HighRoad Advertising Takes Plunge Into the World of Digital

As the Digital Out of Home industry has grown, so has interest from outside entities. At this point, there is not “typical” digital billboard owner anymore. We’ve seen insurance agencies, small business owners and straight-up entrepreneurs get into the industry and we love it. This market works for anyone who is willing to put in the work and the results are overwhelmingly positive.

Paul Shorma, owner of HighRoad Advertising, LLC., is an example who was interested in the world of Out of Home and decided to take the plunge. Now that he is up and running, we asked Paul about his experience and what his advice is for those starting this journey.

Q: You have a background in the restaurant industry and sales, how did you decide to enter into the Out of Home industry and purchase a digital billboard?

Paul: I’ve always had an internal draw to billboards. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when we had acquired a property along a busy highway that my internal draw said, “Hey, we have a good spot here, let’s look into this!” After plenty of research, and having a techy background, I knew the clear choice was to go digital.

Q: What is something you wish you had known when starting on the journey to purchase and install a digital advertising display?

Paul: I wish there would have been a guide, because the amount of preparation it took to make this happen was a bit more than what I was expecting. But thanks to the incredible team at Daktronics, the process was not quite as stressful as it could have been.

Q: From your perspective, what are the most important factors to look at when deciding what manufacturer to purchase from?

Paul: Customer service and quality. In my research, I found that Daktronics was the way to go.

Q: Can you explain the permitting process and how that went for you, what should others know to be successful?

Paul: For me, this was the most stressful part. It was about a year and a half long process of research, meetings, votes, more meetings etc. I would like to express a heartfelt THANK YOU to the Daktronics team for helping answer questions from both myself and local government officials. The knowledge the team brought was priceless.

Q: You sold 1/3 of your ad space before the display went up, what has your experience been like selling ad space on digital?

Paul: The advertisers I had on the display from the get go were all very excited. Most understood the value I could bring to them. The ability to change ads on the fly, or run multiple ads in the rotation was by far the most influential for them. I feel, and has already been proven in the 2 weeks we have been live, more and more local businesses will see they can now afford to branch into billboard advertising.

The Ad Sales presentation from Daktronics was definitely helpful to better understand and refresh my knowledge of the topic.

Q: Have you gotten any questions or compliments on your new display

A: A lot of questions. Mostly, “How do I get up there?” and What are your pricing options?” I am also getting praise back from advertisers telling me how it has already been landing them new clients.

Q: If you could sum it up, what was the sales to installation process like with Daktronics?

A: One simple phrase, “Top Notch!”

Q: If you were to recommend Daktronics to a friend or colleague, what would you tell them to expect?

A: It would probably go as such:

Me: “Just use Daktronics”

Them: “Why?”

Me: “Because I plan on using them again!”