You are probably wondering why you might need a changeable graphic for your fleet. Consider that whatever type of graphic you choose, whether for the short- or long-term, the whole point is to create more brand awareness and raise your company’s visibility profile. Whether you are rolling out a new product, want to recruit for the new season, or generate additional revenue through partner advertising, graphic films on the sides of your trucks or trailers do the trick.
Changeable graphic films are generally made of vinyl and engineered for short term use. The biggest selling factor for short-term changeable graphic films is their ultra-removability. They are also far cheaper than other options. Durable, conformable graphics should last around two years. Advanced films can be removed easily without sacrificing quality. You should be able to expect a high standard of performance out of your film.
The Best Way to Use Graphics
Changeable film graphics allow you to build brand awareness without sacrificing professionalism. People are conditioned to seeing advertisements on the sides of vehicles and buildings all the time. For you, the graphics on your equipment is merely another way for you to advertise your business.
Your first option is to run a short-term promotional campaign. These include seasonal campaigns, holiday campaigns, introductory promotions, or other company initiatives that you need the public or potential partners to see. You can also run short-term temporary branding promotions on equipment rentals. Since graphics can be easily removed, they can be removed before returning the equipment.
In some cases, you may already be using permanent graphics in your fleet. By using graphics in a hybrid fashion, you have a lot more design options. You can keep your permanent graphics in place while still being able to highlight a particular promotion with a temporary changeable graphic film.
The best part about using graphic films is their ability to generate additional revenue streams. You can even sell vehicle space to brands or advertisers who want to connect with customers in different states. You may even already work with some brands and vendors who may appreciate the additional exposure they get on your equipment.
Large players in the supply chain likely already have a graphics policy in place. Since big trucking companies already distribute across the country, they can target specific regions with advertisements. Trucking companies can also become ambassadors for the graphics brands, if they want to. Partnerships can be developed to better leverage equipment space and brand technology.
What to Look For
When you are in the shop figuring out what you will advise the fleet manager, there are several considerations you must make. First, consider how removable the graphics are. When you finish a marketing campaign, you may need to remove the graphics quickly and get your equipment back out onto the road.
You may also be using equipment that requires a conforming graphics solution. If there are side doors to consider, does your graphic solution take them into account? You want to ensure you have a seamless appearance and appealing design aesthetic. As long as you can easily wrap corners and doors, you should be good to go.
Obviously, the most important factor in any new equipment or graphics acquisition will be safety. If you are backing a trailer into a tight space, you may have to consider reflective panels, or the ability to see in mirrors. You also want to ensure you avoid any potential hazards from rips or tears. Choose a film that is both durable and safe. Flapping graphics can cause a serious distraction for truck drivers on the road.
Finally, you want to ensure you are choosing a product that is of high quality. This directly relates to safety, as a product that is low quality may come off on the road. Imagine a graphic peeling off the side of a trailer and draping itself across the windshield of a passenger car behind the truck. As you could imagine, the outcome could be disastrous.
A high-quality graphics solution will ensure your truck drivers operate in a safe environment without potential hazards while still providing an effective solution for you to advertise yourself or another business. Another final consideration should be customer service. Depending on what graphics solution you choose, make sure you can count on the provider to answer any technical questions you have.
How to Set Up a Campaign
When working with a brand partner on a graphics solution, do not hesitate to ask questions related to what kind of design aesthetic they are looking for and how long they want the campaign to run for. You also want to know what geographical area your partner wants to target. The last thing you want is to advertise for them in a location where the business will do them no good.
Once you have set up your campaign, you must figure out how many trailers you will need for the job. You also likely need to consider how big the trailers are. After you have figured out what equipment you need to run the campaign, it is time to begin installing the graphics. Make sure you properly rotate your equipment in and out so that you don’t end up with unnecessary downtime.
You may be wondering what kind of cost you are looking at to wrap your vehicle. Generally, you are looking at around $2,500 – $5,000 to wrap a 50-foot trailer. You may also have to pay a small advertising fee. The key performance metric you should assess when you run your graphics campaign is average CPM, or cost-per-thousand-impressions. Impressions are a widely used metric across any marketing campaign, whether social or otherwise.
One of the best reasons to run a graphics campaign on the side of a trailer is that it is not static like a billboard on the side of the road. People easily get used to seeing a billboard in the same place during their commute. Over time, this lessens the overall impact of the billboard. An advertisement on the side of a trailer is moving and dynamic. It captures attention any time it is seen.
There are even divergent factors with trailer graphic advertising and online advertising. You can easily skip over an online advertisement, but it is much more difficult to skip over a big trailer. And if you are a fleet that delivers to convenience or grocery stores, the trucks can provide an advertising solution right there at the point of purchase.
Most of all, you can count on a high level of flexibility when using a removeable, changeable graphic film. Whether you are the fleet manager or marketing executive, don’t hesitate to use graphics to meet your short-term branding or advertising needs.
The Full Process
What should you expect when partnering with a graphics vendor? Obviously, you are not a print shop, so you need to count on the experts. First, you want to sit down with your marketing team and figure out what your advertising budget and goals are. What kind of brand standards do you want to use? From logos to colors and other brand elements, all of these should factor into your decision-making.
Are you going to do a full wrap, partial wrap, or reflective wrap? And, depending on the size, dimensions, and vehicle types, you need to determine the scale of your campaign. Since film selection can also be complicated, you need to work with the right vendor who won’t leave you hanging.
Always do your research to determine you are selecting a partner with the experience and capabilities necessary to delivery a quality product. Make sure your partner stands behind their work and offers a comprehensive warranty.
Never hesitate to ask for bids and quotes that match your guidelines and needs. Also be sure to provide your partner with the formal specifications so that they can offer you a comprehensive bid. You do not want to be caught out looking at unnecessary fees or project cost increases simply because you did not provide them with enough information.
Finally, consider the value-added services that your partner offers. Whether it be through timing or managing the logistics channel, or even introductions to new business partners, consider all the options. You should be able to count on your graphics provider to provide you with proofs, productions, and prototypes of your graphics.
In the end, it is important to consider that high quality films offer a level of flexibility and durability you need for your advertising or business branding campaigns. From easy installation to removal and minimized downtime, premium graphics might be just what your fleet needs for an effective solution to reach new customers, provide an additional revenue stream, or just provide greater visibility for your business.