Your van wrap is one of the most important pieces of your brand and of that coveted top of mind awareness. We’ve found that many plumbers aren’t leveraging their mobile billboards as well as they could and thought it was time to share what we believe the function of your van wraps should be.
Plumber’s Vans Are Prime Real Estate To Build Your Brand
Your secret weapon to awareness is your van. Most smaller shops might not have a public front-office but they do have a large white van that travels to every job and is seen in every intersection it hits.
Your van will likely get more impressions than anything else you do when it comes to marketing. It’s seen in your service area over and over again, creating a deep seeded impression and building top of mind awareness. That is, IF you leverage it the right way.
The Big Mistakes Plumbers Make With Their Van Decals
We see a lot of companies that aren’t utilizing the pure mass of their van for their business. Your van is likely one solid color, usually white, and it will blend in with every other contractor on the road if you don’t put a label on it.
That said, when plumbing companies are labeling their vans, many of them are putting a small sticker on the side with their name, logo and phone number. It’s quite simple not enough. It’s a half measure.
Mistakes we are seeing on vans:
- Small door logo only
- Only text with no images
- Magnet
- Confusing layout
- Barely using color
- Phone number too small
- Giant list of services too big
Standing Out With Your Van To Get Your More Plumbing Jobs
When we approached Prospector Plumbing’s van wraps we knew that his company existed in a sea of reds, blues, water drops, and wrenches. If we utilized the traditional look for a plumbing company he would end up getting lost in the shuffle of vans on the road.
He needed people to remember him immediately when they had a plumbing problem, and that meant that he needed to make a strong impression when people saw him on the road, parked at a store, or in their neighbor’s yard.
This is why we didn’t stop at putting a sticker of his logo on the side. We went as big as possible because if you want people to recall you, you have to stand out.
Hey Plumbers, Wrap The Whole Damn Van
If your van is mostly white it’s just noise when it could be a landmark for your business. Use color to differentiate yourself from your competitors and boost your top-of-mind awareness. We believe that the less white we see on your van, the higher the probability of people remembering your company when they need you.
So many plumbing companies are taking the easy way out and cutting their potential off at the root. Your van is one of the best billboards you can buy. So make sure it’s loud and can be seen from a distance.
The Cheapest Form Of Marketing For Your Company
Let’s talk numbers. It’ll vary in your area but a van wrap will likely cost about 5K on the high end. For a lot of our clients, they spend that easily in a month’s worth of advertising, especially in areas with over 100,000 people.
The great thing about your van is you wrap it once and it should last you about 3-5 years. So over time, you’re looking at that 5K costing you a maximum of $138 a month if you spread that out over time. Then consider the fact that thousands of people are going to see it in a month. Even if only 1,000 people see it, you’re looking at spending $0.13 per impression. That’s not bad at all!
Van Wraps Are Largely Seen By Qualified Potential Customers
But here’s the real power. Most of those people will be in the neighborhoods you’re servicing. So those people are also relatively qualified as a good potential customers. When someone is driving around their home and they see your van in the neighbor’s driveway, you automatically become a top choice technician in their minds because they know you’ll serve them too. It’s a win-win.
6 Things Your Van Wraps Should Have On Them
- Strong Color Palette
- Wrap the Whole Thing, All Sides
- Logo
- One Core Service (Plumbing and Heating, Plumbing & HVAC, etc)
- Phone Number, All Sides
- Website (secondary to a phone number)
A Killer Van Wrap Starts With A Good Brand
Okay, we need to back up a bit. We now know that an awesome wrap is critical for plumbing companies but you’ll never be able to build a killer wrap without a killer brand to go with it.
This is something that a lot of new companies struggle with. Building a brand in-house is hard and we absolutely recommend you find someone to help guide you through the process. Your brand is your landmark for everything you do. It’ll help you communicate faster, easier, and with more efficiency.
There are a lot of companies out there who can help develop a brand that works with your personal sensibilities, we happen to be one of them. You don’t have to work with us, but please, do find someone who can help you with this who has experience in the field.
It’s tempting to do this in-house and some companies can pull it off. However, we find that just as many companies don’t do it well and make a series of mistakes that hurts their potential growth as a plumbing company.
If You DO Want The Flow Control Advantage For Your Plumbing Company
The article is basically over and now you’ve reached the part where I pitch our services. If you’re looking for a killer van wrap we highly recommend one of our branding packages. It comes with everything you need to start building a creative, fresh, and stand-out brand for your plumbing company.
If you’re interested in working with us, just schedule a free consult call to start. We’ll go over a couple of questions and see if we’re a good fit for you.
We’re a marketing and branding company that works primarily with Plumbing Companies across the United States. We love to help plumbing companies reach the next level of awareness by partnering with them to get more calls, with less hassle.
