In the last decade evolving technologies have created an increasingly competitive market place for custom roll labels and outdoor vinyl stickers. As one of the early pioneers in online sticker sales, Websticker, believes that with the flood of new sticker companies has come a sacrifice in quality, service, and, the core purpose of creating stickers in the first place, marketing value.
Websticker, a division of Freely Creative, Inc. Is celebrating it’s 25th year as a sticker marketing company. We were on-line selling stickers before Google existed and long before all of the printers currently on page-one of search results for “custom stickers”. There are a few important things buyers should understand about the current state of sticker production and buying.
One seldom mentioned attribute of most stickers sold on-line is that they are not of the highest quality. Though new printing technologies have allowed for more automation and more start-ups jumping into the industry, the fact is the quality of the stickers still can not match the durability and vibrancy of old school, screen printing. Just because it’s new, doesn’t always mean it’s better.
What buyers seldom think about is that what these printers are really selling is a platform for convenient, digital printing. And, while there definitely is a place for that, it misses one essential truth – stickers are an incredible marketing tool for businesses, not just a commodity.
At our core, Websticker is a marketing firm. Though we could further automate our processes we don’t believe this is the best way to design and create effective marketing products. While most of the new sticker companies focus on scalability and profit through technology, Websticker focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the product itself for individual businesses.
For some people speed and price is more important than quality and effectiveness, but for most businesses, a human touch is preferred. There are reasons marketing and advertising firms are not automated. People listen. People are creative. People are problem solvers. People can optimize solutions, campaigns and products for specific needs.
Just as Freely Creative, Inc. reinvented itself in 1997 with the launch of Websticker. the Company is once again differentiating itself and it’s unique advantage as a sticker marketing and production company. We have launched a completely revamped Websticker website, and I published the first book ever, Stick This!, about effectively promoting (anything) with stickers. A copy of the book is available free to non-profits and marketing professionals (just ask).
The book, and our business is about relationships and effective marketing tools. Effective stickers are word of mouth, off-line social media, personal badges, endorsements, profitable products… so, we believe quality people and quality products, not systems and automation, should be at the heart of a sticker business. Clients agree, it definitely is at the heart of Websticker.
