Wrapping the Right Way
Advertise on the go with a vehicle wrap
When wrapping your company vehicle, there are many factors to consider; after all, a truck wrap is a portable billboard for your business.
One of the most important aspects is the quality of the material. Douglas Palka, a sales professional at FleetWrap HQ in Gilbert, Arizona, suggests using top-of-the-line material — either a 3M or Avery Dennison product — to ensure the wrap is long-lasting.
“Typically, you’ll get five to eight years of life if you use those higher-quality materials versus maybe a couple of years,” Palka says. “The vehicle’s not earning the money if it’s not on the road.”
For pool professionals, it’s important to add lamination for durability, says Kayla Koch, office manager at BNB Signs & Car Wraps in Hutto, Texas.
“You have to laminate it to protect all the inks and colors,” she says. “That gives it protection from the chemicals that [pool pros] might be using.”
High-quality wraps can run around $2,000-$4,000 per vehicle, compared to those of lower quality, which are often about a third of the price.
“In this industry, you get what you pay for,” Palka says. “That’s not only the material but also the design.”
Some companies will fit a logo into a template, while others will create a truck design from scratch, Palka says. He recommends the tailgate for displaying service information since it’s like a flat billboard and suggests adding a logo and website on the doors.
The logo should be prominent, and contact information shouldn’t get lost in the background, Koch says.
“You want to have designs that are not too crazy but are still eye-catching,” she says. “You want to find that happy medium so the main focus is the logo, the company name, the phone number and the email. Recently, we [also] started using QR codes.”
During the pandemic, QR codes gained universal traction, and people have become more comfortable using them, Palka says.
Texas-based Round Rock Pool Pros owner Justin Pinson likes the added professionalism and credibility that a wrapped truck provides.
“Most of the time when you think of a pool company in a truck, you think of some little junky truck that someone’s driving around, chemicals falling out of the back,” Pinson says. “The wraps look so much more professional, and it’s good for the industry in general.”
Pinson wanted something that left a lasting impression, was recognizable and would encourage observers to take a photo, call or visit the website. Vanity numbers make a phone number more memorable, he adds.
“I wanted people to know I’m all in,” Pinson says. “I’ve got a whole fleet of these things.”
Pinson also says it’s important to remember, and remind employees, that it’s a company-branded vehicle and to drive and act accordingly.
Cali Pool Techs owner Terry McRobie considers truck wraps part of the branding package for his company in Covina, California.
“I’d recommend keeping it simple,” he says. “On my next wrap, I’ll have my QR code and probably my email address.”
McRobie’s current wraps include services and his phone number. It’s minimalist but attention-grabbing.
“We went through about five designs until I chose the one that I liked the most,” McRobie says. “Previously, I had decals on my truck, but everyone’s moving to wraps — plumbers, roofers — every time I drive down the street and see a truck wrap, it grabs my attention.”
McRobie found the truck wrap paid for itself within six months by attracting clients.
For Pinson, it’s been a similar experience.
“They’re not cheap if you get a good one, but it’s going to pay for itself and last a long time,” he says. “I knew if I could just get a couple of new customers and I could keep them for a while, it would pay for itself.”
