SHOULD I VINYL WRAP MY COMPANY VEHICLE?
Vinyl wrap on a company vehicle is a form of mobile advertising. Usually, businesses add it to their trucks or van fleet to turn heads when driving between jobs, and parked throughout the cities they service. Vinyl wrapping can be a great way to inspire new customer interactions. In this post, we'll discuss the pros and cons of vinyl wrapping your company vehicles and some alternatives available to home service businesses.
Pro: Vinyl wrapping a vehicle provides a high return on investment (ROI) for most home service businesses
For hyperlocal businesses, meaning you rely on your local community to be consumers at your business, a car wrap is a mobile billboard for your business. Depending on the area you service, it can be high-ROI and low cost per impression for heavily trafficked areas. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association, the cost per thousand impressions (or CPM) of a car wrap is close to $.77, while additional research states that it might even have a CPM of less than 50 cents.
So does CPM mean much in the long run? For a local business, it does. Studies show that 98% of people surveyed found that graphics on a vehicle created a positive image of that company, and nearly 30% of people said they would purchase from that company based on seeing that ad.
Con: You get what you pay for with vinyl wrap
It's relatively easy to start a vinyl wrapping business, so if you see an incredible deal on wrapping your vehicle, maybe think twice before purchasing. Shoddy design, poor quality, or application can ruin the image of your brand. Expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000 per vehicle for a full wrap.
Pro: Vinyl wrapping can be changed often and protects your car from the elements
You may not want to change your vinyl wrapping often, but if you offer seasonal specials or want to change up your company vehicles look each year. You can. Not everyone wants to pay a few thousand dollars every time they want to run a new ad or change their business promotion. But, seeing that the price per impression is excellent and tracking is relatively easy, adding and removing vinyl wrap can be done more often than you might think.
Con: Changing vinyl wraps can be tedious
This is the caveat to changing your vehicle wrap often. Getting a new tracking number or choosing new print or specials requires some effort and focus. Also, when you get the car wrap, it will have to be off the road for at least a day to get wrapped and could be more depending on the size of the vehicle and the intricacy of the wrap.
Better to keep the one theme going for a while, for both cost-effectiveness and branding power.
Pro & Con: Like any advertising form, vinyl cannot take the place of online presence, reputation, or customer service. We’ll do our part. Call us.
As a smart business owner, you know that you can get your trucks or vans wrapped, but exceptional service to your customers is still the priority.
Keep in mind that 80% of people will look up your business online before calling you, so even if the calls are coming in, your online presence, reviews, and reputation for service will be the gatekeeper to your success, or a blockade if they are weak or limited.
The business still needs to close the deal even when potential customers find you from a vinyl wrap. Also, to add, diversifying your advertising portfolio will allow you to have several channels of new customers coming in at all times, i.e., not relying on one method of advertising to provide all traffic for your business.
Alternatives to vehicle wraps
Promoting your business while on the road at a low cost is a great way to inspire potential customers to look up your business and connect with you. Vinyl wrapping your company vehicle and fleets isn't for everyone, whether it be the cost, or maybe you need your car for something other than business. Here are a few simple alternatives to have a similar impact:
Half-wrap your vehicle: Roughly half the cost, you can still promote your business.
Add your logo, phone number, website, and services to your vehicle's side: You don't need a full wrap to let people in on what you do and how to contact you. Usually, a much cheaper alternative, you could save thousands by just going simple. Keep in mind, the simpler, the less likely you are to turn heads. In some cases, that's fine, but know that you likely won't be getting as many impressions with a simpler vehicle statement.
Get a removable magnet with your business info and logo: For part-time business owners, or those that only want to showcase their business offerings some of the time, you can buy a custom business card magnet for less than $100. Please note, they may be cheaper, but they also say part-time to people, so if you have a full-fledged business, it may be wiser to go with a more permanent solution.
Forego the wrap: Your business is about your service, reviews, and things are done right, people don't buy from seeing a wrap, they buy from a great company no matter how they found you.
Trying to get in front of your target audience is part of calling yourself a small business owner. If you decide to get a business vehicle wrap, make sure to choose a consistent design that fits your needs and your business's brand. Use a professional company to design your wrap and a professional printing company to print the vinyl covering, and lastly, an expert to install it.
Now, we can confidently say, you have a winning strategy for vehicle wrap success. Whether you do full-wrap, half-wrap, or no-wrap, the decision is up to you!
Green Thumb Local is a powerful online advertising and brand management for your local business. If you want a fully-customized web-presence without the hassle, call 480-360-0101 today! We offer a no-contract free trial.
