A Twist on Custom Car Covers - Vehicle Wraps

Porsche 911 Covered in Matte Black Wrap – Image credit: Flickr / Stephen Hennessey Written By John Linden

Successful business owners know they can’t rely solely on any single form of marketing. One unique approach to advertising, custom car wraps,just might be the thing your company needs to generate new leads. Vehicle wraps aren’t usually what comes to mind when thinking about outdoor car covers, but truck and car advertising is a growing trend that might be worth consideration. This unique form of promotion adds a digitally printed mobile billboard to the outside of your vehicle—making it a great marketing solution for businesses of any size.

Reach Even More People

According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), vehicle marketing has the power to reach 95 percent of American drivers and passengers. Just think about being stopped behind a vehicle with an eye-catching display advertisement—you will probably be more likely to notice that vehicle before you’d notice a billboard ad while cruising 70 miles per hour down the freeway.

One vehicle wrap can generate anywhere between 30,000 and 70,000 impressions daily! Plus, car wraps are less expensive than traditional billboards and they have the power to reach even more people. What’s not to love about them?

Truck Covered with advertising Image credit: Flickr / Clifford Smith

Boost Brand Recognition

Vehicle wraps and fleet vehicle advertising increases brand recognition 15 times more than any other form of promotion you may choose.

Think about it: Billboards are static advertisements that can only reach the consumers who pass by them, but mobile advertisements can go wherever your target audience may be. With billboards, customers need to come to you—but vehicle wraps allow you to go to your target audience.

BMW Covered withSponsorship Image Credit Flickr / Matt Czarnocki

Generate a Greater Return on Investment

Mobile advertising can become a company’s most efficient form of out-of-home advertising, with the potential to reach more clients at a lower rate per impression.

According to QuickBooks, car wraps cost less and reach more people—depending on how often and where the vehicle is driven. Additionally, the design of the wrap also comes into play.

Vehicle wraps generally cost around four cents per thousand impressions or $44 per million impressions, compared to around $3.56 per thousand impressions for other outdoor signs.While newspaper ads can cost as much as $19.70 per thousand impressions, car wraps cost much less.

Mercedes Benz Covered in Metallic Image credit Flickr / Concavo Wheels

Target Your Offline Customers

Silverado Covered in Advertising
Image credit: Flickr / Clifford Smith

Thanks to the growth of the Internet and social media, companies can reach more and more people through online advertising. But according to the OAAA, consumers between the ages of 18 to 64 spend more time viewing out-of-home media (such as vehicle advertisements) than any other form of advertising, except for television. If you only advertise your products and services online and through social media, you may miss out on reaching some of your most important consumers.

Vehicle wraps and mobile ads can reach the approximately 13 percent of U.S. adults who do not use the Internet or social media. Statistically speaking, your products and services can still benefit the 41 percent of U.S. senior citizens who do not use the Internet, and the 1 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds who do not use the Internet or social media. Not everyone uses the Internet, but nearly everyone can be found out on the road, whether as a driver or a passenger.

Unique and Memorable Advertisements

Ford Covered in Monster Graphics
Image Credit: Flickr / Joe C

Not only can outdoor advertisements generate instant results, but they’re also eye-catching, memorable, and unique compared to many other forms of advertising. Wraps attract the attention of other drivers or passengers through bright, vibrant colors and unique designs that look like nothing else on the road. While many vehicles on the road are solid colors—your vehicle advertisement will stand out and catch the eye of other drivers and passengers.

It is important to remember that companies should use the most effective colors depending on the products and services and they offer, and dependent on who their target audience is.

The Houston Chronicle explains that blue, red and yellow are effective colors for products and services that involve children, and that red helps to express danger or excitement. Additionally, yellow expresses happiness and orange conveys a sense of warmness and vibrancy. A combination of red and yellow is attention-grabbing and evokes hunger, making it a great option for food services.

Calculate Your Return on Investment

Hyundai Covered in Custom Graphics
Image credit: Flickr / Michael Gil

While it may be difficult to track the average return on investment that companies generate from using custom vehicle wraps, businesses can effectively measure their results if they implement a few important strategies into their mobile marketing plan.

• Include a separate phone number on vehicle wraps that isn’t used anywhere else. This will help brands to keep track of the phone calls that come into this specific phone number.

• Advertise a special deal or discount on wrapped vehicles that isn’t advertised anywhere else. Then, track the phone calls that come in, regarding that specific advertisement.

• Create a simple website landing page and include that specific website URL on your car wrap. Then, track the leads that come in from that website URL.

Nine Steps to Increasing Your Vehicle Wrap ROI

Mazda Covered in Advertising
Image credit: Flickr / Clifford Smith

Now that you know more about the benefits to using custom car covers and vehicle wraps and how to calculate your return on investment—let’s talk about some of the ways that companies can increase their vehicle wrap ROI. For your vehicle wrap to be an effective marketing strategy, it can’t simply remain parked in your company garage. It needs to be seen!

• Step One:First, brands should take the time to figure out who and where their audience is and where they can find them. Drive through the neighborhoods of some of your best potential customers and give them the opportunity to record your company information without having to reach out to them directly.

• Step Two: Next, take your company vehicle to local or professional sporting events. You never know which potential customers could be lingering around the area, sports field, or parking lot and in need of your products and services.

• Step Three: Head to state fairs or city, town, and county fairs during the warmer months to scope out some of your target customers. Park your vehicle in the lot and stick around for a while—chances are, your audience will at least remember seeing your vehicle and will think to contact you later if the need arises.

• Step Four: Next, companies should take advantage of their local parades. You may need to pay a fee to sponsor or participate in the parade, but the return on investment will be well worth it. Plus, parades may become a fun and creative annual event that employees love participating in.

• Step Five: Reach even more people by heading to popular concert venues before or after a large concert to reach your target audience. For example, if your products or services are geared toward fans who may be involved in farming or a country lifestyle—consider heading to a Luke Bryan or other country concert. Additionally, companies will be more likely to reach older men and women if their company vehicle is seen at a Lynyrd Skynyrdor Bon Jovi concert.

• Step Six: Head to an amusement park during the spring and summer months to increase brand exposure with people of all ages. If you visit the park on a weekend or on one of the busiest days of the season, you’ll have the potential to reach even more people than usual.

Toyota Covered in Custom Wrap
Image credit Flickr / Concavo Wheels

• Step Seven: While many companies think to attend business conventions and conferences to exhibit or gain useful industry information, they don’t often think about the many benefits of driving a company vehicle to conventions and conferences. If you drive your wrapped vehicle to the convention, park it in the lot with other event attendees, and attend the actual conference, your ROI will be even greater than just attending the event alone.

• Step Eight: Nearly everyone loves animals—especially dogs. Take your branded vehicle to a popular pet expo, dog show, or dog training event to reach the people who may be interested in inquiring about your services. Your products don’t necessarily need to involve animals either—the important thing is that you show up and make an appearance.

• Step Nine: Lastly, take your company vehicle to professional plays and/or high school plays, which usually attracta large range of people.You never know who your advertisements will appeal to!

In comparison to other forms of advertising, vehicle marketing is inexpensive, eye-catching, and it generates results. If you’re actively taking your vehicle out into the public and putting it front and center for potential clients to see—you’ll be sure to generate new leads in no time at all.

If you’ve been hoping to increase sales and generate new business leads in very little time, vehicle wraps may be just what you need to grow your business efficiently and cost-effectively.