How important is it to have an effective fleet graphics call to action? Unless you’ve been in an underground bunker for the last decade, you know that fleet graphics are a big part of building a business brand. No longer are fleet graphics limited to a decal of the company logo and DOT numbers. Fleet graphics have become a critical part of marketing campaigns. But how does a business add a fleet graphics call to action on a traveling billboard that might not change for five years or more? Here are a few key elements for creating a fleet graphics call to action that fits your business. Because a call to action isn’t one size fits all.
What’s an Effective Fleet Graphics Call to Action?
Know Your Target Audience
Where do you begin with a fleet graphics call to action? Before you can create a call to action, you must define who your target audience is. Who do you want to reach, and why? Ask your team the following:
- What type of customer is best for our bottom line?
- What projects maintain the best margins?
- Is there a type of work that keeps our people productive?
- What prospects may become long term multi-product customers?
- What type of industry, project, or connection gets our team excited? — Do You Know Your Target Audience?
To create the most effective fleet graphics CTA (Call to Action), you must take the time to understand who you want to reach and why.
Show Them What You Want Them to do
Once you’ve targeted your audience, the next step is to consider what you want them to do. Too often, fleet graphics are designed with little or no consideration as to the purpose of the graphics. Do you want prospects to contact you? Are you hoping that people will see the need for your product? What do you want consumers to do?
Last year I was in Detroit for a conference. It was at the Sheridan Hotel in Novi, Michigan. The hotel had an all you can eat breakfast buffet. One of the more popular items was a waffle maker. It was from Carbon Malted, a TKO Graphix fleet graphics customer.
“Carbon Malted supplies hotels and restaurants with waffle and pancake mix, which is a rather limited and specific market. However, Bob shared with me that when he drove their first fully wrapped van from our shop near Indianapolis to the Carbon Golden Malted headquarters in South Bend, IN. he noticed drivers jotting down the information on his truck. When he got to the office, they had three calls about their product, and all three have become regular customers.” — Carbon Golden Malted Wrap
Why was this? How did a product with such a limited target audience receive three new customers on one two-hour drive? Because they knew their target and what they wanted that audience to do – call them. Their fleet graphics captured attention, quickly told the story of their product, and made it easy to contact them. The fleet graphic worked.
Share the Problems You Solve
What problems do you solve for your target audience? Do you make their life easier, save them money, offer superior service, or have a better way?
“Most people search for solutions to their problems, not products. If people can’t see how their problems could be solved by what you’re providing, you may be wasting your time and resources.”- – Are You Selling the Benefits of your Product?
Just because your business name includes your industry, such as ABC Residential Heating & Cooling that doesn’t always mean potential customers know or understand the problems you solve. For example, it could be that ABC Residential Heating & Cooling offers 24-hour emergency service. Place that copy above a serviceperson coming to a residential door in a snowstorm with a family huddled under blankets at the door, and you have a story of a major problem for the target audience – residential homeowners.
Also, be careful that you share the problems that your target audience has, not the problems you want to solve. They’re not always the same. If you want to know what problems concern your base the most – survey your existing customers.
Make Your Contact Information Easy to Find and to Read
Driving back from Detroit, I saw many fleet graphics that couldn’t be read at 65 MPH. They were multiple reasons:
The font was too small to read
“Any combination of font style, size, and color can and will affect the readability of vehicle graphics. Because, the key to effective fleet graphic design is combining appearance with legibility. There are too many designs, which, although visually striking, are difficult to decipher, which detracts from the purpose of vehicle advertising.” — FAQ: What’s the Best Font Size for Vehicle Graphics?
The font is hard to understand
“Illegible fonts have no place on a vehicle wrap. The 18th Century Kurrent font you use on your business card might look okay, and if you stare at it long enough, you can figure it out. But that doesn’t work on vehicle graphics. People don’t have the time or desire to decipher your copy. The purpose of copy on a vehicle graphic is to share a message.
Whether it’s a call to action, your unique sales position, or a list of products and services, it must be easy to read. I know that sounds obvious, but we see too many vehicle graphics where style trumps legibility. If you’d like examples of what not to use check these out, my favorite is Titanic, 127 hard to read fonts.” — Choosing the Right Font for Your Fleet Graphics
Poor color contrast
If your contact information is lost in the background, it’s ineffective. “The best color contrast for your vehicle graphics involves several factors. Choosing the best and most contrasting colors for your fleet graphics can make the difference between getting noticed and being just one more vehicle wrap. Taking into consideration such points as branding, contrast, and LR (light reflectance) can make all the difference.” — FAQ: What’s the Best Color Contrast for a Vehicle Wrap?
Contact Information should be on every side of the vehicle
Contact information should be on both sides of the vehicle, the front, and don’t forget the rear of the fleet vehicle. “I was stuck in traffic behind a business’s van while coming home for work last week. I sat directly behind it for several minutes. The graphics covered most of the back of the van, including the window. I had plenty of time to view their product list, branded logo, tagline, and call to action. And I’ll remember this business if I ever need their services.” — Don’t Forget the Back of Your Fleet Vehicles
A Special Offer
I saw a 53-foot semi-trailer for a restaurant chain advertising their special lunch offer for the entire year. The vehicle graphics will last longer than the special offer. However, it might be worth the fleet graphics investment. I, for one, had lunch at their nearest restaurant the next day.
“Entice and intrigue them – Add urgency such as, “Use this code and save 10 %” or “Schedule an Appointment through our Website and Receive a FREE Whatsit!” Post special offers, for instance, “Mention this Graphic and SAVE!” Effective Vehicle Graphics Call to Action
Are You Ready to Take Action?
So, are you ready to take action on a fleet graphics call to action? Creating an effective fleet graphics call to action could start with this checklist Fleet Graphics Action Plan. If we can answer any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us. We’re ready to take some action for you.
TKO Graphix remains open to serve our customers. We continue operations as an essential business supporting the critical work done by many of our customers.
