Digitally printed vehicle signs are great for business: if you can get people to put your sticker up in their car, they're essentially advertising your business for free wherever they go. It can be tricky to get there, though; people are understandably reluctant to provide such free advertising, and in general, your customers will know what it is you're trying to do! How, then, can you harness this potential for exposure in a way that benefits both you and your customers?

Make It Beautiful

If you want people to display something in their cars, it's going to need to be visually appealing. It can be well worth hiring a graphic designer to make sure it's done right--online websites have made this easy and affordable for small business owners to do. Make sure you're embracing the principle of your business's brand identity as well as putting together something so attractive people will want to see it time and again.

Make It Personal

Imagine, for a moment, a little shop that sells yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks and other woolcraft supplies. It's a small independent business, set up by someone who loves knitting. To get people into the shop, they started running classes; beginner's crochet on a Tuesday evening, needle-felting for kids on a Saturday afternoon, that kind of thing. It soon became obvious that customers liked having somewhere to sit and try out their purchases, so a cosy little area was set up with armchairs and tables and a place to make free tea and coffee. Before the owner knew what was happening, their shop was essentially a community centre--with regulars teaching newcomers new techniques, and a feeling of family and friendship everywhere you looked. That shop is in central London, and has been a great success. If you can help your customers to feel like a family, they'll want to help you out--and they'll be excited to help you advertise. This technique won't work for everyone, of course; if you run a butcher's, there's little chance of people wanting to hang around all day and chatter! All the same, a little customer service goes a long way; the personal touch is something that people appreciate hugely. A bookstore owner who remembers customer's names and preferences can recommend them something they'll probably enjoy the next time they come in, and that person will then feel great about helping that business out.

Make It Honest

As with all advertising, it's important not to make grandiose claims that nobody can live up to. There's more than one way to achieve this; you can stick to facts ("serving our community since 1987"), highlight something unique to your business ("the home of the original Patty's Persimmon Pie") or even make a joke ("Probably the best hardware store in Bayswater!"). The latter technique is especially effective, when done right--people appreciate a dash of humour, and they're far more likely to want to display something in their car if it makes them chuckle.

Make It Free

People are smart, and they understand the principles of brand advertisement already. Don't expect them to pay to do this--offer your car stickers for free with every purchase, and pack them up with everything else as an extra personal touch. They do cost money to produce, but if you buy in bulk you'll make it back out of your profit margins--and the benefit of digital printing is that it keeps cost down and volume up.

As one part of a larger advertising scheme, digitally printed vehicle signage can be an amazing way to monetise every sale you make. If you want to use your customers in this way, though, you'll need to give them something back--and a great service helps both of you out.

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