5 Ways to Optimize Digital Billboard Inventory Management

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”

~A.A. Milne

In any business, there is a lot to organize. Between finances, payroll, daily schedules and inventory, it’s important to utilize available business tools to stay organized.

For those running an out-of-home (OOH) advertising business, the biggest thing is managing your digital billboard content inventory. With multiple advertisers who may have a variety of media for different situations, displaying the right digital billboard content at the right times and locations, especially if you own more than one billboard, gives them the ROI they’re looking for. Good management also keeps you on top of what spot inventory is still available so you can sell these spots and maximize revenue.

Many people use a spreadsheet or other basic computer software for organizing inventory. Although this is certainly better than nothing, it has limitations. Spreadsheets take a while to sift through and get the information you need. You also will have more difficulty accessing data while traveling. A responsive and comprehensive billboard inventory system is necessary to stay on top of constantly moving parts.

Fortunately, for digital billboard owners there are amazing content and inventory management tools like Ignite OA to make digital display organization simple and efficient. When you’re able to manage your digital billboard inventory, you can respond better to immediate and future needs.

What is a Digital Billboard Management System?
An OOH inventory system is purpose-built software that keeps live billboard management records in one place. Ignite OA lets you access billboard artwork, locations, scheduling, availability and more in one place. Our management software also performs live diagnostics using an internet connection to alert you of any issues. Think of it as a centralized high-performance spreadsheet that can be updated in real-time.

Tips for OOH Inventory Management

Having the tools to manage your digital billboards is the first step; the second step is implementing them. Here are five tips on organizing content that will streamline your workflow and save valuable time for sales.

1. When naming advertising media for each board, use a system that makes sense to you but also takes into account how you’ll want to find that media when needed. The more obvious the name of the media, the better. By avoiding generic or vague naming terms, you’ll have an easier time finding media later. Also, make sure to associate each piece of media with an affiliated account. This will help with future searches and reports on individual advertisers.
2. Be sure to organize your default media in a similar way. Whether you fill unsold spots with your own self-promos or PSAs for local organizations, you’ll want to keep them organized similarly to paying customers. Ignite OA will allow you to adjust the display percentage for each piece of default media, so you control how often these messages are seen in open spots.
3. Campaigns are best named to correspond with the advertisers they represent. Making it too complicated when naming campaigns could make generating simple reports difficult. Remember that active media spots on the schedule will display, while older spots can be archived within the campaign simply by removing them from the schedule.
4. Use tags for campaigns to further expand your search options. For example, tagging a campaign as “paid in full” or “partial payment received” will allow you to generate reports that help with billing. You can also tag customers receiving discounted (or full-cost) spots for future sales reference. Ignite even lets you select when to receive notice before the end of a campaign. If you want your sales department to get a full, 30-day notice to renew campaigns, Ignite OA lets you customize those settings. This integrates active campaigns into your sales efforts, and never leaves you wondering which campaigns are almost finished.
5. Utilize the notes section in Ignite to enter your internal account numbers for each advertiser. This will make it a breeze to cross-reference Ignite and your billing software.

Take these simple steps to organize your advertisers, campaign and media while optimizing the features of Ignite OA. You’ll be able to track and report on the success of your sales and marketing efforts more effectively. You also can immediately respond to any needs so an OOH business reaches its full potential for you and your clients.