Making your vehicle into a moving advertisement (for your business) is an excellent way to gain new customers.
It’s a marketing method that’s economical, incredibly easy to customize, and it’s a great long-term investment. Before you implement this strategy, you should know the positive and negative aspects of advertising your business with your vehicle.
It’s not just a matter of slapping your logo on your car. Read on to discover the choices you have and the pros and cons of it all.
Advertising Options
There are a few choices you have when you decide to use your vehicle to advertise your business. They are decals, magnets, and wraps.
Marketing your business is key if you want to be successful. An economical way to advertise is by using custom decals for your car. You can personalize it with your company’s logo, name, color, and other pertinent information. If you want to use decals, they do well on your car’s windows. However, they can also be used on trunks, rear doors, and bumpers.
When installed correctly and is well taken care of, window decals can last three or more years. This is an excellent way to keep the name of your business at the forefront of the customer’s mind. If you run an auto dealership or other type of business and require custom decals, look at, MBR Marketing at: https://mbrmarketing.com/dealer-identification/custom-decals.
Magnets are usually affixed to your car doors, although they can be used on other areas of the vehicle too. What’s good about using this option is that you can remove the magnets if you need to be incognito some days. That way, your car can be used both professionally and personally (if need be). Both magnets and decals cost less than it would to use wraps.
As the name suggests, wraps (made from vinyl) wrap around the whole vehicle. It costs more money and is a long-term option. They typically last around three to five years (on average), so it’s difficult (and expensive) to remove them prematurely. If you use vinyl wrap and take fantastic care of it can even last past the five-year mark.
Regardless of your choice (decals, magnets, or vinyl wraps), try and use simple text and visuals that pop. You want everything, including your logo, to be bold yet reflective of your business. You want something that will grab attention but not be a nuisance to the other drivers on the road.Another tip would be to showcase phone numbers and emails that are shorter and easier to read.
The Positives of Advertising with Your Vehicle
Whenever there is marketing and promotion involved, there is always a cost associated with it. Your budget will hinge on what methods you choose to advertise your business with. Using your vehicle as a billboard on wheels is a one-time, cost-effective option. Wrapped cars, per driven mile, receive around six hundred to one thousand impressions.
If you are driving your decked-out vehicle on a bustling road or in a bigger city, the number of impressions can be higher than that. The people who see your brand (on the road) might not be the perfect match or target customer, but you can’t deny how great the price-to-exposure ratio will be for you.
You don’t need to purchase another vehicle if you don’t want to. Remember, you have three main choices to pick from when it comes to the advertising on your car. As stated previously, the magnet kind is removable. Then again, some people like having a different car to use for business. It’s whatever works best for you.
In the United States, depending on where you live, you might have to re-register your vehicle as a “commercial vehicle.” This option is an additional way to avoid purchasing a new (and separate) car. If you do want another vehicle specifically for your business, think about getting a pre-owned, fuel-efficient one.
Even in your personal life, driving a car that has your contact information can have people paying attention to your business. You could be getting groceries and garnering potential new customers simultaneously. At the very least, there would be more traffic directed to your website as well as additional phone calls and emails from curious buyers.
An excellent candidate for this would be a real estate agent. They travel to all sorts of places to have home viewings. It would be beneficial to advertise their business even when they are not on the clock.
The Negatives of Advertising with Your Vehicle
Some states make it against the law to use your vehicle to advertise things. You don’t want any unnecessary tickets and fees to pay. So, some research will need to be done on your part. Start by looking into your state’s laws as well as your local city laws.
This can be done online or in person at your local police station or DMV. They will tell you about any vehicle regulations. If you did re-register your car to advertise your company, you might have to get another insurance policy (for business) as well. Also, if the area you live in has a Homeowners Association, you’ll need to check to see if your vehicle (covered in advertisements) is allowed to be out in plain view.
This could pertain to your street or driveway. You don’t want the hassle of having your vehicle towed because you broke the rules. If you require further legal help, talk to a lawyer.
If your vehicle is used for both your personal and professional life, you need to be painfully aware of your surroundings. After all, you are representing your brand and business when you are in public. How is your driving?
You don’t want any road rage incidents or other negative things to happen while out in the world. This will greatly affect your moving marketing campaign. How does your car look? Keep it clean, organized, and well-maintained. First reactions or impressions matter when it comes to possible consumers.
Will it make your clients, friends, or family embarrassed? This could be due to the fact of what category your business falls under. Will they be uncomfortable if your vehicle (wrapped in advertisements) is parked in front of their home or workplace? The simple solution is to ask your people if they are okay with it. It’s vital to always protect your clients, friends, and family’s privacy.
In Conclusion
Is it a benefit to use your vehicle to advertise your business? There is some money you need to pay upfront, but it’s a fixed price. There will barely be any maintenance, except for the usual things you do for any vehicle. The only other time there will be a bigger cost is when you need to replace the old advertising with the new and or updated contact information.
The consistent viewing of the car’s advertisements is a useful way to garner new clients. Your return on investment (ROI) will likely increase the more you are driving or parked in a target area for your perfect clients.
The same marketing strategy will not work for all businesses. It needs to be tailor-made to your brand. Don’t be afraid to expand your marketing methods and use different ways to advertise and promote.
Along with other strategies, using your vehicle to advertise your company will raise awareness with people (wherever you drive). When it comes down to it, it’s a pretty easy decision to add advertising (with your vehicle) to your marketing repertoire.
