Plumbers are said to be missing out on millions of pounds by failing to use their vehicles to market the services they provide, experts have warned.
Experts at van suppliers LeaseVan.co.uk have estimated that around half of Britain’s 2.5m van drivers do not post simple contact details on the sides of their vehicles.
Yet branding on the sides of vans can be one of the most cost effective forms of advertising with as many as 3,000 potential customers an hour catching sight of a van operating in one of the UK’s major cities.
Therefore, Britain’s tradesmen and women could be missing out on millions of lost business by keeping the sides of the vans white.
It is reported that branding a van can cost just a few hundred pounds and even less if simple contact details are used.
Tim Alcock at LeaseVan.co.uk, said: “Van drivers really are missing a trick. It doesn’t cost much to order some professional looking graphics for the side of a van and it’s an investment which will pay for itself in no time.
“Unlike billboards and advertisements which involve recurring high costs, a branded van simply requires an initial investment for a fraction of the cost.
“The pressure comes in getting the branding right. That’s why we’ve complied a comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts for using a van as a marketing tool.”
Five Van Branding Do’s
- Grab attention
No matter if your vehicle is stationary or moving, you need to create something that stands out from the crowd. Think about big, bold, lettering and a visible company logo which can be easily associated with your trade, such as a flame icon for a gas engineer - Work with a professional designer
It may cost that little bit extra but having your graphics professionally designed by a bespoke company will cause far less stress, than you sitting down and knocking something up on your PC. Professional designers do this for a living and will know the right type of product to use and how the shape of a vehicle, may effect a design idea - Check what the van looks like with the door open
If you have text splashed down the side of the door, you must remember that words to the naked eye will become shortened when the van door is open. If you have a company name that could cause offence when shortened – you might want a rethink - Put the important information at the top, and don’t forget contact details
The good thing about most vans is the height advantage over a car, so think for a second – if cars are behind you and they can only see the top half of a van, is it better to have the company name and contact details standing out at the top, or graphics of the company logo? This is who we are, this is what we do and this is how you contact us - Keep it clean
A clean van does not imply you have spare time on your hands, it implies you present a clear image and will, therefore, do a clean and professional job. This goes for inside the van as well as outside so don’t leave paperwork sprawled across the seats or coffee cups scattered in the foot-well.
Five Van Branding Don’ts
- Don’t use misleading information
Companies will often put prices on display but this can lead to all sorts of trouble. If you’re offering to clean windows for example for £5, people may either take this to be £5 for ALL windows so wouldn’t be too happy when you asked for £45. Customers are well within their rights to lodge a complaint and could even go directly to Trading Standards - Don’t use mismatched branding
Using a certain font on a business card and then a different font on a t-shirt and then another on the van can send mixed messages to customers, be decisive and stick to a slogan, font, colour scheme and size across all branded items - Don’t use unreadable fonts or colour schemes
This one is the exception to the above as if your company text is a light colour such as yellow, pink or even white, it won’t show up very well when on a white background. Go for something darker if your van is white, or lighter if the van is a darker colour. Also, don’t use an unreadable font, pick one which stands out. - Don’t use offensive language or phrases
Keep it simple, keep it clean and on brand and do not try and be funny as your sense of humour isn’t going to be shared by everyone - Don’t keep changing your company or name
You need to settle on one name for the company, for example if you use ‘David’s Removals’ but often answer the phone with ‘David’s Clearances’ you’ve automatically set alarm bells ringing to a potential customer. Stay on brand.
