Promotional Stickers: A Marketing Strategy That Sticks

1. You Have Tons of Options

When many people first think of sticker marketing, they think of rectangular bumper stickers. While these are still a great option for some businesses, they’re definitely not your only option. Today you can get stickers in many different sizes and shapes so they can serve a wide variety of purposes.

It’s now easy to apply stickers to laptops, phone cases, water bottles, and more! This gives you a lot of flexibility when developing your marketing plan.

2. It’s Like Old School Social Media

When people use your stickers, it’s like getting a “like” or a “share” in real life. Much like a billboard, but on a far less expensive level, stickers are an effective way to generate low-cost, ongoing exposure for your brand.

Back before social media became mainstream, people regularly started conversations with things like stickers and buttons. It worked back then, and it continues to work today.

3. Nothing Beats Word-of-Mouth

Many experts would argue that word-of-mouth marketing is the most valuable form of marketing. It’s been proven time and again that people trust recommendations from other people far more than they do advertisements. In fact, a study by Nielsen confirmed that this is true for 92 percent of consumers.

When people use your stickers, they’re essentially providing you with free word-of-mouth marketing. Stickers are simple, inexpensive tools that effectively amplify your marketing strategy.

4. It’s the Anti-Advertising

Traditional advertising is so prominent in every aspect of our lives that it has been met with almost a bit of backlash. Consumers have become so skeptical that thinking outside the box is critical. A study by the American Association of Advertising Agencies found that 96 percent of customers don’t trust ads!

The beauty of stickers is that once they’re placed somewhere they’re not really perceived as advertising. However, they continue to subliminally deliver your brand message and continue to raise your brand awareness.

5. People Love Free Stuff!

Let’s face it, people love free swag, and stickers are a great option! They have a higher perceived value than many other advertising options, like brochures, flyers, or business cards.

They’re also less likely to be thrown away than other promotional items. When you give someone a sticker, it immediately engages them. They’ll start thinking things like:

• “Where should I stick this?”
• “Who could I give this to”
• “I love this place (or brand)”

Once you engage someone, you’ve opened up the door to have a more in-depth conversation. If your sticker has the right message on it, you can also use it as a subtle call-to-action.

6. It’s an Inexpensive Branding Option

Giving away stickers isn’t the only way to use them. This is also an inexpensive way to brand your products. Traditional adhesive stickers are great for upgrading your packaging.

You can also purchase large-format stickers like vinyl lettering and decals to adorn the windows of your location. Small-format window clings added to your vehicle are also an effective and inexpensive way to advertise your business on the go.

When you take this approach, you’re not just relying on others to become advocates for your brand. Always be on the lookout for tasteful and effective ways to use stickers to self-promote your message and your brand.

7. You Can Incorporate Them into Your Master Plan

Although promotional stickers are an excellent marketing tactic on their own, there are also smart ways to incorporate them into your master marketing plan. For example, you could give out stickers in exchange for people’s email or mailing addresses.

You could also give out stickers, then ask people to post photos on social media with a brand-specific hashtag. Include stickers in your direct mailing to improve your response rates. A great sticker campaign can also tie into an extremely effective PR campaign.

Once you start using your imagination, the possibilities are literally endless.

8. They Can Become a Profitable Product

Last but not least, if done right, you can create sticker products that customers are actually willing to pay for. This is particularly effective if you’re already got a retail market or you have a strong niche following. However, this isn’t already necessary.

To successfully market sticker products, you’ll need to come up with some slogans that are likely to resonate with your target market, choose an appealing design, and make sure you choose high-quality materials.

The printing company matters too. You won’t sell many stickers if they look amateur or low-quality. Also, when designing your sticker, make sure you pay attention to the needs and preferences of your intended customer, and not just your own marketing or branding needs.

Since stickers are generally inexpensive, you have room to experiment with a few different designs and see what resonates with your market. Find one that works, and the effort will be well worth it.