A fun way to express yourself

If you are active in the print on demand / custom design print field, there is a wonderful thing that is worth your attention. This product not only can be your new bestseller, but also a way to promote your business. The title says it all - that thing is called a sticker!

Stickers are always in fashion. People loved and still love to express their inner world in a fun and innocent way - by applying stickers to things. Some people stick them to their laptops, some decorate their water bottles, but the truth is that there is no limit to what you can decorate. Even cars are spiced up with some witty or cute stickers. So how can you, as a print business owner, jump into the sticker world and benefit from it? There are two main options - use them for marketing and branding, or sell them as regular products. 

Try out sticker marketing

Stickers are not just fun pictures with pretty colours. With a proper marketing strategy, stickers can also be your branding tool. By simply adding a free sticker into your customers’ order packages, you can significantly increase positive perception of your brand. An impression about your company that radiates good intentions and generosity, will lead to more awareness by word-of-mouth and returning customers. And the best part is that the sticker will be seen as a gift, instead of a pawn in your marketing strategy.

Create stickers that are pleasing to the eye. Go beyond simply putting your company’s logo on the sticker and calling it a day. Not all customers will be loyal enough to actually use logo stickers (though you can pre-stick them on the package itself). Think outside the box, create unique stickers (perhaps funny ones?) that can actually be used by your customers. Your task is to grab people's attention with them! Think about how the design of the stickers represent your business, what message they carry, and if everything is in order and the design is satisfying enough, add these stickers as a gift in the packages of your customer orders. 

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If you operate a business with a local audience, then another marketing option is to let stickers “free in the wild”. Put them in public places (where it is allowed) to get some very cost effective environmental advertising! That’s a good way to reach people who are not your customers, as well as people who are not reachable online. 

Expand your business by selling stickers

If you have thought about freshening up your print product catalogue, creating something new to offer to your customers, then why can’t this “something” be stickers? They are inexpensive to produce and can be used in many different ways, as already mentioned. 

If you already have some sticker design ideas up your sleeve, such as designs previously used for other products, then great! But, in case your mind is blank, you can start by browsing the internet and seeing what is trending. What movies are popular these days, music bands, books? What memes are blowing up the internet? Get your inspiration from those things and there will definitely be people who will appreciate the timely designs you come up with.

So, you have an idea of how to make use of stickers. Great! Now you just need to settle on the best sticker type for you, because there are various materials, shapes and coating options that determine the overall look of your stickers. Some might work better for you, some might not, so let’s dive into the vast world of shapes and materials.

Find the sticker types that suit your needs best

Leave the basic shapes in the past, there is more to stickers than just sticky circles and squares!

• Kiss cut and die cut stickers are the best option if you are looking for more unconventional, unique shapes. Both are printed in your desired shape, but the difference is that the kiss-cut stickers come on a rectangular sheet, whereas the die cut stickers do not. Kiss-cut stickers will work better if the sticker itself has an intricate, complex shape - the sticker sheet protects the edges of the sticker. 

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As for materials, you have to know that there are many different ones, and some of them are self explanatory, for example, waterproof, paper, indoor/outdoor, writable, textured, and many more. Here are the most popular sticker materials:

• Choose paper for stickers to get a simple, classy look that works great on product packaging. Though paper stickers are better for one-time use, since those are not water-resistant and are quite “fragile”. Paper stickers work great if you are trying to achieve an old-school look for your stickers. 
• Vinyl stickers are more durable, flexible, and usually waterproof too. The best part is that vinyl stickers can be matte, glossy, removable or permanent. There are a lot of options for vinyl stickers. 
• Synthetic stickers look like the vinyl ones, but the difference is that synthetic stickers are more durable (from external factors like the weather, chemicals, temperature) and less flexile. 
  

Choose the material depending on the purpose of your stickers and the look you want to achieve.

If you already have a business partner that offers to produce stickers, ask about the material options they have. Consult with the manufacturer to work out the best solution for you.

Printseekers - your sticker supplier

If you are looking for a reliable Sticker Mule alternative to start a sticker business, you have found one. That’s right - Printseekers is not only reliable, but also a quite flexible company that specialises in print on demand services. Each and every business partner's needs are a top priority, so our team will gladly listen to your unconventional ideas and fulfil them. Shapes and materials are not an issue. And if you wish to use stickers for branding, just say so, we will take care of that by carefully putting your desired stickers into or onto the packaging.

By the way, in the field of branding, we have more things than just stickers that might interest you, so check out our “Branding services” page!

Hopefully you gained some insight and understanding into the world of stickers and are now ready for your new project! If you need some additional help, don’t be shy and contact your personal manager.

Best of luck in your new sticker business adventure!