Forgive me, but I am trying to put a positive spin on some negative press Chicago received last year.
No doubt Chicagoland roads are bumper-to-bumper with folks like you and me darting around the city, running errands and getting to work.
OK, waiting on the positive about this? Between Cook County, the City of Chicago and countless suburbs, your potential customers are everywhere – commuting, driving, walking or looking out an office window.
There is a simple way to reach them while they change lanes or radio stations.
If you have ever considered a vehicle wrap but are still on the fender … oops, fence, here are some reasons to use them to promote your business.
1. One Step Ahead of Competition
Wraps magazine, a publication covering the vehicle wrap industry and trends, released their 2016 State of the Industry Report and 60 percent of the print shops polled “expect sales from wraps to increase in 2016 and beyond.” If you have time, it is an informative read.
Ken Mergentime is the executive editor of Wraps magazine and Sign & Digital Graphics magazine and has covered the digital graphics industry for close to twenty years. We connected with him for his take on where the medium is headed:
“The wraps industry got its start back in the 1990s, but as the popularity & acceptance of wraps has increased over the years, & better materials and installation techniques have come online, the segment has emerged as a potent growth-driven advertising medium.”
You could argue vehicle wraps have been around since the turn of the century when Hershey’s painted a motor vehicle to promote the brand. While businesses have used them to complement campaigns since then, the use of vehicle wraps has experienced more widespread adoption in the last 20 – 25 years.
Wraps Magazine is not the only publication taking note of vehicle wraps growth.
Printing Impressions Magazine has food service on their top 25 markets list for print marketing demand and vehicle wraps is there. Direct mail and packaging too. Big deal you may think? If it made the list chances are your competitors are at least thinking about installing a wrap. By the way, over 50% of small business owner’s still don’t have a website.
How many do you think have a vehicle wrap?
2. Wraps Simply Work
OK, we know what you’re thinking – industry growth and numbers are great – is it going to work for my business?
Great question and whenever possible, we like to include an objective, non-client voice in these articles (you can see what some Cushing clients had to say about the vehicle wraps we installed on the services page). For this blog, we spoke with John Wright, who owns a State Farm agency in Joliet and has been using car wraps to promote his company over eight years.
Why did you decide to wrap your vehicle?
It’s just great branding. I’ve switched out logos occasionally but overall, have not had to perform much maintenance. And I strategically park it when not driving to get more eyeballs on it, either at the office or a Jimmy Buffet concert!
How has it impacted your agency?
The wrap brings me new business and clients. I have actually seen people write down my phone number when they see the wrap. The wrap is a rolling, mobile billboard.
How does it play into your overall marketing efforts?
I believe it takes multiple touches & connections for people to remember your brand. The wrap is one of 4 – 5 marketing touches for me (for example I have a billboard and run radio advertising etc.)
3. Get on The Road – FAST!
The Cushing email newsletter is planned over the course of two months.
Between research, client or industry analysts interviews, scheduling photo sessions, the actual writing etc. – it takes time to put together content. The reward is great and email marketing is an effective way to connect with clients, just be prepared to put in the hours.
What’s my point?
If you have a new storefront, restaurant, retail shop, business or product (the list goes on and on) – a vehicle wrap could potentially be turned in 5 – 7 business days, creating immediate brand impressions for your business – while you are driving to work, running to the bank or during countless other errands.
And if you are thinking, I don’t know where to start – many pre-built wrap templates are available to choose from. A graphic designer could pull together a colorful design fast and you could have your vehicle wrapped in a week or so. Car wraps are a facet of your marketing plan that can come together quick with the right partners in place.
Plan accordingly and it should not take long to put the pedal to the metal.
4. Eyes On The Prize (Your Vehicle)
There are many potential customers out there.
I’m not advocating randomly driving around Chicago but using an amazing data tool provided by the city of Chicago, you can understand high volume traffic areas in the region, including the Loop, River North, Evanston or the ones you care about the most. Here are just a couple of examples (these are daily volume estimates):
- Cumberland & Higgins intersection in O’Hare neighborhood: 49,400
- LaSalle and Ontario intersection in River North: 39,000
- Michigan and Monroe intersection in the Loop: 46,500
You may end up changing your commute after seeing these!
With any data pull or campaign, you need to take numbers with a grain of salt. The City of Chicago lists this disclaimer on their website for anyone using the tool: The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk.
No matter how you slice the data, you have the potential to reach a number of customers.
By the way, we only point out one ad in the photo above. Do you see the other?*
5. Cost Effective
Every vehicle we wrap receives a custom quote from our team.
For the purposes of this blog we are using a Honda Coupe example pulled from Quora – so our ballpark estimate will be $2,500 – you can always email our quote team for an exact estimate, based upon your vehicle make, model, quantities etc.
Looking at the larger picture. In a region such as Chicago, you could end up generating 30,000 impressions a day or more.
What am I driving at? Could not resist this pun.
While that is eight cents an impression the first day, there is no ongoing investment.
On day two, it goes down to four cents an impression.
Day three, it goes down again. You get the idea.
Let’s quickly compare to search engine marketing.
Depending on the key phrases you are bidding on (anywhere from 20 cents to $10.00 per click or higher), the cost is very different. Not a knock on search engine marketing – we run smaller campaigns ourselves.
You also won’t have to worry about an ongoing advertising creative or monitoring your account. After the install, driving to and from a destination is part of your marketing plan. Beyond impressions, add a tracking phone number to your design (a number of companies offer this service) so you can know the number of phone calls the wrap is generating.
Once installed, your investment is complete. (Learn more about printing vehicle wrap services we offer and let us know if you are thinking about seasonal campaigns.)
You probably don’t want to rely on vehicle wraps as your only marketing efforts, but it can be an inexpensive way to generate impressions all year long.
Turn the Key
There are not many guarantees in building awareness for your brand. Vehicle wraps might be as sure a bet there is to get people to know your business. As part of an overall marketing strategy, vehicle wraps are an effective way reach customers.
Here is more information on vehicle wrap printing services. Or give us a call to tell us what you are looking for.
If you are curious about pricing.
*The other ad placement is just above the blue arrow.
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