When many people think about marketing, they think of a few things: large custom signs, ads in papers or magazines, or online ads. There’s a place for all three of these in most marketing campaigns, of course, but all three do have limits. People need to go past the location of your signs, read the publication your ad is in, or visit the website that has your ads on it. Even with ads that appear based on the user’s search history, the user has to have searched or interacted with content similar to what you’re advertising.
There are some marketing tools that don’t have these limitations. Custom stickers and decals, for example, are unique in that they’re not limited to a specific place or even a specific publication. While stickers do have a few limitations, they can get your brand out there in ways that other marketing tools don’t. By adding them to your marketing campaign, you can increase your reach.
Stickers fit into some campaigns better than in others. Here are some of the best marketing campaigns you can run using custom stickers and how TNT Signs can help you create the best stickers and decals for them.
The Benefits of Stickers
Stickers can do a lot for your marketing campaigns since they are fairly versatile. You can print just about anything on them. Basic stickers may simply have your business name and logo, but there’s no reason you have to create such plain-looking decals. You can use graphics, colors, and add any text you like. Of course, you’ll want to make sure the finished sticker looks good and conveys the message you want.
There are a few ways you can use stickers. You can give them away to your customers. This can be very beneficial because your customers are free to put them wherever they want. They could put a sticker on a folder, a binder, their laptop, or any other place where it will adhere to the material. You never know who will see the sticker and ask about it or visit your store or website. This is a great way to get your brand in front of people who may never see it otherwise.
You can also use stickers yourself to add your brand or logo to products or packaging. In some cases, this is more budget-friendly. For example, you could order paper bags with your brand on them, or you could order plain bags and put custom stickers on them. The second option may be much more affordable, and the only trade-off is that you have to put the stickers on the bags yourself.
Another use for stickers is putting them on products. This lets you add your brand to packaging, of course, but you can also use stickers to indicate sales or special items. You can use stickers to indicate when you made baked goods, new products, or anything else you want your customers to know.
Marketing Campaigns Aimed at Kids
Stickers can be a great little free gift for kids. If you sell products aimed at children and families, you can hand out stickers with bright colors and your logo. You may even want to design a logo that’s colorful and that kids will like.
Kids may not necessarily want stickers that just have a company name on them, so get creative. You can create a fun mascot for your brand or use images that relate to the products you offer. Think about something kids would put on books or other items. Of course, you want your brand name on there somewhere so that you’re marketing to other kids and their parents.
Campaigns with a Simple Message or Image
Complex images, graphics, and text can work on stickers, but it can also be a lot to pack into a two by two square or other small space. Few stickers are over a couple of inches, so whatever you use needs to look good and be clear even at a small size.
Because of the limited about of space you have to work with, a very simple design is often the way to go with stickers. A design with a basic image or graphic along with a few words or a single line of text often is the most effective. People should be able to look at the sticker and quickly get an idea of what you’re advertising. While it may be tempting to shrink down your large banner or billboard design, those were made with a much larger canvas in mind. While the design might be perfect for a six foot banner, it may be much too cramped when shrunk to a two inch sticker.
Creative Campaigns
While stickers can certainly have a place in traditional marketing campaigns, they work very well for those who are looking to do something a little different. For example, when a TV station in New Zealand was going to show Batman Begins for the first time, they printed up bat stickers and placed them on ambient lights at a local shopping center. These lights shined straight up, so with the sticker, it looked like the bat signal from the movie. This was much more effective than simply hanging signs. The bat stickers had another sticker placed next to the light that contained more information about the broadcast.
You can use stickers in incredibly creative ways. Other campaigns have used stickers to cover manholes, put them on eggs, and even added them to other posters and ads. Any time you can get creative with the sticker’s design or with where it’s placed, you’re sure to stand out. Think outside the box and get creative!
Guerilla Marketing Campaigns
Guerilla marketing is another non-traditional method of marketing. Typically, these campaigns have fairly small budgets, which means they’re great for small or new businesses. Most work by printing up stickers and then placing them in unexpected places. For example, they could be added to mirrors in a public bathroom, stuck on the side of buildings, or put on fire hydrants. You could even partner with other businesses. For example, if you run a summer sports program, you might partner with a local pizza place. You could put stickers on some of their salt shakers in return for using them for any pizza parties you have.
Partnering with other businesses, as long as they aren’t direct competitors, can be a great way of boosting your reach. Sometimes it’s as simple as exchanging stickers with your partner. Other times, you might put your stickers on items the other business offers or vice versa.
These types of campaigns are great for artists, bands, and companies that aren’t exactly mainstream. They’re not huge marketing campaigns, but they can generate amazing word of mouth. People who find your stickers may feel like they’re finding a hidden treasure or that they know something others don’t. That can drive a product, service, or event just as much as a giant marketing campaign.
Call to Action Campaigns
Stickers can be a great way of promoting a call to action. This is one way you can use stickers in your own store or office. If you want to get people to sign up for your mailing list, for example, you could add stickers reminding customers to do just that to your products. You could promote an upcoming sale or product launch the same way.
For those offering services, you can add stickers to the bottom of an invoice or receipt. This way, you don’t have to create new paperwork or templates that you’ll only use for a short time. You can use your standard invoice or receipt layout, just add a sticker to any open space. It’s another way that using stickers can help you save time and money.
Where Can You Get Great Stickers?
When it comes to custom stickers, there is a very wide range of quality. Some stickers are very cheap and will barely stick to things. Others may use poor-quality ink or be printed on paper that’s so thin it easily rips.
You don’t want to use any of those stickers in your campaigns. Instead, you want stickers and decals made from high-quality materials that will adhere to a good number of surfaces. That’s why you need to work with an expert in printing. TNT Signs is one such expert in the Santa Rosa area. Our team will work with you to create amazing stickers and decals that will look great and stick to many different surfaces. We can even assist you with the design of these stickers if you need us to.
In addition to stickers and decals, TNT Signs can also help you create custom signs and banners, POP displays, vehicle wraps, and more. Whether you only need a few signs and already have a design or want an entire run of marketing materials and need help creating them, we’re here for you. Contact TNT Signs today to learn more or to get started on a project.