How to plan and measure a B2B billboard campaign

A B2B billboard campaign works when it is planned around accounts, not audiences. The question isn’t “how many people will see this?” but “will the people from our target accounts see this – and what happens next?” This guide walks through the five steps we use to plan and measure account-based billboard campaigns.

Step 1: Define the goal and the accounts

Start with what the campaign should achieve, and for whom:

Market entry: awareness among a defined group of companies in a new region.
Pipeline acceleration: warming up accounts with open deals.
Event success: more booth visits and meetings at a trade show.
Expansion: reaching new departments at existing customers.

Then build the account list. Export it from your CRM as a CSV – the list determines everything that follows.

Step 2: Find where your accounts are

This is where B2B billboard campaigns differ most from traditional out-of-home advertising. Instead of picking the busiest spots in a city, you look for:

Account clusters – business parks, districts or streets where several target accounts are based.
Shared movement paths – road segments, train stations and transit stops that people from multiple accounts pass daily.
Event locations – venues, arrival routes and hotels when your accounts gather at a trade show.

A handful of well-chosen locations usually beats hundreds of random ones.

Step 3: Choose formats and timing

Match the format to the location and the goal: large billboards near office clusters, digital screens at stations (which allow multiple messages and precise timing), billboard trucks to cover several locations, and billboards and screens around event venues. Run the campaign long enough to build recognition – and time it with sales outreach or the event dates.

Step 4: Write creatives for billboards, not for banners

Billboards are seen for a few seconds, often in motion. That means:

One message. A single, clear line beats a list of features.
Speak to the audience. Reference their industry, city or problem – it signals that this ad is for them.
Strong branding. The logo should be recognisable at a glance.
A simple next step. A short URL, a QR code at stations, or a booth number at events.

Step 5: Measure impact at account level

“You can’t measure billboards” is an outdated objection. With an account-based approach you can measure:

Engagement from targeted accounts – website visits and interactions from the companies in your campaign, compared with similar accounts that weren’t targeted.
Pipeline influence – new opportunities, meetings and deal progression among targeted accounts.
Direct responses – visits via campaign URLs or QR codes, and inbound messages that reference the campaign.
Sales feedback – conversations where prospects mention the campaign.

Connect these signals to your CRM so sales can follow up while the campaign is live.

A typical campaign

A software company entering a new country might start with its 200 most important target accounts in one city. Billboards are placed near the business districts where those accounts cluster, digital screens at the stations their employees use, and a billboard truck covers the remaining offices. Sales follows up with the accounts that show engagement during the campaign.

Next step

Hoolty helps you with each step – from uploading your account list to selecting locations and measuring results. Explore account-based offline advertising or book a call.