What information would help you decide on a suitable company?

[simpson7647]

Hi all,

Just after a quick few seconds of your time for some customer research - if you were looking to chose a company to install vinyl lettering (vehicle signage) onto your van - what factors would you look into when deciding on the most suitable company?

A few that jump straight out are the likes of :

- Their location, quality of work / guarentees, reviews and previous work, cost.. but what do each of you personally think is most important?

Thanks,

 

[LowPrices.uk]

YouTube video demonstrating work being done and quality of work.

If possible, get another YouTube video of testimonials from customers, showing work, so the customer can be sure testimonials are genuine.

 

[fisicx]

Location before everything else then reviews. Need images. If they don't have picture of their work (with close ups) then I'm not even going to pick up the phone.

Cost is not that important (except to avoid the cheapest)

 

[simpson7647]

Thank you both for your replies - much appreciated.

We would also appreciate the input of others.

Thanks again,

 

[LowPrices.uk]

Cost is something I will need to get an idea of first, it has to be reasonable and not excessive.

Photos of the staff in branded uniform on the website will help.

 

[ethical PR]

For me I would want a website with examples of work and recommendations. Would want to know what sort of clients you work with and how established your company is.

And costs and timescales for work to be carried out.

Have absolutely no interest in whether your staff wear branded uniforms nor do I have an overwhelming urge to see photos of them

 

[fisicx]

And costs and timescales for work to be carried out.

Is the location not of interest? No point in a great website and low costs if the workshop is 200 miles away.

 

[CloudAccountantcouk]

A good website with a large gallery of previous jobs. Would also help if your own vans and cars were impressively done. If you can do jobs at clients premises or collect would be good and make location less important. Appearing at top of Google for searches local to your area would be ideal too.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

When I look at business expenditure, I look at the ROI. So I'd probably want you to show me where the value is in your product. Proof that a vinyl sign on the side of my car/van actually brings in business...

 

[ethical PR]

Is the location not of interest? No point in a great website and low costs if the workshop is 200 miles away.

Yes of course - sorry thought that would be self evident.

 

[Dan Angell-Collins]

In my experience vehicle graphics can look amazing if done correctly however they can look cheap, nasty and off putting if applied/designed badly!

I would expect to see a professional looking website with examples of their work and staff in some form of uniform. I'd want to know that the business has been running for a while and is 'reputable'. Location is fairly important but I would suggest that quality of work and what guarantee is offered with the work would overcome some geographical boundaries. Ideally you would pick a company that has some review or feedback from a larger company as this would indicate what the quality of the work is like. Also do they offer a design service and some idea of what it will look like before you agree to have it done?

Hope this helps.

Dan

 

[AllUpHere]

I'd want to know (especially if they were designing as well as installing) that they understood how important it is to write a van based on getting a return for the client. A lot seem to think the fancier the wrap the better the design. This is rarely the case.

The companies I have used now recommend that their clients speak to me before getting their vehicle done, so that it can be carried out in line with a decent marketing strategy. This gives the sign writers an advantage over the competition, and gives their clients a much better return on their investment. Everyone's a winner.

 

[simpson7647]

Thanks all for the replies - anyone else have any input for this?

 

[M-CLEAN UK LTD]

I see the need to show current works, not just works done.

It's great that the service provider have done the best works ever but if it was the only job they have done and ten years ago then you might not be in the best hands.

Rob

 

[Room4 Media]

Video testimonials of real persons describing their experience are the best. People are not just interested in the final product, but also the experience. Keep video testimonials short. You can also ask clients to record them on their webcam. If it looks amateur it make look more authentic and not set up.

 

[fisicx]

Have you tested this? If you presented me with a page of video clips I'd not be engaged at all.

 

[Aileen B]

A few people have mentioned video. Personally I couldn't give two hoots about video, I'd just skip them because I'd rather read quickly therefore be able to skim to important parts.
What I'm trying to say is, if you have testimonial videos be sure to have text testimonials too, which is also good for search engines.

 

[DavidWH]

On a side note, ever thought about the companies facilities?

There are companies who still install graphics in multistorey carparks, in their garden and at the side of the road. (Some large franchises too!)

In torrential rain, or when the meter is about to run out, doing it right tends to slip the mind.

 

[John Caines]

On your professional website I want to see:-

Geographical area you cover.
Examples of your work with the cost and average lead time.
Phone number.
Testimonials.

I don't want

Bloody videos, if I want to watch a video I'll rent a film.
To have to hunt for the area you cover.
Flashy graphics, music etc.
Pictures of you or your staff, your not Hooters
I don't need you to sell me your product, I know I want signage which is why I'm on your website. Sure explain why you are better, not why I need the product.

Basically all the basic information (area, what you do, price etc) should be on the landing page.

 

[The Byre]

On your professional website I want to see:-

Geographical area you cover.
Examples of your work with the cost and average lead time.
Phone number.
Testimonials.

I don't want

Bloody videos, if I want to watch a video I'll rent a film.
To have to hunt for the area you cover.
Flashy graphics, music etc.
Pictures of you or your staff, your not Hooters
I don't need you to sell me your product, I know I want signage which is why I'm on your website. Sure explain why you are better, not why I need the product.

Basically all the basic information (area, what you do, price etc) should be on the landing page.

This and possibly a design service.

 

[Maxwell83]

On your professional website I want to see:-

Geographical area you cover.
Examples of your work with the cost and average lead time.
Phone number.
Testimonials.

I don't want

Bloody videos, if I want to watch a video I'll rent a film.
To have to hunt for the area you cover.
Flashy graphics, music etc.
Pictures of you or your staff, your not Hooters
I don't need you to sell me your product, I know I want signage which is why I'm on your website. Sure explain why you are better, not why I need the product.

Basically all the basic information (area, what you do, price etc) should be on the landing page.

That would basically be my list too.

 

[Room4 Media]

From A/B split tests we made, we found out that users prefer to enter in a website and watch a 60 seconds video that has all the information rather than reading text. Especially mobile phone users.

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

From A/B split tests we made, we found out that users prefer to enter in a website and watch a 60 seconds video that has all the information rather than reading text. Especially mobile phone users.

Really? That surprises me.

 

[John Caines]

From A/B split tests we made, we found out that users prefer to enter in a website and watch a 60 seconds video that has all the information rather than reading text. Especially mobile phone users.

Personally I doubt it. Videos use up to much mobile data, if there's a auto start video I leave that website immediately.

Be interesting to see how you did your split testing, what sort of websites, target market etc. After all it's easy enough to get the results you want if ask the right questions!

 

[fisicx]

From A/B split tests we made, we found out that users prefer to enter in a website and watch a 60 seconds video that has all the information rather than reading text. Especially mobile phone users.

Really? How come your tests are at variance to all other research. I'm not suggesting video doesn't have its uses but as information source text nearly always outperforms video.

 

[The Byre]

I'm not suggesting video doesn't have its uses but as information source text nearly always outperforms video.

One of the reasons for that, is that every product video I have ever seen is badly made. They meander about the subject, look at the damn thing, state the blindingly obvious and take far, far, far too long. I had to watch a video for a garlic crusher yesterday - it lasted two minutes! Two minutes for a garlic crusher?

It made every mistake in the book, the guy told me that it was a garlic crusher (wow!) and then proceeded to show me how to peel the garlic (guess what - I know how to peel garlic - I can do an entire garlic in ten seconds, which was 20 seconds faster than the knucklehead in that video) and then it showed him crushing not one garlic clove, but three. He then proceeded to point at the damn thing and discuss it.

That video should have shown him putting in the clove (three seconds) crushing said clove (five seconds) knocking out the crushed clove and rinsing the crusher and holding it up, cleaned (seven seconds) followed by the message (five seconds). The whole nonsense should have lasted 20 seconds - not two minutes!

Instruction and product videos do have their place, but for pity's sake, get to the point in the MINIMUM time. Light the damn thing properly, use proper grips like dollies and jibs and a decent fluid-head and if you put it on your website, put it somewhere, where we know we are going to be confronted by a video.

And last but by no means least - if you feel that you must put it on YouTube, great - but DON'T then use that YouTube play-out on your website. YouTube is often slow and loads poorly, so have your website footage on your server.

 

[HazelC]

When I got my car wrapped I was recommended to three people. I chose the one that was actually furthest away (still in my area but further than the rest), a clean and clear website, and examples of their work. I also looked at their recommendations on Facebook.