With jobs scarce and the New Economy tightening its noose around the necks of small business owners, it’s fiscally prudent to cut costs and overhead. The natural inclination may be to cut the advertising budget, as it is one of the largest overheads and may appear to have little impact on the business model. This is exactly the wrong approach! Now is the time to advertise to capture market share and gain awareness at the top of mind. The best value for the advertising dollar, especially for a small business owner, is on company vehicles.

To make a declaration:

Gone are the days of a rectangular magnet attached to a car or truck door. So are the vinyl letters that clearly display the company name and phone number. To get noticed today, business owners need to think bold and out loud. Marketing it’s about getting noticed. Marketing boost business. Marketing makes the phone ring and the cash register ring. Make the most of the ad space you’ve already purchased.

Modern technology has evolved in such a way that almost anything you or your graphic designer can conceive of can cover your vehicles. Think of your vehicles as moving billboards. Of the six basic vehicle sides, potential customers will see all but the undercarriage when their vehicles are traveling around town; so make a dramatic impact on all five visible sides with lots of color to paint a mental picture of the quality work your company does.

Unless you’re professionally trained and have the experience to back it up, don’t try this at home! Even an average graphic designer can take your best ideas and blow them up. The human mind tends to think linearly and symmetrically; however, he is attracted to what he is not. Just as you have spent years perfecting your craft; so has the graphic designer. They have learned to place images ‘out of place’ and to use both dimensions (sometimes with the appearance of using the third dimension) to capture the scattered attention of passers-by.

The true sign of success is when the kids in the car next to you yell “mommy, mommy” and point the way.

The Value Equation:

Vehicle advertising is much more affordable than it was five years ago. Although computer technology and design software have been available for many years, printing presses did not catch up until recently. Most vehicles can now be fully wrapped for a total price of less than $4,000 (including design, printing and application), compared to $7,000 just a decade ago when they needed to be hand painted. In many cases, once your design file is saved electronically, the cost of additional vehicles is significantly reduced, as designs only need to be modified to fit various vehicle makes and models. (NOTE: Be sure to receive a copy of the electronic design file prior to paying for the job to ease any necessary transitions if your current supplier does not survive the financial fallout.)

Interestingly, price is determined not so much by square footage as by labor to trim curves, latches, windows, etc., a concept that may seem counterintuitive to normal business people. So a big box truck with 8′ x 12′ sides and an 8′ x 8′ tailgate can usually be wrapped for less than an SUV or even a typical passenger car due to the labor demands of construction site.

Comparing shopping vehicle advertising to other marketing mediums makes it clear that this is hands down the best value for your hard earned money to spread the word about your business. When you consider that most company vehicles will be used by the company for at least six years, there’s really no other marketing that comes close when you compare the options side by side and adjust for the longevity of the medium.

Lead Generation Vs. Awareness:

Advertising falls into two general categories. leading generation they are those types of advertising media that entice potential buyers to inquire about your company’s products or services. Classic examples of lead generation are: direct mail, telemarketing, phone book, and trade show booths. These lead-producing outlets are best served with call-to-action-oriented messaging, such as “call now” or “only available for the next 3 days.”

Awareness The media are sources that help to help the public remember your name. These are sources geared towards image enhancement, reputation building and priority. The traditional means of Awareness are: billboards, websites and wall calendars. Of course, with any black and white there is a grey; therefore, some media have qualities of each that can be improved based on the specific message. Radio and TV can either be lead generation or recognition, depending on the content of the particular ad.

Unsurprisingly, vehicle advertising doesn’t often make the phone ring. Build awareness of your brand. This is problematic for some owners, as the only real way to know if the awareness campaign is working is with detailed before and after marketing studies, which most won’t do. So it all comes down to marketing faith. It’s easy to prove that awareness campaigns work in general: mention the first fast food chain and the first soft drink that comes to mind. If you said McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, you join the more than seventy percent of Americans who have been courted by those companies’ awareness campaigns (actually, no matter what your answer to the above question is, some company has). courted).

When a potential buyer has been swayed by a strong awareness campaign, they may not remember your company name or product brand when trying to decide. However, when they open the phone book, browse the Internet or walk by your store, they will say to themselves “these people are good, I’ll call them”. By doing so, the consumer may not openly realize that he thought of it because of his awareness campaign, but it will give him the opportunity to earn your business.

Awareness advertising drives future business and growth. As business owners, we are in a unique position to fill the streets with our logos and what we do or sell. Don’t be afraid to scream from the top of the highest mountain through your fleet of vehicles. You have an untapped variety of moving billboards at your beck and call – use them.