Fleet advertising can be an incredibly powerful tool in the marketing arsenal of small and medium-sized businesses. For a single, one-off cost you can have an eye-catching design and your contact details printed on the side of your fleet of cars, vans or lorries. In high traffic areas like city centres, a single vehicle could be viewed by more than 3,000 potential customers per hour, and with more than 35.6 million registered vehicles on the UK’s roads, it delivers unrivalled potential exposure.
But while that certainly makes fleet advertising sound like an effective way to grow your customer base, does it really work? We’re going to explore the potential benefits of this form of marketing along with a few fleet advertising statistics to see just how effective it can be.
What is Fleet Advertising?
Business vehicles are first and foremost a form of transport, but they can also be a fantastic marketing opportunity. Whether you have a brand-new business or a long-established national firm, installing some vehicle livery – which can be anything from simple logos to intricate designs and photos – can turn your vehicle into a mobile billboard that will advertise your business wherever you go. Whether you’re in a traffic jam, parked up, visiting a customers’ or clients’ premises or simply driving around town, your business and brand will get exposure.
Fleet advertising comes in a number of forms. You could invest in a ‘full wrap’, which covers the entire vehicle from front to back and can display a considerable amount of information about your business. A ‘partial wrap’ covers between 25% and 75% of your vehicle, which could be just the back end of the vehicle or both sides. Alternately, you could opt for vinyl graphics or lettering, which will cover a smaller part of the vehicle. This is less obtrusive and is perfect if you only want to display basic information such as your business name, logo and contact details.
Here are a few examples of what can be achieved courtesy of the British Sign Awards.
Does Fleet Advertising Really Work?
Of course, there’s no point spending money on vehicle livery if it’s is not an effective way to reach new customers. The typical cost of full wrap for a small van is around £700, rising up to £1,500 for a large van with a more sophisticated design. That’s a considerable investment for a small business, so you need to be sure it’s going to have the desired effect.
The good news is, the statistics are compelling:
- Cost-effectiveness – Research from OAAA and 3M shows that vehicle wraps have the lowest cost per thousand impressions (people who see your message) and the highest number of impressions per pound than other advertising channels including television, magazines, newspapers, radio and billboards. In fact, mobile advertising costs as little as 10 pence per thousand impressions. It would be 25 times more expensive to reach the same number of people with a static outdoor sign.
- Exposure – Fleet advertising guarantees views and impressions whenever your vehicles are out on the roads. Even when you’re parked up at the supermarket or in traffic, fleet advertising still delivers. According to Geopath, in built-up areas fleet advertising can generate 30,000 daily impressions at an average of 101 impressions per mile.
- Notice rates – Compared to other forms of advertising such as television and radio ads, fleet advertising is less likely to be ignored. Research by the American Truck Association and Goo Technologies found that 96% of people notice lorry side ads, while 37%, 36% and 35% of people ignore television ads, radio ads and newspaper ads respectively.
- Recall rates – Fleet advertising also enjoys unbeatable recall rates because people are at their most attentive while driving. Research from RYP & Becker Group found that 97% of audiences recall ads on vehicles, with 75% developing an impression about the advertised brand and its offering.
What are the Benefits of Fleet Advertising?
A vehicle with an eye-catching design and clear contact details can improve a firm’s image, raise awareness of the brand and help it win new business. Those are just a few of the compelling benefits associated with fleet advertising. Here are a few more:
1. You can measure the return on investment
As with any form of marketing, the return on investment fleet advertising generates will depend on a number of factors, including where the vehicle is driven, the quality of the design, when it’s driven and the type of customers or clients you hope to attract. Importantly, though, it is possible to measure that return on investment. You can:
- Use a specific telephone number for the adverts on your vehicles
- Create a separate landing page on your website for people responding to a vehicle advertisement
By keeping track of the calls you receive or the number of visits to a specific landing page, you’ll be able to measure just how much return you’re generating on your fleet advertising spend.
2. It’s a one-off cost
One of the biggest benefits of fleet advertising is the fact that it’s a one-off cost that will keep generating a return. Unlike online ads, where you have to pay for every new visitor you get, fleet advertising is a fixed cost that will cover you until the signage needs to be replaced three to five years later.
3. It’s unobtrusive
Unlike other forms of advertising, fleet advertising attracts the attention of prospective customers without distracting them from what they’re doing. Customers respond better to advertising that’s delivered in a non-invasive way as it does not invoke negative feelings towards the business or brand.
4. It’s quick
Creating fleet advertising can also be a very quick process. If you opt for a relatively simple design and have just a handful of vehicles, the whole process can be completed in just a few days.
The Importance of Regular Fleet Cleaning
If you’re going to invest in fleet advertising, it’s essential your vehicles look their best to make the most of your investment. You might have a memorable design, but if your vehicles are covered in dirt and grime, you won’t be sending the right type of message to prospective customers.
At Dropless, our waterless fleet cleaning service will keep your vehicles looking their best at all times. You can set your own wash schedule and we will deliver our service at the most convenient time for you, whether it’s early mornings, evenings or on weekends. We also save 300 litres of water per wash and produce zero harmful runoff, so we can give your eco-credentials a boost too! Get in touch today to discuss how we can help you.