Believe Me, the Neighbors Are Watching

Believe me, the neighbors are watching. If you’re in a service business, especially if you specialize in home repairs, it’s crazy not to invest in fleet graphics. Think about this. When you’re home, and a service truck pulls into your neighbor’s driveway, what do you do? Do you peek out the window or walk outside to take a look? Have you ever jotted down the contact number because you needed work too? I’ve done all the above, and even if you haven’t, many of your neighbors have. The neighbors are watching but is anyone seeing your advertising?

The Neighbors Are Watching

Whatever home service you offer when your work vehicle drives into a neighborhood, most of the homes are of similar age and construction. And do you know what that means? It means that many of the homes have similar problems, that homeowners have the same concerns as your customer, and a lot of folks want to keep up with the Jones. Did your next-door neighbor get a new A/C unit? Yea, mine is 21 years old; it’s probably time. Was there a crew down the street installing new windows? These old windows are drafty. Did Bob and Mary’s water heater go out? Gee, I wonder when mine will go?

Show Me the Money

This is your customer, your demographic. When someone calls you into a neighborhood to do service work, not only are the homes similar, but the people are as well. Incomes within most neighborhoods are in a narrow range, a few mixed-income neighborhoods are more income diverse, but usually, the household income per homeowner is within a comparable range. The bottom line is, if your customer can afford your work, many of their neighbors can as well, and the neighbors are watching.

Don’t Throw Your Money Away 

If your fleet vehicles aren’t branded with graphics, then your business is missing the boat. Ask your team this. “When’s the last time a prospect went to your website or called your office because they saw your fleet graphics? If it’s been awhile or you’re not sure, you may want to take a hard look at your fleet graphics. Are the decals on your vehicles little more than identification? Or are you taking the opportunity to market your brand on your cars and trucks?” — Fleet Graphics Generate Leads: A Customer Testimonial

Make a Good First Impression 

When I was a boy, my father had me ride with him to take the family car to a local mechanic. It was summer. He pulled up to an open bay door and said, “Let’s take a look.” He asked what I thought, and I answered, “I don’t know I guess it’s a garage.” He looked at me and said, “Let’s go.”

On the way home, I asked why he hadn’t stayed and talked to a mechanic. He told me it was because the shop was too dirty, disheveled, and unorganized. If they couldn’t take care of their shop, why would he let them take care of his car? Good question. If a neighbor sees a vehicle that looks like it hasn’t been taken care of, do you think it inspires confidence?

“So, what would you see if you looked at your fleet graphics from your customer’s point of view? It doesn’t matter if your business is a B2C (Business to Consumer), B2B (Business to Business), or a not-for-profit charitable organization — visitors judge your organization by its appearance and your cars and trucks are part of who you are. Many times, fleet graphics are a customer’s first visual contact with a company. What do your vehicles say about your organization? What impression do they make?

If you’re uncertain, take a walk out to where your vehicles are parked and look at them through the eyes of a customer or prospective client — walk-in their shoes. Looking at your fleet graphics from the customer’s point of view only takes a few minutes. It’s worth the time. Who knows what you’ll find?” — Looking at Your Fleet Graphics from the Customer’s Point of View

Fleet Graphics Aren’t Identification They’re Advertising 

If you consider your fleet graphics as identification, you’re missing a golden opportunity. One of the keys to effective advertising is the ability to reach a target audience. Ad agencies spend hours, and businesses spend millions of dollars trying to reach their ideal customer. So, here’s my point, when you’re in the neighborhood, it’s  your target audience because the neighbors are watching.

The neighbors are watching, so, what kind of message do you want to send to the neighbors, the prospects? Do you offer 24-hour service? If so, advertise it on your cars, vans, and trucks. You should list the top three or four services you offer, and speaking of offers how about specials?

Is your business accredited, award-winning, long-standing, or highly-rated? Wouldn’t that be important for the neighbors to know? And please, please, please make your contact information easy to find, easy to read, and posted on both sides, and rear of your vehicle. The neighbors are watching so give them something good to see.

A white paper shared by the ATA (American Trucking Association) Vehicle Branding: Is there Hidden Value in Your Fleet?  discovered that 75% of people developed a first impression about a company and its products from truck advertising.

“Advertising on vehicle graphics is no different in principle to any other form of advertising. Once a strong brand identity has been determined, it must remain consistent and reliable to the consumer. Often the excitement of vehicular advertising leads companies to design each vehicle in a striking and visually stunning way, but with a complete lack of consistency across their brand. If no two vehicles are the same in their use of graphics, or color scheme, then consumers will not consistently identify the brand.” — Vehicle Graphics: How To Achieve Maximum Branding Impact On Wheels 

A Clean Sweep 

One of the easiest ways to make a positive impression in a neighborhood, or anywhere for that matter, is to keep your vehicles clean. It takes less time and costs far less to wash a vehicle than it does to replace a potential customer you lost because of a poor appearance.

“Clean, well-maintained equipment makes an immediate impression and shows pride. People assume pride carries over into other areas of an organization. The opposite is also true. Equipment in need of attention can and will impact your business negatively.” —  What Does Your Truck Say About You?

Torn and faded graphics, as well as rusted and damaged vehicles, make a worse impression than a dirty work truck. “Recently, while commuting to work, I was stopped behind a local retailer’s delivery truck. The retailer is marketed to an upscale niche, and their brick and mortar outlets are well-designed, tastefully decorated, and impeccably maintained. They offer excellent service, customer follow-up, and after-market training. The box truck I was stopped behind sent a different message. It shouted, “WE ARE SECOND-RATE!” When it comes to vehicle graphics, a bad message is worse than no message.” —  A Bad Message is worse than none

Who’s Peeking Out the Window?

The neighbors are watching, but do you know who’s peeking from behind the curtains? I can tell you who it is. It’s a potential customer. It’s someone who shares the same wants and needs as the neighbor where your work vehicle is parked. What does that neighbor see when they look at your vehicle? Do they see a professional business with branded graphics and easy to find contact information? If not, we can help.

If we can answer any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us. Remember the neighbors are watching.