You will stumble over the importance of branding everywhere. But what actually does that mean? What is a brand? And how can you communicate your brand to your customers?
In this article, you will not only find answers to these questions, but hands-on advice on how you can elevate your branding using custom-printed stickers.
Yes, stickers! These little adhesive-backed pieces of plastic or paper are real powerhouses and can help you stand out from your competitors and create a beautiful product experience for your customers.
But before we can jump right into the many ways stickers can help you reach your branding goals, we first need to talk about brands.
What is branding?
When we think of brands, most of us will immediately think of a logo. Logos are surely part of branding, however, a brand is much more. According to Marty Neumeier, an expert in the field, “a brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization” (Source).
This feeling includes much more than logos and color schemes or what can be measured in spreadsheets. It refers to your entire business: your values, the way these are presented, the promises you keep and investments you make.
A gut feeling is, of course, hard to control or engineer. However, you can start by actively creating an amazing product and purchase experience. Delivered consistently, this will plant positive associations in a customer’s mind and ensures that your business will hold that print spot when the next purchase is due.
But how exactly can you create such an experience? Particularly small businesses or startups do not have the financial resources to invest in fancy gadgets or giant collaborations. This is exactly where stickers come into play. They are low-cost, yet highly effective.
Keep reading to find out how you can use stickers to brand your products and uncover their secret superpowers.
1. Label your packaging
Unboxing videos have become a social media trend and brought the focus to the post-purchase experience as an essential part of the customer journey.
Beautiful packaging goes a long way and makes your customer feel appreciated, reinforcing that they have made the right choice. Stickers are a great way to elevate your packaging. You can get a stunning design printed onto an effect material, which then allows you to bulk buy plain boxes or mailers, saving you a lot of money.
A simple logo design on a transparent sticker can really make your packaging stand out and generates a coherent unboxing experience.
If your business stands for sustainability, and you are already using recyclable or biodegradable packaging, make sure you choose an equally sustainable sticker. Some sticker sheets printing companies offer great eco-friendly options!
2. Use limited edition seals
Limited edition seals are an established marketing strategy. But they can also support your branding by elevating your product.
Limited edition stickers create the illusion of scarcity. This means that customers believe that this specific product or range will only be available for a short period of time, which automatically limits the time they have to make a purchase decision. This subconsciously felt urgency increases the likelihood of a purchase being made.
Through such stickers, your product immediately appears premium, especially in comparison to your competitors whose range will continue to be available for months to come.
If you want to try this tip, we recommend investing in paper stickers as these are naturally thick and textured, emphasizing the high quality of your product.
3. Give away free stickers
This is where you can tab into the real power of stickers. Since they are so low-cost, they can easily be added to every order, sent to influencers or handed out during events.
Given in the right moment, stickers are not perceived as advertising, but are instead seen as a gift. Gift-giving is a well-known marketing tactic. However, it can be difficult to maintain a budget while wanting to hand out useful items. Stickers are the perfect way to make your customers smile while staying within your financial means.
Stickers will not only make your customers smile, they also increase the chances of a purchase. Being seen as a gift, they evoke the so-called rule of reciprocity, a concept coined in social psychology. The receiver will feel the subconscious need to return the favor, which can take the shape of a purchase, a recommendation or even a social media post – a lot of exposure for a small investment!
If you want to give away stickers, we recommend using vinyl stickers. These are perfect for thousands of applications, allowing your customers to use them in any way they want.
And there you have it, three ways you can use stickers to brand your products! We hope you found these helpful, and maybe we even inspired you to give them a try? Or you might already be a sticker expert and would like to share your experience? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!
