Are you looking for a new venture that's relatively affordable to start? If yes, a sticker business is ideal for you. Starting a sticker business isn't as straightforward as most people think, but it's lucrative.
So, even if you don't have any prior experience in stickers, it's still an excellent small business idea that could give you massive returns. Thankfully, almost anyone can learn about the sticker business.
The market for stickers is by far one of the world's largest yet most underestimated businesses. The fact that stickers are a vital component in marketing businesses worldwide, they offer a great business opportunity.
Why Choose a Sticker Business
A sticker business is a fun and effective way to make money. But why would you choose a sticker business in the first place? Aren't there enough stickers in the industry already? Well, there’s only one way to find out.
Granted, we have several entrepreneurs knee-deep in the sticker business.
But, there's always an opportunity for growth. Creativity is the driving force of this industry, and that's something we all have. And the fact that our creative skills are unique to every person, it’s relatively easy to stand out in the sticker business. With a proper marketing strategy, you can make enough to quit your 9-5.
On top of that, starting a sticker business doesn't require much capital compared to other businesses. That being the case, a sticker business can be a great alternative source of income. Aside from that, the only other thing you'll need is to understand the industry better, which should help you increase your sales.
Sticker Market Trend
There are several sticker trends that you can use to your advantage to get you started. That said, here are some of the trends you can hop into:
· Planner Stickers
Planner stickers are popular within the planner community. They often use stickers to remind them of crucial days and organize their schedules. The Planner community typically collects stationaries, including stickers, to decorate their diaries. Therefore, if you are considering entering the sticker industry, you can easily target this group with functional and creative stickers.
· Website and Marketing Stickers
Website and small business owners also benefit from the sticker business. There's a vast range of functional yet creative stickers that business owners can use to enhance the unboxing experience. Most business owners are taking this unique opportunity to increase engagement and foster brand loyalty in their customers.
There are several marketing stickers that business owners use, including 'Thank You' stickers, freebie sheets, and stickers that can be used to seal the package. These stickers are cost-effective, fun, and a great way to impact a lifetime brand image and voice. You can create stickers that target business and website owners.
Other trendy ideas that you can incorporate into your sticker business include:
· Creative Bumper Stickers: if you have a great sense of humor, you can take advantage of this sticker market. Quick quotes will ensure customers engage with your client's business.
· Decorative Vinyl Stickers: these stickers are used on different products such as water bottles, mugs, guitar bags, and more.
What Type of Person is Suitable for this Business
Anyone can start this business. You don't have to have any previous experience. Take your time to understand the industry before getting started to increase your potential for success in this field. Despite this being a fun business to start, it's always important to remember that it requires an equal amount of dedication.
How to Get Started and What to Prepare - Key Steps to Starting a Sticker Business
1. Find a Suitable Niche
While there's value in the sticker business, the market is pretty huge. Therefore, it's near impossible to target every type of customer. With such high competition, it's crucial to identify your target market. This helps you design products and market and brand them to meet the demands of your audience.
Focus on a specific market, then determine the kind of stickers you'd like to sell. The market is broad, so you have a better chance of attracting and engaging new clients when you narrow it down to one particular niche.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
After you've determined your target niche, figure out your target market. That way, you'll know who you should promote the sticker business to first. Is it the general public, or do you have a specific demographic you'd like to focus on?
Besides that, you need to understand the market you'll be competing in and the strategies for standing out against your competitors. That said, before starting your sticker business, conduct thorough research on your competitors, their target market, and entry barriers in their area.
3. Purchase the Necessary Equipment
You can start your sticker printing business with just paper and a printer. But if you really want your sticker business to stand out and provide higher quality products, you'll have to invest in more expensive equipment.
Essentials for Creating High-Quality Stickers
i. Printer
You could start your sticker business with just about any kind of printer. However, if you want to be the best in the game, you'll need to invest in a higher-quality printer that can work with multiple types of paper and uses higher-quality ink.
ii. Cutting Machine
Even with the best quality sticker printer, if you don't have a good paper cutting machine, all you have are printed papers. There's a wide range of paper cutting machines that you can use to make stickers, each with its own functionalities, capabilities, and features.
iii. Sticker Paper
It would be best if you had a constant supply of printing papers to run your sticker business smoothly. Determine the kind of stickers you'd like to offer your customers, including the material and the type of finish you prefer. You can choose circle stickers and many other shapes for your stickers.
iv. Packaging Materials
You will need packaging supplies for delivering the stickers. Depending on the delivery method you choose, you'll need envelopes for each order. Also, you can consider adding marketing materials such as thermal label roll to promote your business.
And to ensure you provide your customers with high-quality service, include a cutting mat and a clear vinyl laminate to safeguard the products from damage during shipment. But that all starts with finding the best printer in the market for making your shipping labels.
But look no further as the MUNBYN ITPP941 Thermal Printer is the best bet for your daily printing needs. You will love the fact that this printer comes with a 300dpi and 203 dpi resolution, which facilitates printing high-definition labels.
That makes this thermal printer ideal for printing stickers with icons like shipping labels. On top of that, this sticker printer is compatible with both Mac, Windows iOS, and any computer with a Chrome browser.
4. Design the Stickers
When starting your sticker business, you can either make your designs from scratch or commission a graphics designer to do the heavy lifting for you. You can also take advantage of several digital photography and visual design software tools. Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Silhouette, and Circuit are great software options.
5. Set a Price
Once you have come up with the ideal designs for your stickers, proceed to establish how much you'd like the stickers to cost. Determine if you'd like to charge the same for all stickers or to vary the prices depending on the size and design of the sticker.
On top of that, factor in the shipment costs to determine the total cost. If you're unsure how much you should charge, you can benchmark with the competitors in the same niche.
6. Market your Sticker Business
Once you've set up your business, decide what you should say to your target audience. Potential customers won't just find you because you have a shop on Etsy or Shopify. If you want your sticker-selling business to succeed, you will also need to market your business.
Social media is an excellent way to showcase your stickers and engage with your target audience. Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter to post pictures of your stickers and create engaging content that appeals to your followers. Use hashtags to increase your reach, and don't forget to engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages. Always keep in mind that your content should be fun, informative, and genuine.
Collaborating with influencers in your niche who have a large following is an excellent way to promote your stickers. Offer them free stickers in exchange for a shoutout or a post on their social media pages.
After making some sales, make sure to maintain contact with your customers through email marketing. Send them regular newsletters, promotions, or informative blog posts keep your warm leads engaged.
If you have extra budget, Google ads is a great way to reach potential customers who are searching for stickers online. Use targeted keywords to create ads that will appear in search results when people search for stickers.
If you sell your stickers on Etsy, use Etsy Ads to reach more customers. You can also optimize your product listings and use tags to increase your visibility on the platform.
Another tactic is to partner with other businesses or artists to create exclusive stickers that will appeal to your target audience.
Last but not least, optimizing your website and product listings for search engines is one of the most important way to increase your visibility and attract more organic traffic to your site. Use relevant keywords in your content and product descriptions, and make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
Where to Sell Your Stickers
Now that you've chosen your target market and the stickers are ready, you can start selling them through a wide range of channels. That includes;
1. Etsy
Etsy is a global marketplace that allows people to sell their merchandise online. As a sticker business owner, you can take advantage of the Etsy search engine and traffic to sell your products. That's because shoppers use Etsy to find any products they are looking for, including stickers.
2. Shopify
Shopify is a popular and scalable eCommerce platform that allows you to make your online store from scratch. Shopify allows you to manage your inventory and gives you ultimate control over the branding and appearance of your business.
3. Redbubble
Redbubble is a popular online marketplace for designers. It allows them to upload their work then Redbubble takes care of the printing, shipping, and servicing side of the business. So, if you'd like to sell your stickers without dealing with the other components of running a business, it's the place for you.
4. eBay
eBay is now a global marketplace where you can buy or sell anything, stickers included. The platform allows sticker business owners to list their products then the platform's brand recognition will help users attract buyers.
Recommended article:
How to Start a Candle Business
Three Steps to Teach You to Print Stickers at Home
