Here’s a practical, end-to-end playbook for planning, buying and running digital billboard (DOOH) campaigns on your own — from strategy and creative to delivery, optimization and measurement.

Quick overview

• Define objective first (awareness, store visits, app installs, event attendance).
• Choose locations that match your audience and objective.
• Decide buy method: direct (network/operator) or programmatic (marketplace/RTB).
• Build short, high-impact creative optimized for outdoor viewing.
• Schedule, run, measure and iterate using impressions, visitation and business KPIs.

Step-by-step guide

1. Set clear objectives and KPIs

• Objective examples: Brand awareness, foot traffic, store visits, website visits, conversions.
• KPIs: Reach (unique viewers), Impressions, CPM/CPT, Visits (mobile/footfall), Sales lift, CTR for QR/URL, Promo redemptions.

2. Audience & location research

• Map your target audience (demographics, commute patterns, purchase zones).
• Prioritize high-visibility sites: highways for mass reach, retail corridors for visits, transit hubs for commuters.
• Consider daypart (morning commute vs evening). Match message to when audience is present.

3. Choose buying approach

• Direct buy: Contact local operators or venue owners. Good for guaranteed placements and known inventory.
• Programmatic DOOH: Use marketplaces for flexible targeting, real-time scheduling, and often lower minimums.
• Hybrid: Reserve cornerstone sites directly, supplement with programmatic for reach or geo-targeting.

4. Negotiate & confirm technical specs

• Ask the operator for the site’s:
  • Pixel dimensions (often 16:9 1920x1080, sometimes 4K — always confirm).
  • Supported file types (MP4 H.264/H.265, MOV, JPEG for static).
  • Max file size, frame rate, loop length, and max duration per creative.
  • Day/night brightness rules, safe zones (margins), and required bleed.
• Confirm reporting cadence and what delivery logs they provide (impressions, play counts).

5. Creative that works outdoors

• Keep it simple: 3–6 second message windows, single strong message, big readable type.
• Visual hierarchy: brand → core benefit → CTA (if needed). Use large fonts and high contrast.
• Motion: subtle animation performs better than fast cuts. Avoid flicker/rapid strobe.
• CTAs for measurement: short vanity URL, QR code, promo code, unique phone number.
• Produce multiple cuts: static image, 6–8s video, 10–15s version (depending on inventory).

6. Scheduling & frequency

• Frequency: aim for 2–6 exposures per week per person for awareness; higher for conversion.
• Dayparting: schedule creative to match user context (commuter creative AM/PM, retail during shopping hours).
• Rotation: rotate creatives to avoid wear-out; test 2–3 creative variants.

7. Measurement & attribution

• Baseline: capture pre-campaign footfall/sales to measure lift.
• Direct methods:
  • Unique promo codes, short URLs, QR codes, or dedicated landing pages (UTM-tagged).
  • Call tracking with unique numbers.
• Indirect methods:
  • Mobile location data (visitation attribution) and third-party footfall vendors.
  • Store-level sales comparison (test vs control markets).
  • Brand lift surveys.
• Track these KPIs: impressions/plays, reach, estimated CPM, visits, conversions, sales lift, ROI.
• Expect DOOH attribution to be blended — combine multiple signals for best confidence.

8. Operations & delivery checklist

• Approve delivery schedule and insertion orders (IOs) in writing.
• Confirm creative delivery deadlines, content acceptance testing.
• Get play logs, start/end dates, and proof-of-play / screenshots where possible.
• Make backups in the operator’s required format and confirm fallback content.

9. Legal & compliance

• Local permitting: check municipal rules for signage.
• Content restrictions: no obscene content, follow advertising standards and transit/road safety rules.
• Safety: avoid excessive flashing that could trigger seizures; follow operator flashing/strobe rules.
• Privacy: if using mobile location data, ensure vendors follow privacy laws (GDPR/CCPA-compliant methods as applicable).

10. Optimization & learning

• Monitor play logs and early visitation/sales signals.
• Pause underperforming creatives or sites and reallocate spend to better performers.
• Run A/B tests by site, daypart, creative, or CTA.
• After campaign, do a post-mortem: what worked, control vs exposed area lift, creative learnings, measurement gaps.

Budgeting & pacing example (simple)

• Small/local campaign (2–6 sites for 2–4 weeks): $2,000–$15,000 depending on site and dayparts.
• Medium (city-wide, 10–50 sites for 4 weeks): $20k–$150k.
• Large (regional/national, programmatic + direct): $150k+.
• Reserve 10–20% for creative production and 10% for measurement/third-party analytics.

Reporting template (what to include)

• Campaign summary: objective, dates, sites.
• Delivery: impressions/plays, reach (if provided), average frequency.
• Engagement/response: visits, QR scans, URL clicks, calls, promo redemptions.
• Business impact: sales lift, ROI.
• Learnings & next steps.

Daily/weekly operational checklist

• Daily: confirm creatives are playing, check error logs/screenshots for any failures, confirm live start.
• Weekly: review delivery reports, early KPI trends, and pacing vs plan.
• End of campaign: collect all proof-of-play, compile measurement, and run post-analysis.

Tools & vendor types to use (by function)

• Inventory/marketplaces: programmatic DOOH exchanges and local network portals.
• Content management: operators’ CMS or third-party DOOH CMS to upload and schedule creatives.
• Ad servers & reporting: for tracking play logs and aggregating impressions.
• Measurement vendors: mobile location/footfall analytics, sales attribution platforms, brand-lift survey providers.
• Creative tools: motion designers familiar with OOH specs; simple tools can create MP4s that meet operator specs.

Common pitfalls and tips

• Pitfall: Overloading copy. Tip: one idea per creative.
• Pitfall: Not confirming specs early. Tip: get exact pixel and file requirements before designing.
• Pitfall: Expecting direct immediate clicks. Tip: use offline-measurement tactics (visits, promo codes) and plan for lagged effects.
• Tip: Use unique codes or landing pages per market/site to isolate performance.
• Tip: Start with a test market or a short flight to validate creative and measurement before scaling.

Final quick 10-step checklist

1. Define objective & budget.
2. Map target audience and priority locations.
3. Choose buy method (direct vs programmatic).
4. Get exact technical specs for chosen sites.
5. Build short, high-contrast creatives with measurement CTAs.
6. Set schedule and frequency targets (dayparts).
7. Contract & confirm IOs with proof-of-play terms.
8. Launch and verify creatives are playing.
9. Monitor delivery and early metrics; optimize.
10. Do post-campaign attribution and lessons learned.

If you want, I can:

• Draft a one-page creative brief template you can use with designers.
• Build a sample media-buy checklist or an insertion order template.
• Help design a simple A/B test plan or measurement plan tied to the KPI you choose.

Which of those would be most useful next?