If you want to get your company noticed, some free advertising on the side of your van is a great place to start. Honest John Vans outlines the pros and cons of signwriting.
How often are you stuck in traffic behind a van and find yourself looking at the logo or reading the details for the business? However small your advertising budget might be (even if it is a few hundred pounds) getting your van sign-written can be a very cost-effective means of generating some additional brand awareness to the wider public.
Signwriting doesn’t have to mean plastering your vehicle from roof to floor in flashy graphics. Something as simple and subtle as a logo and contact details on the side or rear can be just as effective.
What are the pros of signwriting?
The obvious positive for signwriting is free advertising. Obviously, you have to pay someone to apply the signage in the first place, but it’ll advertise your business every single day for free – until you change vehicles or take the signage off.
Another potential plus point of signwriting is that it can help to give your business an improved sense of professionalism. Given a choice between a builder’s van with smart graphics and a plain white commercial, most people will look more favourably on the former. You can also add the logos of any trade associations you are a member of, along with your website address and contact details.
Large vinyl stickers or a vehicle wrap can also mitigate the inevitable scuffs and scrapes that go with the territory of a builder’s van. A thin layer of vinyl won’t stave off accident damage, but it is a layer that will protect paint and shrug off its fair share of scratches and stone chips. Get it wrapped from day one and when it comes time to sell, you can peel it off to reveal a hopefully blemish-free exterior.
What are the downsides of van signwriting?
One downside is cost; some basic vinyl stickers for a small van start from £150 before VAT, while a whole-vehicle wrap for a large van could set you back £2,000+.
As with most things the more you pay the more you get, so paying as little as possible may mean little in the way of benefit. Conversely, you can shell out a four-figure sum for each van to get it fully wrapped, without a guarantee of getting results.
That’s why it’s important to listen to the experts at the signwriting company. They will be able to tell you what logos and text will work on a van. For sure, your creative scribbles on a scrap of paper might look great in your mind, but the supplying company will tell you if people will notice it or not.
Another potential issue is that advertising your business may not always be desirable: for example, if your building firm uses expensive equipment or materials then a big sign advertising this fact might make it a target for thieves. Sometimes the classic ‘no tools stored in this van overnight’ will deter opportunistic crooks, while other van owners might think it better to say nothing at all and keep their vehicle clear of any signage.
Another issue that may put you off signwriting is an increase in your insurance premium. It very much depends on your insurer, your building business and the type of signwriting you have, but it is possible that adding on the graphics may result in a higher premium. As always, speak with your insurer before you take the plunge.
