February 24, 2014
If you have a logo or brand that is popular in your community, let your customers "like" you on their gear.
Local watering holes like Great Storm Brewing have learned how to execute this brand of customer evangelism with ease. "We love blending the traditional with the rebellious in our brewing and our life and our stickers reflect that," says co-founder Lynn Jacobs. Her words reflect an identity that beer fans are willing to live by, and nothing spreads the word better than stickers.
The best way to imagine sticker marketing is as the real-life version of the Like button. Social media outlets encourage people to connect online; but if you have a brand that encourages engagement, stickers inspire fans to build communities in an offline setting. Stickers are an easy way for people to represent their brand loyalty – and in the process, they evangelize your products or services.
Be sure to listen to your fans when it comes to supporting their sticker endorsement of your company. How do your stickers represent an expression of self for them? Are they willing to go as far as to take pictures of your stickers in use to share on Facebook?
Don't forget that stickers are still a great way to bring the offline world into online communities. "We sell all the beer we make so we haven't had to push too hard to drive sales, but we do use Facebook and Twitter to keep our patrons in the loop," says Lynn. Pay close attention to the places your customer likes to place their stickers. And be sure to encourage your fan engagement when they share your stickers in the virtual world.
5 tips to help encourage your customers to endorse you with stickers:
• Your stickers should express something fun, and be sure to give them away. Helping to define your fans identity and making stickers easy to access encourages sharing.
• Help your brand express itself. Stickers should help your fans experience the true essence of your brand.
• Enroll your employees to act as brand ambassadors, and make it fun for them to participate.
• Keep your message fresh yet consistent.
• Be aware of those around you: If stickering gets out of hand, clean it up. “When we cater events, the first thing we ask organizers is how they feel about stickers.”