Stickerbeat Blog: Tips, Ideas & Inspiration for Stickers and More
Why the Biggest Companies in the World Use Stickers
The next time you go out for a drive or for a walk, take a moment to look around you. But really look. You’ll find stickers from Apple, Reddit, GoPro, Under Armour and many other large companies all over the place. It’s natural to assume that these large companies have armies of people going around putting these stickers up all over the place. The fact, though, is that in most cases, their customers are the ones putting up these stickers. It’s obvious for the stickers you see on laptops, bike helmets, cars and other personal items, but even those on street poles, walls, and bulletin boards and in other public areas have often been put up by customers. But why would a company like Apple use stickers? After all, they probable have a bigger marketing budget than the GDP of many small countries. They can definitely afford to be more creative, right? Of course. However, the marketing team at Apple is smart enough to use every effective promotional tool at their disposal, including stickers. Stickers Straddle the Fine Line Between Advertising and Gift People perceive stickers differently to most other forms of advertising, and companies like GoPro and Under Armour understand this. If you go on eBay now, you’ll find people selling Under Armour and Apple stickers, among many others. And there are quite a large number of listings, which means that people are buying them. In other words, people value these stickers so much that they are willing to pay for them. So, when a company hands out stickers with their brand, especially a large company that has created a culture around their products, they know those stickers will be perceived as a gift rather than an advertisement. Stickers Act as Validation Apple has built a brand that’s focused on lifestyle and prestige. They’ve built the idea that if you own an Apple product, you are part of an exclusive, prestigious club. Thanks to this positioning, many people buy Apple products precisely for the prestige. And what better way to prove to the world that they are part of this prestigious club than to put up stickers of their favorite brand on their personal items. That’s why you see Apple stickers on people’s cars. They want to be validated as an owner of an Apple product. Apple makes it easy for people to feel validated too. They make sure that with every product you buy, you get two stickers included, which further encourages people to make a statement and show the world they are part of the Apple family. Stickers Put the Decision in the Hands of the Consumer When handing out stickers, you are putting the decision in the hands of your customers. You aren’t telling them to put up the stickers. You aren’t bombarding them with TV ads or billboards. You aren’t interrupting them with flyers. You’re giving them a gift and the decision of what to do with it is theirs. Large companies understand how powerful it is to put the power in the hands of the consumer. By letting them control the situation, you gain a lot more because people want to tell others about this awesome company that makes great products and empowers them. It might not seem like such a big thing but when people are constantly bombarded by ads from external sources, the ability to support their favorite brands when and where they choose is priceless. Instead of being told you should buy this, they’re saying “I choose to buy this brand.” And by putting this power in their hands, it’s guaranteed that others will perceive a brand stickers on someone’s personal items as a personal endorsement. After all, they had to actually put the sticker on their car or on their laptop, which means it was a personal choice. They were in control and others will see it as a glowing recommendation for the brand they are advertising. Stickers Work Online Too In the era of camera phones, people post a ridiculous number of photos online. And when someone receives a free gift of stickers, you’ll often find them taking photos and posting them online, whether it’s a selfie with the sticker, a photo of the product along with the sticker, or even just the stickers themselves. They might want to show the world what an awesome freebie they got, or just to validate that they are part of the in-crowd that purchased the product in question. Regardless of the reason, companies like Apple know that their stickers will not only end up being displayed in the real world, but also online. And they love it even more when those stickers are used creatively and people display their art because it attracts even more eyeballs. Stickers Can Be Used in All Stages of Marketing Stickers are effective whether you’re trying to acquire new customers, keep existing customers, or build loyalty by ensuring an amazing experience. By handing out stickers to prospects, you introduce yourself in a way that provides value, creates an emotional connection and ensures people will want to learn more about your brand. Once you’ve invited people “in”, you can offer higher quality stickers to cement the relationship. You can use stickers to create a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about the same thing, and stickers are the “secret handshake”. When someone has made a purchase, you can include special stickers as a gift, which validate their purchase and their membership in your “special” club. Reddit increased their exposure by plastering their alien stickers all over the place. Once the community started growing, members were putting up the stickers, and now, people are getting tattoos of the alien. The biggest companies in the world know precisely how powerful tickers are, beyond just being cheap compared to other marketing channels. Stickers can be used to build powerful communities, offer validation, and they give people a choice, which is so much more than any other marketing tool can do.
Learn moreHow to Use Stickers to Attract Customers
Customer acquisition is important to every business, no matter how large or small. However, research shows that customer retention is just as important. In fact, it’s often even more important seeing as repeat customers spend more per transaction than new customers, and they also have a much greater lifetime value. Furthermore, they also cost less, which helps your bottom line significantly. The great news is that stickers are a cost-effective way to both attract and retain customers, if you know what you’re doing. So, read on to find out why stickers are so effective and how to use them to improve customer acquisition and retention rates. Why Do Stickers Work So Well? When consumers are being sold to, whether it’s through traditional ads in magazines, on TV, or online, or via direct marketing, promotional articles, or so-called genuine reviews that you can tell from a mile are actually promotional, a massive barrier fraught with dozens of obstacles goes up. Skepticism, distrust, and downright hostility are just some of the issues you have to deal with, which can make acquiring new customers complicated and expensive. People perceive stickers differently, though, even when they are being used as advertisements. As children, we learn to love stickers and see them as rewards and gifts. And most people carry that with them into their adult lives, which is why you see adults with laptops, cars and other personal items covered in stickers. For this reason, when stickers are used as promotional tools, people don’t put up the same barriers. In fact, many feel as if they’ve been given a gift, which makes them more open to doing business with the company that gave them the stickers. How to Make the Most Out of Stickers While you’re already starting out ahead because of the way stickers are perceived, there are a few things you can do to maximize your positive results. Know Your Target Market The first thing you have to do is get to know your target market well. You need to know what they want, what they need, what motivates them, what keeps them up at night and so on. Ideally, create a customer persona, including every little detail, from demographics to their fears and desires. To be able to attract customers, you need to understand them. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to develop sticker designs that will offer value and help build a connection. And that’s the key. Every step you take in your business needs to be focused on your customer, from product development to deciding on the design of your stickers. Decide on a Strategy There are a number of ways you can use stickers to attract customers, depending on your business. For example, if you run a physical store, you can use decals and outdoor stickers, which are large stickers that can be affixed to windows, floor, walls and so on. You can use them to attract foot traffic by piquing people’s curiosity, like an Apple store did with a sticker that mimicked broken glass to advertise the iPod Hi-Fi. People didn’t know what the ad was for until they entered the store, but the broken glass drew them in because people were curious to find out what had happened. TV2 also got creative with outdoor stickers when they launched Batman Begins by placing them on footlight paths so that when the lights were turned on, they shone through the sticker, creating the bat signal. This type of approach can be used by any business looking to increase brand exposure. Then there are the standard stickers that you can hand out to people, which also work for any type of business. They aren’t just great at increasing brand exposure, but they also help create a connection because you are, essentially, giving your prospects a gift. And everyone loves a freebie. Create an Effective Sticker Design Once you’ve decided on the approach, it’s time to consider the design. If you’re going for decals and outdoor stickers to increase brand exposure, you need to step a little outside your comfort zone and come up with something that will stop people in their tracks. If you’re going to be handing out die-cut stickers, you should consider a slightly different approach. While a sticker of your logo is all well and good, if you really want your brand to stick in people’s minds, you should consider a design that entertains, is inspirational, or is useful. For example, a cute kitten meme with your brand and logo off to one side will get more mileage than a sticker of just your logo. Likewise, a calendar will get more attention than a simple photo of your product. Remember when creating the design to take into account everything you’ve learned of your target market, but also consider how you want people to use your stickers. Do you want them to put them up on their refrigerators to glance at all the time and never forget your brand? Then a calendar or a cooking conversion table would be great options. Do you want them to put them on their laptops? Then maybe an inspirational quote might be the way to go. The one thing you need to keep in mind is to make sure that your stickers are offering your prospects value. By offering them value first, you start to build a relationship – you start to earn their trust – and that makes customer acquisition much easier. Don’t Forget Distribution If you’re going the gift sticker route, you have to consider distribution. There are a few avenues you can explore, but they depend on your target market, location and timing. For example, getting someone to hand out stickers during the day in an office building might not be the best approach. Using interruption marketing techniques isn’t a great idea when people are busy thinking about work or hurrying to get to a meeting on time. However, putting a stack of stickers in a stand near the elevator is a much better idea because people will be more likely to pick them up while they’re hanging around, just waiting. On the other hand, giving out stickers in the mall on a Saturday afternoon tends to engender better responses because people are out relaxing and are much more open to a little interruption, especially if they’re getting a gift. The key to attracting and retaining customers is building a strong relationship with them. And stickers are a powerful, cost-effective approach because even a small sticker will be perceived as a gift rather than advertising. If you take things a step further and make it something that your prospects would really love, based on the data you gathered about them when researching your target market, you’ll find that it will the beginning of a beautiful and mutually beneficial friendship.
Learn moreWhy Tattoo Artists Should Use Stickers For Marketing
Designs created by Charmanderchar. Tattoos are becoming more mainstream every day. This trend means, of course, that there are an increasing number of tattoo parlors popping up, which means more competition for you. In this sea of tattoo parlors, you need to find a way to make yours stand out and draw in more customers. Sure, you could buy billboard space in your area, advertise in local publications, or create a site. Well, you should definitely do that last one, no matter what. However, there’s also another way you could market your brand that’s more effective than most, namely by getting custom stickers made. Custom Stickers Showcase Your Talents Convincing someone to let you ink a tattoo on them isn’t all that easy. It’s a design they will have on their bodies for the rest of their lives. So, you need to show them that you’re the perfect artist to do it. Telling them won’t work. They will need to see proof. You can say that they’ll see the quality of your work once they visit your shop, and that’s true. But that means getting them through the door in the first place. Getting stickers made of some of the best tattoos you've inked is a great way to showcase your talents and show people what you can do before they walk through the door. You can hand them out to people in your area, put them up in public places, and give them to your customers as a bonus. That’s the cool thing about stickers. People don’t perceive them as advertising, so when you give someone a couple of stickers, it’ll feel like a gift, which will make them happy. And, of course, happy customers will tell all their friends and family about you. They’ll probably hand out a few stickers, too, further helping to increase the exposure of your brand. Of course, make sure every sticker has at least your website URL on there so people can find you. After all, you never know where a sticker might end up, so it’s essential that you ensure people have a way of getting in touch. You Can Be Just As Creative with Your Campaign As With Your Ink You can also be really creative with stickers, and we’re not talking just about the design. They allow you to advertise in areas and in ways you might not have considered. For example, a tattoo parlor came up with an awesome campaign where they put up stickers of tattoos on mirrors in public restrooms. They were positioned in such a way that people could stand in front of the sticker and see what they’d look like with a tattoo. Now, that’s not only a cool and memorable idea that people will have fun with, but it’s also a great way to get people talking about your brand. Stickers Are Affordable To get the most out of your marketing campaign, you want to get as many of your designs in front of your prospects, and stickers are a great option because they’re affordable. Depending on the quantity you order, die-cut stickers can cost as little as 10 cents a piece. When you consider how many people can end up seeing them, the price is ridiculously low. And even if you order fewer stickers per design so you can advertise more of your tattoos, the price is still extremely low when compared to any other marketing channel. Stickers Have a Long Life When someone puts a sticker on their car or their laptop, or wherever else, those stickers will stay there for years – usually as long as they have the car or laptop. In other words, people will constantly be seeing your brand for years to come. And you don’t have to pay anything for all that exposure. If you also get different stickers made regularly, that’s even more reason for people to display even more of them and get even more exposure for you. Also, don’t forget, that when someone displays your sticker, they are giving you their personal endorsement. In other words, it’s a form of word-of-mouth marketing, which is one of the most powerful ways you can get your brand out there. After all, people are more likely to follow the recommendations of someone they know, and putting up a sticker featuring your tattoo parlor on their personal belongings is definitely a recommendation. Don’t Forget to Use Them Yourself You should be setting a good example, so make sure you’re using your own stickers. Put them on your car, on your laptop, on your tablet and on everything and anything else you own. Turn yourself into a walking advertisement for your tattoo parlor to increase brand exposure as much as possible. And always have some on you to hand out whenever someone expresses interest, whether it’s in your stickers or your tattoos. Even if they just ask what you do, you can hand out a few stickers when you tell them you’re a tattoo artist. As we’ve already said, people really like stickers, so feel free to hand them out to all and sundry. Even if that person doesn’t seem like someone who’d get a tattoo – though you never know nowadays – they could very well have friends or family who’d love one, so don’t miss out on any opportunity to get your stickers in people’s hands. Stickers are a great way to showcase your talents and convince people to visit your shop. They show potential customers that you are a great artist with proof rather than just a clever tagline. They’re also very affordable, which means you can make existing customers even happier by giving them a free gift, and turning them into your advocates. Once they start displaying your stickers, they’ll help increase the exposure of your tattoo parlor, while also giving you their tacit personal endorsement.
Learn more6 Ways to Use Promotional Stickers for Businesses from Stickerbeat
Stickers are a great way to promote your business because most people don’t perceive them as advertising. In fact, most people really like stickers and when you give them one, even if it just features your brand, they’ll consider it a gift rather than an ad. And people like using stickers, which is where the power of this marketing tool comes in. When someone places a sticker featuring your brand on a personal item, they are telling the rest of the world that they support your brand. Few forms of marketing generate the same level of results that word-of-mouth marketing does, which is why stickers are so powerful. Furthermore, when you are giving out stickers to your customers, you are also promoting loyalty. They feel special because you’re giving them a gift, which will endear your brand to them even more. Below, you’ll find a few more ways to effectively promote your business with stickers. Include Fun and Interesting Messages What’s someone more likely to stick on their laptop? A sticker with just your brand on it? Or a sticker with your brand on it that also features a fun, quirky, or even inspirational message? The latter, of course. So, if you want to increase the chances of people using your stickers on their belongings, and getting as many eyeballs on them as possible, get a little more creative than just slapping your brand on them. You could even have stickers printed with blank areas where people could write in their own messages. However, keep in mind that a professionally printed sticker with the message already on there is more likely to get used because it’s more convenient. Give Out Useful Stickers People love stickers, so they’ll put them on everything and anything, as long as they like the brand. But what if those stickers were more than just fun ways to spruce up laptops, phones, cars and more? What if they were actually useful? Well, people would be even more likely to use them. While they might not show up everywhere, you can be sure people will remember your brand even better when the stickers you hand out have a useful purpose. For example, you could print attractive labels for organizational purposes that include your brand. People could use them on everything from their jars to their in and out trays at work. Yes, these stickers wouldn’t be seen by as many people, but they are just as effective at keeping your brand front and center for the person using the sticker. Send Them to Your Customers When sending out orders, always include a few stickers in the package. Not only will customers love the extra little “gift” – that’s what they will perceive it as and not as a promotional tactic – they will also end up handing them out to friends and family, as long as they’re well designed and attractive. So, make sure you don’t miss out on this great opportunity to make your customers feel special, but also to turn them into advocates. And that’s why you should always include more than one sticker in each package. If your business is service oriented, you can still send out stickers with a thank you card to your best customers. They aren’t all that expensive, and neither will the cost of mailing them be all that high. The result will be very grateful customers who feel valued, which will help build loyalty. Put Them on your Packaging Simple packaging is definitely cheaper than getting it specially branded, but it certainly isn’t as effective at promoting brand awareness. Stickers are a great middle ground as they’re much more cost-effective than getting specialty packaging, but they still offer the benefits of more interesting packaging for your customers while promoting your brand. And since stickers can be cut out in a variety of shapes, you can get really creative and get some stunning stickers made that will impress your customers. Spruce Up Those Store-Front Windows Store-front windows are valuable promotional real estate that can be used to great effect with some great quality stickers and decals. Whether you’re running a sale, or simply want to let customers know your opening hours, putting up stickers on your windows is a great way of doing it. So, whenever you have a special offer or get new products in, put stickers in your windows to let people know. It’s just as effective at drawing in foot traffic as having someone standing outside handing out flyers. Put Them on the Floor Floors aren’t often used as advertising space, which is why placing a series of stickers on the ground is such a great way to draw attention. People won’t be able to help but notice something they’re stepping on, so it’s definitely a great way to promote your brand using stickers and decals. Like with any other type of sticker, the more creative you get, the more you’ll draw people in. You can do things like advertising sales out in the parking lot or sidewalk, with arrows pointing to your store, and more. Regardless of where or how you are using these stickers, remember to always include contact details. At the very minimum, you want to have your web address on the sticker. This way, people who see the sticker and want to learn more about your brand don’t have to go to too much effort to do so. On larger stickers, like those you use in shop windows and on floors, you can even include QR codes, which make things even easier. On those types of stickers, also make sure to include a call-to-action. Where smaller stickers that you send out to customers and hand on the street are more about building brand awareness, large stickers or decals should have a call-to-action so you can increase conversion rates. At Stickerbeat, we offer a wide range of high quality stickers that you can use to easily promote your brand. We even offer a free graphic design service so we can help you turn your highly creative idea into reality. So, get in touch and let us help you promote your brand with stickers.
Learn more