If you own a small business, chances are that you highly value your time and money. Since an advertising budget for small businesses can be tight, why not advertise for free and have your advertisements travel all across town with you? Consider utilizing a professionally done vehicle wrap for your next step in advertising, and watch your numbers start to grow.

Wraps
Simply put, vehicle wraps are professionally done mobile “billboards” that are designed, printed, and then installed on your vehicle. They can cover any portion of the vehicle, including windows, and they are printed in color and with eye-catching graphics, just like a traditional billboard or other stationary sign. Vehicle wraps are constructed with heavy-duty vinyl and usually last about three to five years.

Benefits of Vehicle Wraps

The wraps themselves are not free – they often run from $1,500 to $3,000 for design and installation. However, after buying and installing the wrap, you aren’t paying for the real estate or location of a sign or even for a television slot. The advertisement moves with your vehicle everywhere you go. And since organizations like the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) estimate that 95% of Americans are exposed to media aimed at drivers, this seems like a good investment. Let’s look at some costs of wraps compared to other forms of advertising. The OAAA estimates that vehicle wraps have by far the lowest cost of out of home advertising per 1,000 impressions – potentially as low as $0.04 per 1,000, in fact. Outdoor signs, on the other hand, cost an average of $3.56 per 1,000 impressions. That’s 89 times higher in cost. Newspaper advertisements? Those can reach as high as $19.70 per 1,000 impressions. Why wouldn’t a small business owner rather invest in something that is 89 times more effective than other forms of advertising?

Return on Investment

There is no simple or clear-cut way to monitor business growth tied directly to the impression made by vehicle wraps. A lot of this depends on where your business is located, the type of business, and where and how often the vehicle is driven. Some strategies to help you monitor the wrap’s effectiveness include:  provide a different business phone number on the wrap than your normal business phone. This way you can track calls that you are certain were inspired by the wrap. Another way is to include a different (but easy to remember) URL landing page on the wrap.  Or, advertise a special deal or offer on the wrap that is not offered anywhere else. Customers asking about this rate will also help you track the effectiveness of your vehicle wrap.