Every business owner realizes the importance of marketing to expand their customer base, extend their reach and enhance their overall business potential. But with the myriad of marketing options available, it’s easy to overlook one of the most simple and effective tools available: stickers.
Simple But Effective
That’s right. Believe it or not, stickers have proven to be highly effective methods for spreading the word about a company or product. For decades, stickers have been used successfully to establish brands, build companies, promote products and even elect politicians.
Stickers or decals can be used to give you the edge in advertising. They are an inexpensive way to start conversations and increase exposure for your company. They create long-lasting impressions that literally “stick around” where other methods may be forgotten. And unlike many other forms of advertising that feel like an interruption, stickers provide a low cost, effective way for businesses to improve their marketing efforts.
Benefits of Advertising with Stickers
Here are several reasons why you should consider this powerful, low-cost marketing option for your own business, club, or event.
- They can be used everywhere. Stickers are not limited to silly slogans that appear on car bumpers. In fact, promotional stickers of all kinds, shapes and sizes are being used on nearly any personal possession. People are putting stickers on things like water bottles, laptops, cell phones, binders, signs, toolboxes, equipment and much more. Anywhere and everywhere becomes a potential marketing spot for your sticker. And many of these items are carried about on a daily basis, creating a continuous form of mobile exposure for your business.
- Improved word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth advertising is incredibly powerful. In fact, studies have shown that word-of-mouth recommendations are trusted 90% of the time when they come from people we know. Stickers are a super easy way to create additional opportunities for personal discussion and to leverage word-of-mouth advertising to even greater advantage.
- A welcome “gift.” When stickers are given out (or even mailed), they have a higher perceived value than other promotional methods. Sticker are often viewed more as a gift than as “advertising,” give them a more positive influence. Also people tend to keep stickers longer than other forms of promotional advertising, giving you more value for your advertising dollar.
- Better packaging. If you do business online, ship products, or even when you mail invoices, stickers can silently promote your business. Using colorful or clever stickers on packages, you can enhance marketing potential and take advantage of another opportunity to get your business or product name in front of people.
- Inexpensive branding. Stickers are an inexpensive way to brand products and serviced equipment. Take the initiative to spread your message in a tasteful and effective way by applying stickers to items whenever possible.
- Compliment other marketing efforts. Stickers don’t have to be used as a stand-alone effort. Exchange free stickers for email addresses to help build an online marketing database. Express opinions and start online conversations in social media by giving away stickers to engage fans and customers. Improve the open rate of direct mail campaigns using stickers. Successful or interesting sticker campaigns can generate excellent PR for your company.
- Get paid to advertise. Most businesses choose to use stickers as free give away promotional items or something similar. But some have successfully offered unique stickers for sale, allowing them to make a profit while continuing to benefit from the advertising. Of course, stickers offered for sale typically need something more than just a company name, but the possibilities are endless. And who wouldn’t want to get paid to advertise their own company?
Plan for Success
The simple power and appeal of stickers is due, in large part, to the fact they are not perceived as advertising at all. When they are displayed, stickers are like personal endorsements or even badges of support for a message, product or organization. Stickers can be used in a number of ways to strengthen that bond and encourage people to spread the word.
Like any form of marketing or advertising, using stickers to your best advantage requires proper planning, design and execution. Since marketing is ultimately about relationships, it’s important to communicate what makes you unique. Think concretely about what value you offer, who will benefit from your products or services and those who are willing to support you.