Are You Guilty of Using a “Pass and Pray” Sticker Distribution Method?

There are really two steps when it comes to sticker distribution as a part of your marketing plan. The first step is designing the sticker. It’s important to design a sticker that accurately represents your brand. That means that the colors/imagery need to be consistent with all other branding efforts. It doesn’t really make sense to give out purple stickers if your logo is yellow! This consistency across channels is what is going to enhance your brand recognition over time.

The second step is developing a strategy. This is where so many companies miss out on opportunities. They know that they want stickers and then once they receive the shipment they simply think, “OK, let’s start handing them out!” Unfortunately “just handing them out” isn’t really a strategy. We call this the “pass and pray” method. Why? Because once you pass out the sticker all you’re really left to do is pray that the recipient chooses to use the sticker for its intended purpose- to stick it on something! (And preferably, on something visible!)

Stickers are the most powerful when they are displayed willingly by recipients in prominent places, where others are likely to see it. Perfect examples are stickers people put on their cars or on other important personal property like snowboards and laptops. These stickers turn into endorsements. Others know that the person showing off the sticker supports that company or brand. Of course, this needs to happen naturally. You can’t force someone to place a sticker on their personal property. But what you can do is gently encourage it. This is where your strategy comes into play.

Here are a few suggestions to encourage people to display your sticker:

Turn it into a contest
People love contests and they love free stuff! If you plan on distributing stickers at the next event or trade show that you attend, tell people that you’ll randomly select someone who is displaying your sticker at some point in the day and they’ll win a prize. There’s a good chance that by implementing this strategy the event will be filled with people wearing your sticker!

Offer options
There are plenty of different options when it comes to sticker design. Why not invest in more than one? Maybe someone doesn’t want to display a large bumper sticker, but they’d be more likely to show off something small.

Just ask
There’s no harm in giving someone a sticker and directly asking them to do something with it. Sure, some people will say no, but there are plenty that will say yes! It really never hurts to ask.

Sticker distribution is just like any other marketing strategy. You need to go in with a plan! The end goal is to get the stickers displayed. Simply “passing and praying” isn’t going to get you too far.