How to Advertise on Buses in 5 Short Steps

Bus advertising has grown in popularity over the past few years. As its popularity has increased, new advertisers have begun to explore this medium to include in their marketing plan. Watch a short video or read this brief article to find out how to advertise on city buses in five short steps.

1. Select the Cities

Bus advertising is available is almost in every city that has a bus system. And most cities across the country have a bus system. Bus ads are available in large, medium and small size cities. Large cities include Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Medium size cities include Omaha, Jacksonville and Ft Lauderdale. And small size cities include Santa Monica, Yuma and Tulsa.

2. Pick the Bus Ad Formats

Various formats are available for bus advertising. On the exterior of the buses, the available formats are "kings", "queens", "tails" and larger formats like full wraps. On the interior of the buses, the available formats include interior car cards and michelangelos.

3. Calculate a Budget

This is one of the most important steps, because it will determine the ad formats. Marketing experts generally recommend to allocate about 10% of a company's total annual revenue to advertising. Of that amount, dedicate about 30% to outdoor advertising, of which 40% should go to bus advertising. Although each organization's budget will be different, it's important to realize that a certain amount is suggested to see results. For larger cities, the recommended minimum spend amount is $10,000 per month; for medium-size cities, the recommended minimum budget is $5,000 per month; and for smaller cities, the recommended minimum budget is $2,500 per month.

4. Choose a Start Date and Advertising Duration

Pick a start date that starts right before the lauch of a new product or service and/or coincides with the beginning of other advertising formats (e.g., radio ads). It's always good to book the bus ad space early because space tends to sell out. The third and fourth quarters usually sell out the fastest, while the first and second quarters are generally more available.

Remember to also choose an advertising duration. The mininum duration is 4 weeks, while the recommended duration is 12 weeks. The recommended duration has been proven to show better results for most advertisers.

5. Contact a Bus Ads Company for a Free Quote and Availability

Congratulations on completing the first four steps. The final step is to contact a bus advertising company to get a quote and check on availability. Companies like Blue Line Media will be able to deliver the bus advertising space, production and installation in cities across the country.

To start advertising on buses with Blue Line Media, click here to see all cities, ad formats and rates.