Car Magnets!
goldilocksandmy3bears
Registered Users Posts: 423 Major grins
I had an idea to promote my photog business by making magnets to stick to the side of my car... so one of my presents for Christmas from my hubby were these magnets.. now it is up to me to design them. Which one out of the two do you like better (if you don't like either one of them tell me that too please) 
Do you think by saying "specializing in children's photog" is going to hender my publicity? The reason behind the lollipop look is because I use alot of swirly lollipops in my pictures and I'd also like to start using lollipops as sort of a trademark to my photography like after every photo session give the child a swirly lollipop..
(x's are where the phone number goes)
TIA
Court
Do you think by saying "specializing in children's photog" is going to hender my publicity? The reason behind the lollipop look is because I use alot of swirly lollipops in my pictures and I'd also like to start using lollipops as sort of a trademark to my photography like after every photo session give the child a swirly lollipop..(x's are where the phone number goes)
TIA
Court
Courtney
0
Comments
They fall off and get lost...
They also scratch the paint underneath, especially of not 100% clean...
They can also peel the paint off a car....
Again all third hand knowledge, just wanting to pass it on though.
Most states you will have to register your car as a "Commercial vehicle"
Lot of people get these signs, slap them on the car & then wonder why they got hit with hundreds of dollars in fines.
The crime thing concerns me a little, but with a little common sense risks can be minimized. I'd use the magnets when I was in a concentration of folks who might like the things I'd sell. Trains are my thing, so whenever the steam locomotive comes to town or I'm off visiting a museum or tourist railroad, I'd have the magnet on the car. The nice thing about an SUV is that it has a nice large back panel to display a magnet, so even in a parking lot with cars parked side-by-side, I can have the butt end of the car (with the magnet) facing traffic. On road trips, the magnet would be removed long before heading for the motel for the night (which brings up another point -- keep the magnet away from cameras and computers!!!!) so as not to attract unwanted attention. In your case, you might find it useful to have your magnet on your car in places like the mall or the Little League field -- any place moms hang out.
As for motor vehicle laws, I've searched the laws in my state and can't find any requirements for commercial plates on a non-truck. Once again, friends who have gone the magnet route on their personal vehicles (from a variety of states) have never reported running afoul of the law.
It is reported that the average magnet gets 8.5 million impressions (to use an internet advertising term) per year. With a little care, it can't hurt.
Getting back to your original question, I'd go with the second one, although I think I'd opt for a cleaner background. I'm more akin to thinking that one clean graphic along with your text would compete less with the message.
Edit: I did the math on that 8.5 million impressions a year, and that's probably (more than) a bit high. I think if you're in a high traffic area, you might get a half million a year -- a few more than a thousand per day. Still, advertising is a numbers and percentages game. Getting your name out there to the most people will get more contacts.
The Railroad Photographer
www.railroadphotographer.com
( true but the reasons can be not so obvious, first make sure they use a high quality magnetic material. cheaper material has less holding power. the magnets should never be put on in the rain or when the car is wet, what happens the water acts as a lubricant and the magnet may come off driving down the road. )
They also scratch the paint underneath, especially of not 100% clean...
( This is true they should only be put on when the car is clean. )
They can also peel the paint off a car....
( this is also true and more so in the south west but in most cases when this happens the magnets the were put on and never taken off and cleaned. they need to be taken off and cleaned at least once a week if not more. they are meant to be a temporary sign )
As for making it a "Commercial vehicle" this is not normally the case in most states if you register your the vehicle as a "Commercial vehicle" Then you may have to also letter your vehicle but do check to be sure. a few more things to consider, what kind of car do you drive, a couple years ago i did a set of mags for a lady and just as a side note try and talk people out of mags. more on that in a min. anyway that,s what she wanted so i do the layout and everything get them done and she picks them up and few hours later i get a call saying they don't work
come to find out she had a saturn and they have plastic doors. as for having your car broken into i have no advice on this but it is some thing to at least take into consideration. as for it not working as a form of advertising then large company wouldn't do it. i had a massage therapist whom i lettered her car the next day she call and told me she had gotten a call with in a few blocks of picking up her car. she was sitting at a stop light and the lady sitting behind at the light called. now i admit that's not the norm but it does work.
now on to why i try and talk most people out of magnets
magnets have their place what they are is a good temporary sign say for a small contractor he may need the name of his company on his door to get on to a job site. that would be a good reason for mags. in the case of small business that would like to get some more exposure then the best bang for your buck is to have vinyl letters applied to your car, first it looks much more professional and is less likely to damage the car.
hope this has helped.
My Tomestone Will Read : I spent most of my money on Cold Beer, Loose Women, And Fast Bikes, the rest I just Wasted !!!!
Dave.
Good luck.
What I did think about was using some simple images of photos of mine that I thought best represented my work: several individual portraits.
Have them made up using WallHogs, sticking them to a window or two on my Jeep and then simply putting my website URL on the back, or on the photo.
Perhaps the "dumb" thugs would never make the connection. And the smart thugs wouldn't notice.
It's all good so far.
I like the second one best. FWIW- I don't know if there is a commercial vehicle thing here for magnets for me here in NC, or not. But, as to the rest, Never had one fall off or budge (quality), never had one pull paint, and scratching can be kept to a minimum with frequent cleaning. I can tell you that they should be pulled off and wiped dry about once a week or so though, as condensation can get trapped behind them and that'll attract dirt, or can cause rust, if left unchecked. Oh, and the big thing around here is to watch for people stealing them, just for the heck of it.
I do worry about someone stealing my stuff out of it, but try to keep unattended gear to a minimum and hope for the best.
KAW.
www.PhotosbyKW.smugmug.com