One of the most visible pieces of advertising your company has is your work vehicles. As you visit different companies and homes to complete repairs or installation of heating and cooling systems a wrapped vehicle is like a moving billboard being seen by the people you want to directly reach. Nick Steig, owner of Auto Wrap LLC in Eau Claire, WI works with several HVAC companies. “Their vehicles put on a lot of miles in busy areas so vehicle wrap advertising is ideal for them,” he said.
Costs and Time Estimates
A survey of multiple vinyl wrap companies shows that the cost to wrap a vehicle can range from $1000 to $3000, but there are many factors that can change this cost, including how much of the vehicle is wrapped, how many colors are used in the graphics and what area of the country you are in. However, once wrapped, your vehicle is a moving advertisement that reaches hundreds of people day after day without adding additional advertising costs. Compare this to the cost of billboard, television or radio advertising costs and you can see how wrapping your vehicle becomes a cost effective form of advertisement.
Shawny Loy, Local Sales Coordinator with SCS Wraps in Bozeman, MT, indicated that their company works with many fleets in the HVAC Industry, with Comfort Systems being a standout client. “We treat every customer who walks through our door with the same sense of respect and produce their products with urgency.” Loy estimates that it takes anywhere from 2 weeks to a month to complete a wrap depending on the client’s needs. That includes design time and time to wrap the vehicles.
Other companies offered time estimates from a single day to a month. The amount of time it takes will depend on the level of custom design desired, how many vehicles need to be wrapped and the company you ultimately choose to do the work. Keep in mind that a wrap will be on your car for years, so you’ll want to be sure you are happy with the design.
Types of Wraps
Colin Wright, owner of Night Shades in St. Louis, MO, shared that there are basically solid color wraps or printed wraps. “Either wrap should last up to eight years stored outside.” For the purpose of wrapping a company vehicle for advertising, one would use the printed wrap, of course.
There are a number of sub-categories within the overall solid or printed wrap families, including:
- Vinyl wrapping film
- Chrome accent film
- Opaque vinyls
- Perforated and flexible calendered film for windows
- White polymeric vinyls for curved surfaces
- Protective overlaminates for irregular surfaces
- Highly conformable overlaminate
Most companies apply a clear laminate over their wraps for added protection. Daren Merkle, owner of Shadow Graphix Inc. in Indianapolis, IN, said, “The clear laminate we apply over the top of the print has UV protection. It will fade a little bit within first five years.”
Once you’ve chosen a vinyl wrapping company to work with and a design is in place, the company will work with you on choosing the type of wrap that will work best for the surface of your fleet of vehicles as well as what will be the most durable.
Tips for Getting the Most from a Wrap
- Dave Reilly, CEO of Stick It Graphics National Sales, Inc. shared, “Vinyl is good for temperatures between zero and 110 degrees, but shouldn’t be left in extreme temperatures for long periods of time.” In regions where it gets extremely hot and extremely cold, consider storing the vehicles indoors whenever possible.
- “For wrap care you always want to use the ‘brushless’ or ‘touchfree”’ car washes and if a panel is ever damaged from a door ding or fender bender, we can typically replace that portion of the wrap no problem,” shared Loy of SCS Wraps.
- “No wax and no power washer” were the to-the-point instructions offered by Reilly of Stick It Graphics.
- “Cleaning and prep time is essential to the longevity of the wrap,” added Steig of Auto Wrap, LLC. “The better you care for the wraps, the longer they will last.” He recommends hand washing vehicles.
Even if your budget doesn’t allow other types of advertising, wrapping your vehicle is one of the most important and cost effective things you can do to gain new customers and create a professional image for your vehicles.
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