they let you. Even if a tree is in the right-of-way of the road, it never hurts to ask. You’d be surprised how many trees and other vegetation obstructions have been removed. legally simply asking the corresponding authority. If the problem is blockage by a man-made obstacle, such as a flag or someone’s business sign, again, it’s the right step to ask if the obstruction can be moved or removed. One of my best billboard deals of all time was buying a vacant sign in downtown Dallas from a big company for next to nothing, because it had a terrible blockage of a “parking lot” sign right in the middle of it. Apparently they had never bothered to ask the owner of the “parking” sign if they could move it. I immediately got the green light from the owner, without a penny of compensation, just to be a good neighbor. I lowered the sign down to where it didn’t block the billboard at all, but it also didn’t hurt the effectiveness of the “parking” sign.
If the problem is the angle of the billboard facing the road, try increasing it. Many billboards have gone from a dog sign to a winner by significantly increasing the angle of the “V”, the angle of the sign’s face relative to the road. For example, an attached sign, depending on the orientation of the road, will be practically unreadable. However, with a sharp angle aimed at traffic, that same reading takes on a new life. If the law allows it, it is possible to increase the V of the sign without much construction: but make sure it is legal to do so. In some markets, the ordinance allows for that trick as it doesn’t increase the size, height, or lighting of the ad face, just the angle (which is usually not even in the ordinance). If you haven’t built the sign yet, put a big V on it from day one.
If the issue is the height of the sign face above an obstruction that cannot be changed, such as the roofline of a neighboring building, see if you can build a smaller or taller sign. Often times, a billboard owner doesn’t realize that they can actually build the sign taller than they think. This is often due to a lack of understanding of where the signal height is measured. from. Sometimes a few extra feet of height is given if the sign starts on ground below road level. Another thing to check is if there is a different setting that removes the lock. For example, instead of 14′ x 48′, maybe you should build a 10’6″ x 36′? You’ll get almost 4′ of extra clearance. A clearly visible 10’6″ x 36′ is worth it. much more money than a badly blocked 14′ x 48′.
If there is no way to fix the visibility issue, try improving what you have to sell. Paint the blank face bright yellow and write your phone number in huge black letters, at full height of the face of the sign. Or put some “rhinestones” on it to make the face shine in the light. If someone must rent the sign, make sure your ad copy is just a few HUGE words, and paint it nasty colors to get their attention.
Use this sign for public service messages or put it up for a barter show. Sometimes when people don’t pay cash, they are more tolerant than others of a bad sign.
As I have said many times, I have never put a sign that I could not rent. Even if your sign is the worst in the world, there is, at some price, someone who will rent it. At least the demand is always strong, even when your visibility is not. Never give up and often something goes your way. Remember the ugly duckling that turns into a swan. Well, you may not get a swan, but you could get an expensive chicken. You just don’t want a turkey!