Our typical client is the Utah based small business. We generally cater toward service based companies because they tend to have a lot of vehicles. However, we have the expertise to help provide a vehicle wrap to any company.

When we are meeting with customers for the first time, we will often ask them about their overall marketing mix. Some more established companies can rattle off all the things they are doing to generate leads and sales. Others are often unsure what are effective marketing strategies. While a vehicle wrap is a great advertising tool, it just makes up one part of the marketing mix for your company

What is Marketing?

Well, if the first thing you think of when you hear the word marketing is advertising then you are only partly right. Those of us who can remember Marketing 1010 from college will recall the four “P’s” of marketing. These are – Product, Place, Price, and Promotion. All four of these things must be present to actually market. Oftentimes we get hung up on the last P – promotion. However, the best promotion in the world will not result in sales if the other 3 Ps are not present. So, let’s assume that you have your price, place (where the product/service will be sold), and product all sorted and you want to promote it.

Types of Promotion

Depending on your product, promotional tactics can range from in-person selling to online ads. Most of our customers will use a variety of promotional techniques. A few that we have seen be successful include

Personal Selling

This is just what it sounds like. Face to face relationship based sales. This is actually one of the main ways Queen of Wraps generates sales – we sit down with the customer and assess their needs. Then, we make product suggestions that can help them accomplish their business goals. Generally Personal Selling will be for more complex products/projects that can’t easily be automated.

Mass Marketing

Think about T.V. Ads, Radio, Billboards, etc. This is a great form of advertising if you have a product with a wide appeal. However, it can be a total waste of money if your product or service is too niche. Since I am constantly looking at and evaluating advertising, I am often blown away at the misuse of these forms of communication. The biggest issue I see is that a Utah small business will use a mass market advertising tool when really they should be using a targeted marketing tool. A billboard on I-15 can cost up to $20,000/mo. That is a lot of money so it is imperative that you use this tool wisely. Vehicle Wraps can actually fall into this category as well as the targeted marketing category. For companies like plumbers, electricians, etc – a vehicle wrap is a great mass market advertising tool because literally everyone on the road is your potential client.

Targeted Marketing

This space includes things like FB/Instagram ads, YouTube Videos, direct mailers, etc. The beauty about targeted marketing is that you are able to spend your budget only on the people most likely to buy. The downside is that it is hard to create product awareness with people who are not familiar with you because the scope is so focused on people who already show a propensity to interact with your company. Believe it or not, a vehicle wrap can also be a form of targeted marketing. For example, think about a roofer. After a big wind storm, when he goes to a customer’s house to do some repairs, it is very likely that the other people in the neighborhood are also in need of his services. This form of targeted marketing with a car wrap is great because you can generate leads while you are completing a sale.

Non-Traditional

Non-traditional forms of advertising include things like giant inflatable gorillas on the roof, contests, sign spinners, etc. All of these have a place but they are all definitely not for everyone.

Advertising Agencies

Should you hire an ad agency? The answer very well could be yes. If you feel like you need help with the Marketing Mix as a whole, make sure that whoever you engage can give you guidence on all aspects of Marketing and not just the advertising part. We have many clients who use our services through their ad agency. We have others who have their agency design the wrap and then they come to us directly. We are happy with any arrangement.

The Bottom Line

Someone once told me that if you want to sell more, do more marketing activites… sounds easy, huh? Well that is because it actually is. Start somewhere and grow from there.