The Life of an OOH Contract

By: Lauren Benson, Traffic Manager

Fun fact, I started my out-of-home career in sales. I sold advertising in airports across the country and while I enjoyed many aspects of the role, I just knew that I wasn’t a true saleswoman. However, one of the interesting things that I remember learning while in sales, was what we called “The Life of a Contract”. Essentially, it’s the entire sales process from the very beginning to the very end of your campaign.

Keystone Outdoor strives to make the buying process as effortless as possible for our clients. We work hard to make our clients feel comfortable and involved (as much as they want to be). I thought it might be fun to give some insights and some behind the scenes of what happens after the contract is officially signed.

Congratulations! You just signed a contract for out-of-home advertising with Keystone Outdoor. You made a great decision, and we are excited to partner with you and get your ad posted for thousands and thousands to see! So, what happens next?

• The contract gets processed through our billing department and our Contracts & Billing Manager, Donna Lockwood, sets you up in our system. Invoices get lined up and the counter-signed contract comes back your way. We’re official now. (Like, we should even make it Facebook official.)

Now, the contract comes to me! I am the Traffic Manager (people call me “Traffic”) and I am the one who schedules your contract and hangs with you from your campaign’s start to finish.

• If you bought digital bulletins, I create your campaign in our digital publishing system.This is where I eventually add your artwork and where it is published to our digital billboard screens.
• If you bought a static board, I add you to our schedule for posting. We have installers that are assigned to each board, so I make sure you are on the right schedule and those installers get up to your billboard and get that beautiful ad posted!

While all of this is taking place, I will always be in constant communication with you, so you know what’s happening. Some clients send us vinyls directly or have creative files ready to go and others have us print vinyls for them and help with creating the design. I’ve got your back either way. Our whole team has your back! We’ll work through deadlines together and any other questions you may have along the way. If you need help with artwork, we have an artist on hand who can create a design based off your instructions, elements, and ideas!

(Just a note, – your sales rep is always copied on our communication, so they’ve got your back, too!)

It’s happening. We have reached your campaign start date! As the billboard(s) begin to post or the digital campaign(s) start, I will send you posting notifications, including photos, so you know that your campaign is LIVE for the world to see!

As the weeks pass, if you have any copy changes you wish to schedule, please reach out to our team to coordinate! You will also be hearing from us closer to the end date of your campaign to talk about renewing and possible future plans.

Now, your billboard campaign is complete! I will send a report to you that includes the metrics for your campaign. We’ll talk through any other questions you may have and get you set up for your next round of OOH!

There you have it – the life of an OOH contract. We hope to create a long-lasting partnership with all of our clients and hope to have many lifetimes of contracts with you! Hopefully my insight has given you an idea of what to expect when a contract is signed and will help you find that pen a little quicker (wink wink).

As always, we look forward to working with you, and if there are any questions along the way, we are happy to assist!