Did you click on this post because you don’t want to make a huge mistake with your fleet graphics? If so, good. However, we ask you to keep an open mind because it’s personal. The colossal mistake I’m talking about has to do with you. The problem is you’re not your customer.
Your Personal Taste May Not be the Best for Your Fleet Graphics
So, what does that mean? It means your personal preferences are most likely not the same as your customer…and there’s the problem. Just because you and your team like a fleet graphic design doesn’t mean it will reach your target audience. If you want to connect with potential clients, forget about what you like, and concentrate on what will reach your ideal customer. If you think like a customer it will help you avoid making this mistake with your fleet graphics.
As much as you’d enjoy riding around in a car or truck that’s your favorite color, you need to think about your brand, marketing, and the customer. Your marketing, including fleet graphics, should be focused on what your target audience likes, not what you want.
Does this sound like common sense? It does, however, if you’ve ever said to a graphic designer or advertising agency, “I like that!” You may be missing the point. Shouldn’t your answer be, “Our customer will like that.” Or “I think that will appeal to our audience.”
How to Avoid This Mistake with Your Fleet Graphics
It’s Not About YOU
The first step to changing your focus from what you like to thinking about what will reach your customer is to change your perspective. Stop thinking about what you like and consider what your best prospect will appreciate. If you want to avoid this mistake with your fleet graphics you have to change your thinking from “me” to “my customer.”
As Neil Patel, the marketing maven who helps companies like Amazon, NBC, GM, HP and Viacom grow their revenue, shared, “Be open to change. If it makes sense for you to change something that several customers have commented on, you’ll earn their lifelong business if you make that change and give them credit for suggesting it. After all, who doesn’t like being valued and appreciated?”
Know What Your Customers Want
Rather than thinking about what you like, concentrate on your client. What problems do you solve that would attract new customers? What sets you apart from your competition, and why would a prospect appreciate this?
Stay on Brand
If you have corporate colors, taglines, and logos, why would you get away from them on a vehicle wrap? Staying on brand means sharing the same image across media. Whether someone sees your website, a banner ad, social media icon, or your fleet graphics, they all should share the same story. They all should stay on brand. Don’t make this mistake with your fleet graphics.
Don’t Kid Yourself
Have you ever said, “If I like it, my customer will!” Okay, maybe, but is your opinion based on facts or because you want to believe it? If you and your team haven’t taken the time to research your target audience, then you really don’t know what will appeal to them. If you want to avoid this huge mistake with your fleet graphics, take the guesswork out of the equation, and talk to customers about proposed designs for their opinion.
Customers Don’t Care about You
Customers care about one thing, what your service or product does for them. You may love the latest and greatest feature of your product, but if you don’t tell the customer the benefits to them, they’ll not be motivated to make a buying decision. Forget about self-promotion and focus on your target.
The truth is, very few potential customers care about you. They care about themselves, what makes them happy, and improves their lives. Here’s the crux, what they want might not match what you want them to know about your business. It’s easy to make this mistake with your fleet graphics.
So, Don’t Make This Huge Mistake with Your Fleet Graphics
Taking yourself out of the equation may not be as easy as it sounds. All of us are used to looking at the world from our personal point of view. However, when it comes to marketing, your likes and dislikes should be secondary. Your customer should be the primary focus. Keep in mind that the most effective marketing is about the customer, not about you. So, the next time you look at a marketing campaign, whether it’s a print ad or fleet graphics, ask yourself, “Will this reach my customer, will my customer like this?”
We can help you avoid this mistake with your fleet graphics. Let us help you create professional fleet vehicle graphics that will promote your business and drive your brand for years to come. Drive Your Brand by contacting TKO Graphix at 888-544-8051 or Contact Us online.
For over 35 years, TKO Graphix has partnered with commercial and private freight carriers to provide quality design, production, and installation of trailer graphics and decals. We are proud that hundreds of transportation companies throughout the United States trust TKO Graphix as their fleet graphics provider.
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