Van Signwriting, Boards and Leaflets: Offline Marketing That Works

Not everything is online. Some of the best advertising a trade can do is still physical, because it puts your name in front of the neighbours of the people you are already working for. Here is how to do it well.

Your van

A sign-written van is seen by hundreds of people a day and sits outside each job for days. It is probably the best value advertising you will ever buy. What to put on it:

• Business name, big enough to read from across a road.
• What you do, in two or three words: "Plumbing and Heating".
• Phone number.
• Website.
• Key accreditations, such as Gas Safe or NICEIC, if you hold them.

What to leave off: long lists of every service, clip art and anything in small print. People get three seconds as you drive past. Less is more.

And keep the van clean and parked considerately. It is your shop front.

Site boards

A board outside a job tells the whole street who is doing the work. Ask the customer first. Most are happy to, especially if the job is going well. Leave it up for a week or two after you finish if they will let you. Same rules as the van: name, trade, phone, website.

Business cards

Still worth having. Leave two with every customer: one for them, one to pass on. Stick one on the boiler, the fuse board or inside the kitchen cupboard, so your number is there when something needs looking at in three years.

Leaflets

Blanket leafleting a whole town has a low return. Targeted leafleting works better: when you finish a job, post a card through the twenty nearest doors.

"We have just finished a new roof at number 14. If yours needs looking at while we are in the area, give us a ring."

Neighbours often have the same age of house with the same problems, and they have just watched you do the work.

Workwear

A polo shirt or hoodie with your name on it costs little and makes you look established, in the builders' merchant as much as on the job.

Join it up with online

This is the bit most people miss. Someone who sees your van does not usually ring on the spot. They remember the name and search for it later. If nothing comes up, or what comes up looks neglected, the van did its job and you still lost the customer.

• Make sure searching your business name brings up a complete Google Business Profile with reviews.
• Have a website at the address printed on the van.
• Use the same name, number and logo everywhere, so people recognise you.
• Put a QR code to your reviews page on cards and invoices.

Offline gets you noticed. Online is where people check you out and decide. You need both ends to be in good order, and the online end is the part we handle.