2/22/2024
So you’ve just recently purchased a company vehicle to assist your business in making deliveries, sales or service calls. Fresh off the lot, your new car might have a shiny new paint job – but there’s nothing to distinguish it as belonging to your business. That’s where vehicle graphics come in!
What can vehicle graphics do for my business?
Studies have shown that vehicle graphics, such as wraps and decals, are among the most cost-effective outdoor marketing mediums available. They deliver a better value on a cost-per-thousand impressions basis than television, magazines, newspapers or radio! In fact, according to 3M, fleet graphics can cost as little as just 15 cents per thousand impressions, compared to online ads which can cost up to $21 per thousand impressions.
The same studies showed that vehicle advertising can generate between 30,000-70,000 impressions daily. To do some quick math, that adds up to millions of impressions every year!
But there’s a lot of options available to you when it comes to vehicle and fleet graphics. How do you know what’s going to be best for you and your business?
Vehicle Lettering
Vinyl lettering is one of the simpler and more economical choices. These can be applied to your company car, truck, trailer or van. They are great to use when your vehicles are not the primary promotional medium for your business, but instead are a useful complement to other methods.
Most businesses will use vehicle lettering to spell out their company name and slogan, alongside other key information such as their address, phone number and website, or identifiers such as DOT numbers. Lettering can be placed anywhere on a vehicle but is best for small, flat surfaces such as doors, windows and tailgates.
A big upside to using vehicle lettering is the relatively low cost of entry, in addition to how fast they can be installed. However, they do not carry the same kind of visibility as other vehicle graphic options, as they are often limited to just one color. Used on their own, vinyl letters are best for conveying a limited amount of information in a small space.
Vinyl Decals
Often used in tandem with lettering, decals are custom-designed and made to order, and are most frequently used to recreate a company logo. There are other uses for decals, though – some business owners will use them to call attention to the nature of their business. For instance, a florist may add decals of flowers on their delivery vehicles, or a restaurant may feature images of specific dishes in addition to their logo.
Using decals alongside vinyl lettering is an easy, cost-effective way to create a more interesting look for your vehicle without going all-out on a wrap. However, they still do not have the same kind of big visual impact of a wrap and aren’t good for when you need to showcase detailed photos of your products.
Partial Vehicle Wraps
These wraps are the next step up from lettering and decals in terms of visual impact. These vinyl graphics cover part of your vehicle with a promotional or informational message and are often used by businesses that use their company vehicles extensively for sales, service or delivery calls.
In the case of partial wraps, most businesses use them to cover the sides, the front or the back of their car, truck, van or trailer. Vinyl is printed with your design, which frequently will feature your logo, company name, phone number and website alongside additional graphics to enhance the look of your vehicle.
A benefit to using a partial wrap in lieu of a full wrap is the cost savings – less area to cover generally means less of your budget to spend. In addition, when used alongside well-placed decals and lettering, you can achieve a “fully wrapped” look for your vehicle without actually fully wrapping it.
Full vehicle wraps
As the name implies, these deliver a full, maximum visual impact for your vehicle! These custom vinyl graphics cover your entire vehicle and may even extend to the roof and bumpers. Full wraps are often the prime promotional choice of businesses whose trucks and vans are their leading option for promotions. For example, it’s not uncommon to see entire fleets of delivery trucks, cleaning vans and more attired in full wraps.
Some companies even take things a step further and add designs to the windows, too! This is done through perforated vinyl that allows those inside to see out.
A full vinyl wrap is going to have by far the biggest visual impact for your business, allowing you to showcase custom designs or photographs alongside the most important information about your company. However, full wraps are also going to eat more of your budget than other options.
Ready to get started on vehicle graphics for your company? Accelerate your marketing efforts with help from Image360 – contact us for a free consultation!
