Posted by Srini Kumar on Mon, Apr 13, 2009 @ 04:57 PM
I can't tell you how many times I've been able to connect with virtual strangers by giving them stickers. It must be countless. It's interesting how stickers bridge the gaps between us and generate some kind of vehicle for a bravery that perhaps was on the cusp of leaving us.
You're not alone if you find yourself sick of small talk when it comes to meeting strangers. I like to think that by printing stickers you can trigger conversations - not just any old conversations, either, but conversations with people about your project !
Is that valuable to you ? I don't know. I guess it depends on how shy you are ! Seriously, for many of us shyness is not actually a problem per se. But is this just an assumption ? If you're shy, and you're semi-proud of it, could you be missing a different perspective on your life? What would your life look like if you WERE more outgoing?
I am inspired by
Liz Fuller's excellent blog post about "shyness and networking". Liz points out that many entrepreneurs fail to take advantage of their networking potential because of hang-ups surrounding new faces and new environments. I'd go a step further and consider that many (but not all!) entrepreneurs actually create products as a "virtual" way to meet people! We interact through our economic activity and it's fascinating how creating a title - even your own made-up title such as "Founder of Abjunctive Products" - can swathe you in a certain authority.
This authority - let's face it - it's a MASK ! While wearing this mask, we can behave differently from the past; we can reinvent ourselves as outgoing, brash individualists when really we are as shy and huddled together for warmth as anyone. These masks, so long as *we* are building them, are natural and healthy - a way to entertain one another, to direct the attention of our society, and captivate the imagination.
So you should build the kind of mask that leads you into interactions with people. Unfortunately many entrepreneurs may wind up with the wrong kind of mask - the kind of mask that isolates you in a private garden of ideas. Stickers are a fantastic way to break through the gates of this garden on your own terms. By paving the way to your conversation with a valuable and cool token of your project, you've suddenly set the agenda and give yourself a chance to take center stage for a little bit - which sounds horrifying if you're truly shy, I understand, but with the agenda on your side you can't lose !!!!
I wager you could come up with an entire ontology of emotional defects commonly faced by fledgling entrepreneurs. I feel that the emotional character of entrepreneurs is partially a consequence of their needing to invent things in order to substitute in a way for other social activity. For instance, entrepreneurs may not volunteer or go to church or play sports - their idle time being 100% focused on delivering their product to market, servicing customers over the Internet etc. This is not healthy! Get out there and network and don't think just because you're making sales that you aren't actually quite shy despite your success.
Posted by Srini Kumar on Mon, Apr 06, 2009 @ 01:06 AM
whoooooo ! i just caught up on a rush of new stickers - you should definitely check out the Now Printing blog to catch up :)
it occurs to me that the people who are ordering right now are sort of an "elite". they've had the realization that stickernation has developed a new form of promotion that simply doesn't suck - people *love* stickers and they tend to transfer that love to your project or cause now don't they ?
may we always have the wisdom to seek attention for our awesome projects and the bravery to pass these stickers along to those who might enjoy them. right on !
Posted by Srini Kumar on Mon, Mar 16, 2009 @ 11:03 AM
If you have a project that rules but nobody is really very aware of, you might want to do something cool to promote it. I don't think there is a cooler simple inexpensive way to build awareness of your project than a sticker campaign.
Think of the stickers that we're going to be printing for you as a "vehicle" for your project (or more specifically for your project's "brand"). We put your driver (your project's brand image or catchphrase) in the driver's seat of a well-made car (the stickers themselves). Where is that car going to go? Why? These are the kinds of questions you should think about as you begin planning your sticker campaign.
STICKERNATION has made it as simple as possible for you to start with a logo or catchphrase and wind up with a stack of vinyl stickers as fast as possible. Once the stickers are in your hands, however, the work of actually getting them out begins. You should consider creating your stickers in such a way that they'll "spread themselves". Generally anything that's color or in a cool shape or with a design nobody has seen before becomes a sought-after item and when that happens, you get all kinds of help with the work of spreading your stickers.
If you've got an idea for promoting your project on stickers that no one in your town has hit on yet, go for it. If you're actually PART of the project you've probably got a good handle on what you want to represent and celebrate about it. You can use your stickers to do more than just spread awareness that your project exists - you can create a "tagline" to explain what it is you do. You will have noticed by now that most other types of self-promotion come across as waste (ever walk down the street in new york or las vegas and have a hundred crappy flyers pressed in your hands?).
Once you've figured it out, made your order and received the stickers, there are any number of ways to go about starting your sticker campaign. If you ask twenty different sticker creators for advice you'll get twenty different responses. Also, the type of project will affect what aspects of sticker distribution and visibility you deem most important. With a band you might want to make sure you can express your sound visually in your logo, but if you're promoting a blog you might want to focus more on the words you use in order to convey what your blog is about and why others should read it. Here are a few aspects to consider:
- How many stickers will you need to print to make the impact you're seeking?
- Will you want to give these stickers away to other people, sell them, or stick them up yourselves?
- Will you give multiple stickers to people who promise to get them out for you? This kind of spread strategy can get your project noticed with almost no effort from you.
- Where around your town would you like your stickers to represent you?
- Do you have friends that can help you with your sticker campaign?
If you're tying your sticker campaign to a website, you should consider carefully how you can turn people who get your stickers into long-term connections that will (for example) help you with your NEXT sticker campaign - not to mention attend your shows, spread the word, buy stuff, or any of the other goals that led to your beginning the campaign.
And when the dust settles, start planning your next one ! :)
Posted by Srini Kumar on Tue, Mar 03, 2009 @ 03:58 AM
so yeah, we can match just about any team color you want, so i will tell you what - the next five orders that come in to sport team colors will get 10% extra stickers on their order! :)
Posted by Srini Kumar on Tue, Feb 17, 2009 @ 01:33 PM
stickers make it incredibly easy for your desired attendees to remember what you're planning before an event and influence their friends to come with.
check out this article - the author is literally astonished when simple word of mouth coupled with a few bits of "physical evidence" such as flyers packed the dance floor against any expectation she or the group had while planning.
so in my opinion STICKERNATION stickers make that "physical evidence" part a no-brainer. sometimes it's like our stickers seem to spread themselves ! ask any of our clients and they will attest to the magical, animistic impact our stickers have on their surroundings and projects and basic willingness to communicate and broadcast.
always nice to see a packed dance floor now isn't it? especially at your event... right ? if you want to reduce any uncertainty that your event will be a hit you ought to design a logo and print up stickers to spread the word about it today! :) 'm just sayin'.
Posted by Srini Kumar on Wed, Feb 04, 2009 @ 09:38 PM
Some of the things you might want to consider when looking around for a sticker printer is how carefully they adhere to your VALUES.
I'm of the belief that the stickers you print with us are MAGIC ITEMS and will be capable of altering destinies. I believe so fervently in the creation of stickers that I have written two books of stickers! i mean that's like over 1200 stickers I have not just DREAMT UP, not just DESIGNED but actually PAID TO PRINT and MADE A LIVING SELLING THEM.
I care about sticker design. There are many amateurs masquerading as designers in the sticker printing field; only I bring over fifteen years of sticker design experience to my work. Each of our stickers is a samurai sword, custom crafted from preview through to thank you card by a human being with an entire era of stickercraft behind him.
My services are yours for incredibly low prices. I marvel myself at the prices we charge compared to the quality and nearly infinite options we offer. We never had it so good in the 90's when I first started my experiments with sticker creation. This means to me that the age of the sticker has only now just been entered !
So do what we never could back in the day. FLEX YOUR SKILLS WITH WORDS AND GRAPHICS ON CUSTOM STICKERS. The possibilities are nearly endless (except we don't print on clear vinyl - sorry about that :) But any shape, size, color or velocity you need - we're here to make your sticker dreams come true !!
Posted by Srini Kumar on Tue, Feb 03, 2009 @ 03:49 PM
I'm always amazed at the cool stuff that pops into our electronic storefront. Today I believe you've got an idea for a sticker that I can't WAIT to see in our Now Printing list and I'm here to help make those stickers a reality !
STICKERNATION was designed to make it as simple as possible to get your idea on a batch of stickers so you can get to what you do best - promoting your project or idea through meeting people. We created simple order forms that walk you through the process at your own pace. We don't just make the assumption that you know exactly what you want; instead, we lay out options for you at every turn. As far as web experiences go, we know what we're doing!
Posted by Srini Kumar on Sun, Feb 01, 2009 @ 10:44 PM
How could you possibly let your daughter enter a new phase of life without giving her the opportunity to brag about it on the surfaces of her closest friends :)
We at STICKERNATION believe that custom stickers make the best possible party favors for these coming of age opportunities. Drop me a line if you want a discount in exchange for a few photos of your event !!! THANKS!
Posted by Srini Kumar on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 @ 06:24 PM
So much of your success depends on your ability to attract and persuade an audience.
It's time you turbocharged this success with a batch of amazing custom vinyl stickers!
I used to go to lots of punk rock shows; indeed, that's where I discovered my own obsession with altering reality with stickers.
A classic maneuver of punk rock bands is "the stickertoss".
You're up on stage, you just slammed through an amazing set, but the audience while moshing has basically barely learned your name, if that. How do you extend the relationship? You get a pile of stickers with your band's name on them and toss them into the frenzied crowd. I myself couldn't help but grasp and grapple for these little souvenirs.
And what happened then? Did the sticker get tossed in a pile like so many business cards do in the wake of a conference? Hardly. That sticker would find its way onto something important of mine: my amp, my computer, my car, my fridge, my girlfriend... the choice was mine, but underneath that choice was the reality that I was in effect promoting the band with a personal advocacy unmatched by any other simple tactic.
Over the years I've come to believe that marketers have learned bizarre lessons from the tiny shows we used to attend, sometimes because former punks have found their way into ad agencies, but mostly because we believed like crusaders in what we were promoting and certain companies are privileged to feel that same way about their products.
STICKERS ARE A LYNCHPIN OF MODERN, FACE-TO-FACE MARKETING. They are a microgift; your recipients will feel that they are receiving something valuable, as indeed they are - a new decorating option, a new plank for the restructuring of their identity as seen by others, even a way to belong to your brand (assuming your brand deserves it).
I'd love to see blogs and other crowd-pleasing content services begin to reward their audience with "virtual sticker-tosses". How will you go about giving them out? Are you going to ask for something in exchange?
Posted by Srini Kumar on Thu, Jan 22, 2009 @ 06:12 PM
literally... on stickers !
it's your brand. what does that mean? it's a pointer to your project. without that pointer, how are people supposed to find you?
stickers are an intimate way for you to take that brand of your project to the next level. you can put your logo on a sticker through this site and casually and ambiently and intimately spread the word. everyone is interested in stickers about underground projects - and for webmasters, giving out custom vinyl stickers is a key way to add tangibility to the intangible enterprise you're running in cyberspace.
walk down the street, and you're a pedestrian; walk down the street with custom stickers and you're a force to be reckoned with. urban life is full of opportunities to spread your message or design and we exist to make this possible for you like never before - a super compact service to get you the stickers you will need to emanate endlessly.