A bill poster is someone who installs promotional materials in locations such as billboards, advertising walls, community bulletin boards, and so forth. The purpose of this work is to deliver advertising to the public so that members of the public can be made aware of events, products, and services. Bill posting is a very old profession, as people have been advertising with posters and notices for a very long time.
At the most simple level, a bill poster puts up posters, notices, and advertisements. Bill posters can work with advertising walls which have large posters plastered on with the assistance of special glues, or they can use media like phone poles and bulletin boards to staple or otherwise attach fliers and notices. People doing advertising on this level sometimes post their own bills, but it is possible to hire a bill poster to do the work.
For larger scale projects like billboards, special training is required, especially in the case of mechanized and computerized billboards. The bill poster needs to know how to install the advertising properly and safely, and must be comfortable working at height. Bill posters can be on the staff of an advertising and billboard maintenance agency which leases out boards it owns or controls, or they can work independently and be hired on a contract basis for different jobs.
In addition to posting advertising, a bill poster can also be involved in maintenance. This includes replacing bills which are stolen or vandalized, making sure that advertising stays on top and is not covered by other ads, cleaning billboards, and so forth.
No special educational requirements are needed to become an advertising installer, but people do need to receive training in how to install advertising efficiently, safely, and properly. Sometimes this requires getting to know a community to learn about the spots where advertising can be placed, and sometimes it requires apprenticing with billboard installers and related professionals to learn about how to install large-scale advertising.
People who work as bill posters must be reasonably physically fit and willing to be outdoors a great deal. They may have to deal with inclement weather such as wind and extreme cold. They also have to be familiar with laws and conventions about advertising in the areas where they work. If bills are posted illegally, the company which ordered the advertising may be liable for fines, and the bill poster may be held responsible as well.
