Startups love stickers. Wait – no – everyone loves stickers. But for a startup, stickers represent a fun way to create brand ambassadors that passively spread the word about their growing business. What’s not to like?
“Stickers are great,” says Edwin Ortiz, founder of Luncher, a Bentonville-based food delivery startup. You can find his yellow stickers, which resemble a location marker with a takeout box in the center, all over Northwest Arkansas.
“We love them because they are a nostalgic, non-committal way to support something,” he says. “They are like temporary tattoos for adults that are widely accepted.”
If someone is offered a sticker, they’re going to take it. At tradeshows, festivals, workshops, and anything in between, if there are stickers, we’ll grab them. So, it’s no wonder why startups with limited marketing budgets opt for awesome stickers as a way to reach potential customers.
“It’s really cost-effective,” Edwin says. “And it’s a fun way to get brand recognition. It also feels so good to see people with a sticker of your logo on their laptop of a phone case, it’s almost like an endorsement without the cheesy speech.”
And in some circles, stickers are like currency, says Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, founder of the outdoor clothing company LIVSN. “We hand them out freely because they inevitably end up on things like water bottles, computers, and coolers. It’s great brand placement for us as our logo is usually next to our established peers in the market.”
Stickers helped Andrew and LIVSN successfully build a fanbase before they had sold their first article of clothing.
“Stickers were the chief tool we used to build our email list to 13k people before our Kickstarter launch,” he says. “We mailed a free sticker to each person who signed up.”
Want to create a brand people love? Well, first, you need to validate your idea and generate a little demand. But then you should get stickers. It’s creative marketing for almost any budget.
“Stickers are a fast and easy way to promote your business, brand or event without having to tie up a ton of marketing budget,” says Chris Russo, VP at Sticker Mule. Sticker Mule is an international giant in the sticker game that just so happens to ship a bottle of hot sauce – correction – mule sauce, with your first big order.
“Things change fast at startup companies, so if they decide to run with a different marketing initiative, it’s super easy to switch designs,” he adds. “Our stickers go anywhere and last forever. Even a small budget can make a big impact when their stickers are seen around town on everything from cars to water bottles to laptops and shared on social media.”
Chris has seen a lot of stickers. Too many to count. And he’s not telling which one’s are his favorite. “We have so many talented and creative customers; it’s impossible to answer and different for everyone,” he says.
He believes stickers are an excellent option for startups, not just because of the cost, but also because of the time it takes.
“We believe that the thing our customers value most is their time,” Chris says. “Wasting time sucks. That’s why we relentlessly focus on making it fast and easy to order custom products. Order in seconds and get your products in days. Free proofs, free artwork help, free shipping, and fast turnaround are why people love us.”
The hot sauce doesn’t hurt, either.
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