Why We Gave Away 20,000 Stickers (And Why It Was One of the Best Marketing Decisions We Ever Made)

The first time we ordered stickers for Glass Academy, we thought we had created the perfect product. They looked incredible, and naturally we figured we should sell them. I think they started at $2, then eventually went to $4 because that seemed to be what everyone else was charging. It made sense at the time, but the longer I looked at those stickers, the more I realized they weren't really a product at all. They were an opportunity.

I started noticing stickers everywhere—on water bottles, laptops, toolboxes, notebooks, and in all the little places people leave pieces of their personality. That's when it hit me. Why were we trying to sell something that could do so much more for us if we simply gave it away? We went back to the drawing board, redesigned the artwork, made sure the Glass Academy logo was front and center, added a QR code that linked directly to our YouTube channel for added value, included our hashtag, and ordered 10,000 stickers. I remember thinking there was no possible way we'd ever use that many.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Those stickers quickly found their way into my purse, my backpack, and the console of my car as my new business card. Today I don't travel without them. Whenever someone asks me what I do, I don't hand them a business card anymore—I hand them a sticker. It feels completely different. Instead of saying, "Here's my company," I'm really saying, "Here's something I think you'll enjoy." The QR code takes people straight to our live glass blowing shows along with hundreds of videos we've created over the last 5 years. It isn't a sales pitch. It's an invitation to be entertained, to learn something new, and hopefully to become part of our community. Eventually if they find their way back to our website and purchase something, that’s wonderful. But that's never the first goal.

We went through those first 10,000 stickers much faster than I ever imagined, so we ordered another 10,000. Same sticker, same layout.  One of my favorite memories happened recently during a trade show in June. Every evening we'd leave stacks of the stickers on our booth table, and every morning they would be gone. Maybe someone who thought we were competition threw them away, (I mean, I am a realist to some point) but I'd rather believe they were tucked into backpacks and suitcases by people from all over the world. I like imagining someone months later sitting in an airport, noticing a Glass Academy sticker on a water bottle, scanning the QR code, and suddenly discovering a whole world of glass blowing they never knew existed. That's the kind of marketing you can't really measure, but you know it's working.

It's funny to think about where people first discover Glass Academy. Some find us through Facebook, others through YouTube or Instagram, and maybe some become lifelong fans because they happened to see one little sticker on someone's laptop or stuck to a bulletin board in the local coffee shop. The possibilities are endless, and honestly, that's one of my favorite parts. Every sticker has the chance to start a conversation that I may never even know happened.

We include them in customer shipments as a small surprise. It's our way of saying thank you. Who doesn't smile when they find a fun sticker tucked inside a package? Kids put them on notebooks, grandkids decorate water bottles, artists stick them on travel bags, and we've even joked they'd make a healthier Halloween giveaway than another handful of candy.

If you've ever spotted one of our stickers somewhere unexpected, I'd love to know about it. Take a picture, tag Glass Academy on social media, and share the story with us. I love thinking about how far these little pieces of our studio have traveled and the people they've introduced to the incredible world of glass blowing. And if you don't have one yet, send us an email request for one (or two!). We'd be happy to drop a couple in the mail because, in my opinion, stickers aren't meant to sit in a box—they're meant to travel.

Why We Keep Choosing Sticker Mule

We've worked with Sticker Mule for years because they've consistently delivered a product we're proud to hand out. The colors stay vibrant, the print quality is excellent, the stickers hold up to everyday use, and ordering is incredibly easy. Whether you're ordering a few hundred or twenty thousand, they make the process simple, and the results have always exceeded our expectations.

If you're looking for custom stickers for your own business, art studio, event, or brand, I highly recommend Sticker Mule. You might think you're just buying stickers, but you may actually be creating thousands of little ambassadors for your business. Ours certainly have been.

And, I'm super looking forward to a new program they are rolling out called GIVE because it's a great way to engage our customers on social media, gather some unique emails to our contest and spread the love of Glass Blowing far and wide with a cool tee-shirt!  Our show attracts people from all over the world so what better conversation starter than a unique tee shirt?!