(Read Time: 5 Minutes)
I gotta laugh…
You see, sometimes I am completely at a loss for words when I see a personal trainer or fitness business owner with some crappy vinyl decals on their car trying to attract clients.
What are these guys (and gals!) thinking?
So, for the last few weeks, I made sure to take some pictures of some good examples of how this sort of branding and marketing should be done if you are going to attempt it at all.
Oh, and I also threw in an absolutely hilarious picture that just cracked me up.
Do’s and Dont’s for Fitness Business Decals
Let’s go over some do’s and dont’s before I get into the pictures, of why you should and shouldn’t put decals on your car to try and attract business and use it as a lead generating tool.
The reasons why you SHOULD consider some vinyl decals:
- You have an awesome vehicle that properly reflects your brand
- You have 2 vehicles and use one for business and one for pleasure
- If you DON’T have 2 vehicles, then you don’t mind driving around with your car plastered with advertising
- You have a very memorable domain name, phone number or company name
- You can make it very clear what you target niche, audience and demographic is quickly
- You are doing a bunch of other free and paid advertising for your fitness business and this is just one more spoke in your wheel, not your whole wad
The reasons why you SHOULD NOT consider some vinyl decals:
- You have a crappy vehicle that should be driven off the nearest cliff, let alone used for a marketing campaign
- Doing so would cheapen your brand or standing with your target audience in some way
- Your company brand name or domain name is REAAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYYY long, hard to remember or just not conducive to a quick glance from another driver to be memorable
- Your target audience and niche would not be easily identifiable by taking one look at your decals
- Your fitness business isn’t yet listed on Google Local or Google AdWords, you aren’t in all of the major directories, aren’t using Craigslist, or have somehow skipped over way more impactful and immediate forms of marketing
Now the Fun Stuff
Now that the formalities are out of the way, we get to have some fun looking at some pictures of the good, the bad and the just plain ugly!
Let’s start with the Bad ==>
Umm...yeah...this isn't a good example of anything, hey at least they have a phone number to call!
If you want to rest in paradise, based on the quality of this guy's decal, you know you're in good hands...
Now let’s look at the GOOD ==>
The only problem is that the domain name is not EASY to remember, but the color scheme and look are very professonal and nice.
The WINNER ==>
This guy killed it, and is one of the BEST examples of using decals and vinyl advertising on your car I've ever seen a personal trainer use.
Look at the color scheme, the brand of vehicle and the name of his business! Then read through the services he provides. Genious and perfectly matched to the brand of vehicle, color scheme and perfectly targeted for his audience. This is A+ work here.
The UGLY…and FUNNY ==>
It wouldn’t be a good day without something to laugh at…check this out:
This cracked me up for days!! Love it.
The Bottom Line:
As you can see from the pictures above, there is a big difference between just slapping on some vinyl decals on your car or truck to attract personal training clients, and actually taking the time to plan out your marketing strategy and create a cohesive plan of attack to brand your business and make your specific advertisement memorable and help you get leads.
I know it can be pretty exciting and seem cool to put your advertising on every single piece of stuff you own, but just remember that you are ALWAYS marketing yourself and branding your business.
When you are training clients in the gym, you are branding your business.
When you choose what clothes to wear, you are branding your business.
When your body looks a certain way, you are branding your business.
For better or for worse, remember that people are always watching you and everything you do, even the food you are eating when you are not training clients!
Just make sure that if you are going to drive around town training clients and have people notice you, they are noticing you for the right reasons and because you have kick-ass vinyl decals on your car or truck specifically branded to help your fitness business attract leads, and not turn them off!