I’ve been in the custom sticker business a long time, and there is nothing more discouraging then seeing stickers for promotion designed and used as a throw away item instead of the awesome marketing tools they are. The purpose of promotional stickers is to promote – to increase exposure, strengthen connections, and raise sales/funds.
To properly execute these goals custom promotional stickers need to be a gift that connects with your target market. Let’s repeat that, promotional stickers need to be a Gift that connects with your target market. Good info to know when working towards your marketing goals. If it is difficult to get your stickers (gifts) into the hands of your potential or current customers, if you are not maximizing their effectiveness.
Step 1 is to develop a strong sticker design that resonates with your people and prospects.
Step 2 is to avoid mistakes when ordering and get the right promotional stickers for the job.
Step 3… Distribution is what I want to focus on in this post. If you want your custom stickers for promotions to increase your exposure and thus impressions (of course you do) the stickers need to be accessible and available to anyone who wants one (or two). Don’t keep your stickers a secret or be stingy with their distribution. Make your custom stickers a gift to your market. Some sticker distribution tips…
• Put them in locations where they can be seen and picked up.
• Show them off on your social media and let people know how to get them. Reward people that help you show them off.
• If you give them away on a sheet or send as a postcard sticker, make sure you are clear that they are stickers and tell them what you want them to do with them. Encourage the display of the promotional stickers
• If you are mailing stickers for promotions make sure that you label the envelope to say “free sticker inside” (or something similar). This will not only increase open rates but also increase response rates. It is a painful waste for mail and stickers to be thrown out before recipient even has a chance to check out your (hopefully) awesome sticker gift.
The cost per impression on stickers designed properly is extremely low. Maximize the exposure by distributing freely and deliberately. If you want to have promotional stickers that you charge money for, produce a sticker of a higher value. But, don’t skip also having strong custom stickers for promotion for widespread, free distribution.
The more you give, the more you will get in the way of connections, good will, word of mouth, mini-billboard exposure, etc. No one can appreciate the gift of your stickers if they don’t know you’ve offered it to them. Be proud, be clear, be generous and enjoy the marketing rewards of stickers used as a low-cost promotional tool.
Jeff Nicholson is the founder and Creative Director at 
