Have you been reading about branding but are desperately searching for some hands-on advice? Maybe you even find the concept of branding a little too abstract? Or you simply want to explore alternative options to brand your business?
We will try to clear all the ambiguities you have come across and give you some actionable advice on how you can incorporate branding into your day-to-day business using custom stickers.
Yes, you read that right. The little adhesive-backed pieces of paper of plastic that you might have collected as a child or see as magazine inlays. In this article, you can find ways to benefit from these marketing powerhouses and generate brand exposure.
But before we jump in, let us look at what branding even means. Mary Neumeier, an expert in the field of branding, states: “a brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization” (Source).
What this tells us is that branding is very much a subconscious process. We cannot engineer or control a gut feeling. You can, however, focus on creating the most amazing purchasing experience and a great overall product. If this is delivered consistently, positive emotions will be associated with your product and services. These emotions will influence future purchase decisions and, over time, ignite that gut feeling.
This feeling includes much more than logos and color schemes or what can be measured in spreadsheets. It refers to your entire business: your values, the way these are presented, the promises you keep and investments you make.
You want to ensure that every step of the purchasing process becomes a brand interaction, so eventually, this positive feeling will be directly linked to your brand. Keep reading to learn exactly how stickers can help you achieve that.
1. A low-cost option
You do not need a huge budget to brand your business and products successfully. Especially when you order them in bulk, stickers usually come to only a few pennies per sticker. This makes them a great option for startups and small businesses.
It allows you to brand every step of the post-purchase experience. Since the rise of social media, this part of the purchasing process has become increasingly highlighted. A quick search for unboxing on Google results in 123,000,000 hits. This shows that your branding efforts have to reach beyond the point of sale.
Beautiful and thoughtful packaging will be noticed by your customers and not only represents your brand, but can even set you apart from your competitors. Stickers are an amazing way to elevate your product’s packaging.
They are incredibly versatile and can be used to seal your packaging or brand your products with die cut labels, which you can find right here: LINK. Using stickers allows you to bulk buy cardboard boxes, jars or mailers, which lowers the overall cost of your packaging.
2. Communicate your values
There are plenty of sticker-options out there. While this can be a little confusing, especially when you are just getting started with sticker marketing, you can use these different materials to represent your brand.
At the most basic level, we can distinguish between two types of stickers: paper and vinyl. Paper stickers are the ideal choice for short-term indoor uses like branding of cardboard boxes or labelling products that will not come in contact with water. Paper stickers are also compostable, which is perfect for environmentally conscious brands. Some sticker printers also offer bioplastics which are great compostable alternatives to traditional transparent stickers.
Vinyl stickers, on the other hand, are more resistant to water, sunlight and scratches and therefore last longer. These are usually available in many different effects that can help you communicate your product’s high, luxurious quality to your customers. They also elevate plain packaging materials and create a really eye-catching effect.
3. Tap into their secret power
Since stickers are super cost-effective, they can easily be added as a freebie to all orders or purchases. This makes them ideal for giveaways, event handouts or even social media PR packages.
This is where you can really reap the rewards of sticker marketing. When given in the right moment, stickers are not seen as a marketing tool. Instead, they are perceived as a gift. The giving of gifts has long been an established part of advertising. Gifts not only evoke positive emotions, but they evoke a psychological process.
The receiver of the gift feels the subconscious need to reciprocate and return the favor. In this scenario, this can entail a purchase, a recommendation or even a post on social media.
It is amazing how many positive emotions can be created through a simple sticker. These associations also increase the likelihood of your customers actually applying your logo stickers and using them as phone or laptop stickers. Through this, you can turn your existing customer base into loyal brand ambassadors who will generate exposure for your brand.
And that’s a wrap! We hope you found these tips helpful and are ready to give stickers a try. If you do or have any questions at all, we would love to hear from you in the comments below.
