As a consumer, I love stickers. Growing up around Southern California’s skateboard culture, I collected cool stickers to slap on the back of my deck. Skating stuck with me, and I never lost my affinity for these promotional items. Stickers to me express a kind of unwavering loyalty to a brand, and that’s exactly the kind of devotion you want to instill in your customers. For this reason, I think stickers work best when given as a free gift. Passing out stickers is a fun way to thank someone for placing an order or visiting a local business. Stickers are one of the least expensive forms of print advertising, but never lose site of your ROI.
Sticker Design Concepts
A successful sticker campaign requires thinking outside the box, which is why stickers are associated with guerrilla marketing tactics. There’s no need to go to advertising extremes, unless that’s your angle. But before you throw your logo on a bunch of boring bumper stickers, think about the campaign objectives. Are you building your brand identity, driving traffic to your website, or trying to boost in-store visits? The point is to let the purpose guide the design process. For a branding promotion, make sure to stay true to your color scheme. Feature your URL prominently or in an unusual way to increase direct web traffic. You may also want to consider creating a dedicated landing page with an incentive attached, such as a coupon code. Address information is important for foot traffic, although a phone number may be better in a confined space. Another option for brick and mortar businesses is to print a large version of the sticker to put on your front window. That way passersby might recognize the image they saw on a signpost down the street.
Fine Design Details
The less is more principle really applies to sticker design. Keep it simple, and consider the little details that will make the piece more effective. For example, choose a shape and size that compliments what you’re trying to accomplish. People are more likely to put a small circular sticker in a public place, which works well for branding campaigns. Adding textures or subtle vintage fading effects brings out your brand’s personality, and makes the item memorable. Just don’t go overboard; stickers should send a single message and be clutter free.
Social media integration
Custom stickers will fit nicely into your social media marketing strategy. The social sphere provides ample opportunities for connecting your digital advertising efforts to the physical world. Encourage your customers to take pictures of the stickers, and tag you in them on Instagram. You might want to use the stickers as part of a Facebook contest to see who can send in the most creative sticker photo. Another idea would be to let fans submit their own designs for a special limited edition sticker print.
Business owners: How do you use stickers in your online and offline marketing campaigns? Graphic designers: Do you have any sticker design tips to share? Tell us in the comments below!
