How Lauren James used stickers to help build their business 

__*Bzzzzzzzt...*__

That's the sound of another text message hitting your customer’s phone.

Go ahead and add it to the tally. Every day, your customers:

- Send and receive 67 text messages
- Get bombarded with 122 emails
- Exchange dozens of Snapchats with friends
- Tune out most of the 3,000 different product advertisements they see (like yours)

In other words, your customers are overloaded with options and the digital market is crowded.

This is especially true for ecommerce companies, which make up about 12% of the Internet and where competition is brutal. The Internet graveyard is littered with failed ecommerce companies like One Kings Lane, which was valued at $920 million in 2014...but sold for $30 million this year.

For ecommerce brands, failure comes at an especially massive cost.

So with so many other ecommerce businesses out there, __how do you gain traction and separate from the pack?__

__How do you create loyal customers who keep coming back__ — and excitedly tell everyone they know about your brand?

__How do you grab the attention of new customers__ who will spend hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands on your brand over their lifetime?

Today, we're going to show you the secrets. __You'll learn:__

1. How to separate your brand in the crowded ecommerce market
2. How to retain your current customers with ease
3. How to get new customers at a fraction of the cost

We’ll introduce you to an ecommerce clothing company that created a thriving brand, grew to 8-figures in only three years, and hacked their way to success using unconventional — and effective — marketing tactics.

And the best part is, you can implement their strategies starting today.

## Joining the crowded ecommerce space

Meet [Lauren James](https://www.laurenjames.com/), an ecommerce clothing company with thousands of deeply loyal customers spending thousands on their brand.

Lauren James was founded in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Lauren and Lance Stokes.

Inspired by the blend of southern classics and modern clothing for women, Lauren fell in love with fashion and wanted to share her inspiration with the world.

![Lauren James Lifestyle Brand for Women Southern Inspired Designed Tees](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/eca2a4f996d0625236a93855010d50b465058a08)

Starting out, Lauren and Lance decided to focus on fashion for women ages 18-35. After designing a small batch of clothing, they launched a small private label line as a market test — and sold out.

With the business idea validated, Lauren and Lance knew they had a product market fit.

Next, they wanted to grow the company.

With the private label line, they successfully got their business in front of a couple hundred customers...but how could they reach thousands? Or even millions?

With so many “traditional” marketing methods overused and ineffective, they knew they had to go an unconventional route to effectively (and inexpensively) attract potential customers.

In other words, Lauren James needed to:

1. Separate their customer experience from the millions of other ecommerce websites
2. Attract new customers at a fraction of the cost
3. Keep current customers coming back and avoid churn

Embracing a nontraditional growth hacking mindset, Lance took the first step: create unique, breathtaking designs for their sweet "tees" collection. Today, they have more than 500 designs that customers love.

"We try to maximize the artwork and original content," Lance says. "A ton of time is spent on artwork for tees."

With their new beautiful designs now on tees, they needed a way to get them in front of a large audience.

__And, most importantly, they needed a way to generate word-of-mouth marketing buzz (and ROI).__

![Lauren James Tees](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/24c0a2238ecbeef08c4edc62d638673e2d46e27e)

## The surprising way Lauren James generated tons of revenue and increased customer loyalty

Lauren James decided to try a fast, easy marketing test: custom stickers.

With every order Lauren James shipped, they also sent the customer a free beautifully designed [die cut sticker](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers).

![Life is Better in LJ Sticker](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/82971ed7a72cccc077e5891e6236c76a0c244d10)

At the start, they knew most new customers were only wearing Lauren James clothes and repping the brand once or twice a week  — not every day.

But stickers can go anywhere. Customers can put them on...

- [Car windows/bumpers](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers)
- [Phones](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/phone-stickers)
- [Laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers)
- [Notebooks](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/scrapbook-stickers)
- [Water bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers)

And dozens of other places people see... Every. Single. Day.

To market their ecommerce brand, Lauren James didn't use expensive SEM management. They didn't use a PR firm. They didn't use consultants creating expensive marketing videos.

Just a few stickers placed in every order.

This simple addition to each order cut through the noise and secured customer loyalty.

> Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that."

It was crazy inexpensive word-of-mouth marketing for the creative startup, and it helped them hack their way to growth and success.

It wasn't just vague "brand awareness" either. 

__The results were in the numbers — word-of-mouth took off, organic search tripled and sales increased.__

For only about $0.10 per sticker, Lauren James was surprising and delighting customers (and seeing a direct effect on its bottom line).

![Lauren James Die Cut Stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/f9e6e82f69e23d151a63b8ef5014f22c41f110d4 "Lauren James custom die cut stickers")

Today, if you go to YouTube you’ll see more than 7,000 unboxing videos for Lauren James. These videos cost the company absolutely nothing.

Lauren James’ rabid fans are ecstatic to open their Lauren James package, show the world what they got, and proudly place their stickers anywhere they can.

"Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that," Lance said.

Today, stickers are an integral part of Lauren James. And, they provide a massive ROI.

![Lauren James Box](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/6929612f4c52742ec675be49ba36ae326d90392e "Lauren James box")

## Lauren James used stickers to:

### 1. Launch a blog 

"When we were launching our blog, [Styled Sweet](http://www.styledsweet.com/), we sent out special Styled Sweet stickers with every order. It drove traffic to the new blog which in turn increased social sharing," Lance says.

### 2. Create a gigantic newsletter list with ready-to-buy customers

"If you sign-up for our newsletter, we'll send you a sticker," Lance says. "We capture emails, shipping addresses, and generate future customers just for the price of a sticker. It's also a great way to create a positive first connection with soon-to-be fans."

### 3. Generate sales 

Lauren James saw such incredible results with giving away stickers that they started selling them. Today, they have over [100 different stickers their customers love](https://www.laurenjames.com/collections/all/stickers). 

![Lauren James State Stickers - Die Cut by Sticker Mule](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/045249af8f6cc6438ea18428cdd24071786d9574)

Customers often share their love for the stickers on social media or on YouTube in unboxing videos, for example a customer recently said, "The stickers are such nice quality, I'm so excited to stick this on my car" in an unboxing video.

Today, the team has grown to over 115 employees and three retail stores with more on the horizon  —  business is booming for Lauren James.

So what’s next?

Lance told us, "More sticker promotions!"

> Capturing emails and future customer information for only the price of a sticker!"

## 5 proven tactics Lauren James used to become a 8-figure business

To grow your own ecommerce business, here are 5 proven tactics Lauren James used to grow to a multi-million dollar company with 115 employees. You can start implementing these today.

### Strategy #1: Use newsletter opt-ins — with a twist

Lauren James, like most websites, tries to get users to opt into a newsletter. From the business side, a newsletter lets Lauren James nurture prospects and turn them into paying, happy customers...who come back again and tell their friends.

But, growing a newsletter in such a crowded market is easier said than done.

To combat the noise, they offer an incentive: a free sticker.

"Capturing emails and future customer information for only the price of a sticker!" Lance says.

And it’s worked — with opt-in rates far above the industry average Lauren James sends out thousands of free stickers to future customers every month.

To get start this for your own business, create an simple email opt-in page asking for a prospect’s name, email address, and mailing address. Use Wufoo, SumoMe, or any other tool that allows you to collect their email address and information.

Then, you can put the email address in a lead nurturing campaign and increase your chances to sell to the prospect by 2x or more. If you already have a large email list or email your customers regularly, try creating an "Insiders' List" and use stickers an incentive. Use this list to grow referrals, offer special deals for promoting your company online, and more. 

![Die Cut Stickers by Lauren James](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/1291369f5cd509f323d73c748ccda8123243a96a "Die Cut Stickers by Lauren James")

### Strategy #2: Make an amazing unboxing experience

On YouTube alone, there are 7,000+ Lauren James unboxing videos. These videos are posted by excited fans of the brand and they don't cost the company a dime.

Best of all, they sell Lauren James’ products without Lauren James having to do anything.

To make the unboxing process special and create viral marketing, Lauren James gives beautiful stickers away for free with every purchase.

In your own business, think of one quick change you can make for your unboxing to be better.

When your unboxing is better, your customers will want to share with their friends and the world (and they’ll also want to come back and purchase).

![Lauren James Packaging and Box](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/8c82391bc29e399034db3eec761cac24808a32cf "Lauren James Packaging and Box")

### Strategy #3: Create a viral sales loop so your customers sell for you

Lauren James started putting stickers in every package they mailed. Their customers put stickers everywhere — on laptops, notebooks, cars, and anywhere else.

The key lesson here is make it easy to share: it’s common for loyal Lauren James customers to give their stickers in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th orders to friends who will then visit the website (and maybe purchase).

Instead of wasting time on marketing and advertising, Lauren James puts a sticker in each order — which only costs about $0.10 extra. How's that for effective bootstrapped marketing?

[Stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and other items like [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets) or [custom buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons) are an inexpensive and effective way to build a viral sharing loop so your customers sell for you.

### Strategy #4: Pour gasoline on the word-of-mouth marketing fire

Lauren James creates a viral marketing loop for their stickers, which can cost 60-75x less than traditional marketing methods.

And after seeing the success of free stickers, they realized they could sell stickers too.

Today, Lauren James sells dozens of different eye-catching stickers. This gives them extra revenue, creates free brand ambassadors, more word-of-mouth marketing, and makes their customers extra happy.

If something is working for your business, do more of it. Offer upsells or variations for customers to buy. It’s not necessary to always reinvent the wheel.

![Custom stickers by Sticker Mule for Lauren James](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/0f9933128683dbd2ce35819eb6966d9414485d5d "Custom stickers by Sticker Mule for Lauren James")

### Strategy #5: Use original designs to blow customers away (and increase ROI)

Lauren James became successful partly because of their unique designs for clothing, packaging, and their brand.

For example, most clothing companies send clothes in a boring brown box.

But not Lauren James. They send their clothing in a gorgeous pink box or mailer with stunning typography and hand-crafted care.

The same opportunity is available for every company to improve upon mundane ways most ecommerce companies do business. How can you surprise and delight your customers?

---------------







Looking back, Lauren James could have gone the traditional route to market their brand. A few thousand dollars on Facebook Ads here, a full-page advertisement in Elle magazine there...but where would they be now?

The truth is, if you follow the same traditional marketing methods in the oversaturated ecommerce market you’re going to get the same traditional results. Now more than ever, it’s critical to follow nontraditional ways to market your brand.

For inspiration, check out more ways Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />

How a women's lifestyle brand and ecommerce clothing company created a thriving business in only three years. 

How to win customer loyalty with every shipment 

When it comes to buying clothes online, I’m sure you’ve had great and poor experiences. If you’re looking for clothing brands that understand how to surprise and delight their customers, then you’ll love this post.

Without a brick and mortar location, online brands must think carefully about the entire customer experience from first click to the moment the box is opened — and beyond. Clothing brands  face unique challenges and opportunities. They have an especially difficult task to create a rewarding customer experience as they have to consider clothing fit, returns, and also find unique ways to spread word-of-mouth.

Sticker Mule aggregated a list of ten online clothing companies that include free, unexpected gifts in their packaging to win their customers’ loyalty. Adding a small gift or sticker to a package is often the final step in taking a first time buyer into a fan that promotes the brand online and in real life. 

*Quick note: We selected these companies based on Twitter and Instagram mentions and in no particular order. We really hope you enjoy this list and maybe decided to implement sending stickers with customers purchases in your company. If you would like to feature your own clothing and apparel company here, please email us at help@stickermule.com and include your information and customers' photos.*

### 1. Lauren James | [laurenjames.com](https://www.laurenjames.com/) | [@ShopLaurenJames](https://twitter.com/ShopLaurenJames)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/Megan_1116/status/650861221004992513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" />

In mid 2013, Lauren James was founded by a registered nurse turned fashion designer. Lauren James bases its brand on incorporating modern styles into classics and creating clothes that could be worn on every occasion. 

[Lauren James customers love that they receive small free gifts with their purchases.](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/how-lauren-james-used-stickers-to-help-build-an-8-figure-lifestyle-brand) Many customers share their orders on social media and take photos of their purchases with the free sticker or gift that was included. The tweet above is one such example where a customer received a sticker and a koozie as a free gift and shared it on Twitter. As customers share their purchases on social media they expose the brand to a whole new set of potential customers as well as increasing the amount of people reordering from Lauren James.

Lance Stokes, COO at Lauren James, says, “Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that. I tell our team daily that 'if you're not winning in convenience, you better be winning in experience'. The real goal, however, is to do both."

> Our team is always finding new ways to connect digital convenience to tangible experiences — stickers are a part of that."

### 2. Fraternity Collection | [fraternitycollection.com](http://fraternitycollection.com/) | [@fratcollection](https://twitter.com/fratcollection)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/IrisIsabellegut/status/744252914781167616" />

Fraternity Collection formed its roots in Jackson, Mississippi. Fraternity Collection was started by two fraternity brothers who aimed at creating a clothing company catering specifically toward the collegiate Greek community. 

Through its stickers, Fraternity Collection has created a very recognizable brand all over the world. Their signature sticker that they send out with every order is a bowtie. Customers collect the different bowtie stickers and attach them everywhere, [especially on cars](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/car-stickers) which creates an easy way for drivers on the road to recognize Fraternity Collection. Fraternity Collection also loves to send surprises to customers such as koozies. These small surprises really build the brand’s connection to the customer and help Fraternity Collection reach new potential customers.

### 3. Cotton Bureau | [cottonbureau.com](https://cottonbureau.com/) | [@cottonbureau](https://twitter.com/cottonbureau)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/Doomworks/status/748110134786809856" />

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/edcasey/status/742476127663357952" />

Founded in 2013, Cotton Bureau sells high quality, custom designed t-shirts by different designers from around the world. Cotton Bureau allows anyone to submit a custom t-shirt design, but then the Cotton Bureau team selects only the best designs to be sold online. 

Cotton Bureau has a lot of different sticker designs that they send out to their customers. Some stickers are sent out only with certain shirts while other stickers are sent with every purchase to promote the brand.These designs can be found all over social media shared by happy customers. The two most popular designs are the hotdog and ice cream stickers, customers can’t wait to receive these stickers with their order. 

### 4. Roxy | [roxy.com](http://www.roxy.com/) | [@Roxy](https://twitter.com/Roxy)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/AngAtwood/status/1076471275999150080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" />

Roxy was born when the brand Quiksilver decided to start a women's line in 1990. Starting a surf brand for women was something that had never been done before. Shortly after Roxy was formed, the brand started paying off. Quiksilver saw what a huge opportunity the women’s surf market was. Today, Roxy has expanded into a sportswear, denim and snowwear brand with many more products. 

The tweet above shows just how much customers love stickers and especially stickers from Roxy. Their [iconic black and white sticker can be found on surfboards](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/surfboard-stickers) along dozens of beaches across the United States. Customers are driven to attach these stickers mainly due to their love for the company and as a way to build and display their personality. 

### 5. Vineyard Vines | [vineyardvines.com](http://www.vineyardvines.com/#) | [@vineyardvines](https://twitter.com/vineyardvines)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/AubreyVandyke/status/619269283000881152" />

In 1998 two brothers, Shep and Ian Murray decided that the wearing suits everyday to work wasn’t for them and instead decided to create a brand that shows off “the good life”, they named this brand Vineyard Vines. Vineyard Vines sells preppy clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Today it has grown into a huge brand with many outlets and retail stores throughout the United States. 

With unique, creative designs, Vineyard Vines grew their already popular mascot (a smiling whale) into a cultural icon. The smiling whale that comes in many different designs such as the one pictured above inspired people to start collecting the stickers and even reselling them to collectors. Whenever people see the smiling whale they automatically think of Vineyard Vines and "living the good life.” The smiling whale and the Vineyard Vines stickers also took over Twitter receiving hundreds of tweets about them. Stickers have definitely been very successful for Vineyard Vines and their customers love them. 

### 6. Stark Originals | [starkoriginals.com](http://www.starkoriginals.com/) | [@starkoriginals](https://twitter.com/StarkOriginals)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/StarkOriginals/status/683422230102077442" />

Stark Originals is a very popular and fun clothing company. Stark Originals likes to have fun, play outside, and drink beer. Their designs are very creative and very often contain [really cool art featuring beer bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/brewery-stickers). The company sells t-shirts, sweatshirts and many different accessories. 

Stark Originals knows how to promote on social media well, through their Twitter account they share their sticker designs and promote that they include stickers with every purchase. This proved to be very successful for Stark Originals because customers loved knowing this beforehand and it pushed more people to order from their website. 

### 7. Rivet & Cuff | [rivetandcuff.com](https://www.rivetandcuff.com/) | [@rivetandcuff](https://twitter.com/rivetandcuff)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/rivetandcuff/status/754364858355843072" />

Rivet & Cuff is a company that first had its roots as a project determined to use technology to solve online sizing and fit. Today there are developing technology that brands and online retailers can license so that customers can find the best fit. In addition to their main goal of solving online sizing and fit they never lost their passion for jeans. Today, they have a large selection of men’s jeans from the best brands for sale.

One of their growth tactics is to send stickers with every purchase. As customers receive these stickers they usually share them on social media and paste them around the neighborhood facilitating a guerilla marketing campaign for a relatively low price.	

Rivet & Cuff explains that “At Rivet & Cuff, we take enormous pride in our brand and our logo which captures the vibe of our boutique specialty denim business. We've been selling premium men's jeans since 2013, and with every pair from day one we've included our Sticker Mule stickers as a way for our customers to remember us, and share their stories. We've tried shirts and other promotions, but our customers seem to want the stickers. They wear our jeans, but  they put our stickers on just about everything else. Our learning is that if you love your brand and your logo, and you have a passionate customer base that share your values, they'll love your brand too - and stickers are the perfect way for them to express it.” 

> We've tried shirts and other promotions, but our customers seem to want the stickers.

### 8. CLE Clothing Co. | [cleclothingco.com](http://www.cleclothingco.com/) | [@cleclothingco](https://twitter.com/CLECLOTHINGCO)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/danbobbillray/status/457930729163206656" />

Two friends, a graphic designer and an entrepreneur, founded CLE Clothing Co. in 2008. They were both looking for an awesome new project to work on and decided that a clothing company would be a great adventure. Eventually one night after talking it over at their favorite place and having a couple of beers and burgers, CLE Clothing was founded. 

CLE Clothing does a really cool thing with their stickers by sending them out with purchases but also selling the stickers on the website. This a great idea because when the customer get a sticker, they are surprised and are extremely happy that they received a product that usually costs money, for free. CLE Clothing shares their many sticker designs on social media platforms such as twitter to show off their stickers designs and promote purchasing their products. 

### 9. SidemenClothing | [sidemenclothing.com](http://www.sidemenclothing.com/) | [@SidemenClothing](https://twitter.com/SidemenClothing)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/Loser_Anthems/status/753954708021211136" />

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/_nicolastewart/status/730016437146927104" />

<YouTubeVideo videoId="gcjVYgw5SqA" />

Sidemen Clothing is a brand created by a group of very famous gamers on YouTube in association with their YouTube channel. On the website they sell many different products including clothes, phone cases and gaming controllers. 

The YouTubers behind Sidemen Clothing made the brand incredibly incredibly popular among teens. They built this amazing following through their YouTube channels where they have millions of followers as well as on social media giving the brand a huge head start through their amazing reach on these platforms. They also use stickers to grow their brand and channels, for example with every purchase they send different stickers of the brand and a certain YouTuber that is partnered with Sidemen Clothing. This proved to be incredibly successful and inspired fans to create unboxings with the stickers and share them heavily on social media. 

### 10. Runyon Canyon | [runyon.co](http://runyon.co/) | [@runyonusa](https://twitter.com/runyonusa)

<Tweet tweetUrl="https://twitter.com/runyonusa/status/596770665736368128" />

Runyon Canyon Apparel is an outdoor company that specializes in outdoor & performance sportswear. Runyon Canyon was started as the outdoor brand of Los Angeles inspired by the Runyon Canyon and its urban wilderness. Runyon Canyon allows all people from different places to blend with the animals, art, fashion and the outdoors. 

Runyon Canyon has a great following on social media. On their Twitter account Runyon Canyon shares regularly that they send out free stickers with every purchase. This is also a really cool twist because their followers and customers get to see the design of the sticker before they order. This twist to the usual surprise is also a push for some people to order. This method proved to be very successful for Runyon Canyon because it serves two purposes, helping facilitate orders and reaching the potential customer that will see the sticker and will visit Runyon Canyon’s website in return. 

Runyon Canyon loves stickers and says, “Stickers are great way to extend your visibility and plus people think it’s really cool. We’ve seen our stickers on [Nalgene bottles](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/waterproof-stickers), cars, books, iPads, [laptops](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/laptop-stickers), [skateboards](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/skateboard-stickers), skis, [bikes](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/bike-stickers), helmets… you name it.  It’s worth spending the investment just by watching the creative ways people utilize them sticker alone. Not only do stickers make a fun free gift… They also make a great way to decorate and personalize packaging and branding.”

> Not only do stickers make a fun free gift… They also make a great way to decorate and personalize packaging and branding."

## Concluding thoughts

A great customer experience, branding and packaging doesn't have to cost fortune. Resonate and evoke a positive emotion from your customers when they open your package, see stickers and pick up their apparel for the first time.

There are countless ways to delight _your_ customers and win customer loyalty using stickers and other custom printed products. Check out [more ways](https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog) Sticker Mule can help your business grow.

<ButtonCta text="100+ ways to use Sticker Mule" href="https://www.stickermule.com/uses?ref=blog" />


Ten online clothing companies that include free, unexpected gifts in their packaging to win their customers’ loyalty. 

Content principles 

At Sticker Mule we view content as more than blog posts. Content includes everything from website copy, videos and FAQs to dashboards, emails, training guides and internal documentation. 

Vigilance about content quality helps us build a solid foundation for our future. Content multiplies as you grow so it is important to foster a commitment to crafting high quality content early. 

We created a set of principles that guides our team as they write copy, write scripts, shoot videos and create documentation. They're shared below for the benefit of future team members and anyone else that may find them useful. 

## 9 principles to help you create quality content

### Omit needless words.
Use the fewest words possible. ~~Practice by editing content after you write it to see if any words can be omitted.~~ Practice editing content to omit needless words. 

### Omit needless information.
Delete information that doesn't matter. 

### Use sentence case.
Camel Case Makes Reading Harder. Use sentence case. 

### Consolidate and optimize.
Combine similar content into a single optimized piece of content when sensible.

### Always be polishing.
When revisiting content fix problems when you spot them. 

### Obsessively organize.
Put content in the right place so that it is easily found.

### Use hyperlinks.
Link to additional content when appropriate. 

### Think about the future.
Good design is long lasting and so is good content. Avoid creating content that doesn’t provide long term value.

### Practice.
Crafting quality content is difficult. It takes constant practice to become and stay good. 

## Concluding thoughts

Since the internet makes every business international, content quality is more important than ever. Eventually, many of the words you write will need to be translated to support customers worldwide. If you can't craft exceptional content in your native language, it's going to be even harder to translate your message globally. 

An obsession with content quality may seem trite, but words, images and videos are all we have to communicate with our customers and each other. Making a mess of it weakens our foundation, while crafting and curating great content makes it stronger. 

Our aim is to build an enduring business and long lasting businesses need strong foundations. 

Content multiplies as you grow so it is important to foster a commitment to crafting high quality content early. 

How this hummus startup used stickers to grow 

![Black Market Hummus stickers](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/be8bc47dbbb7be3cbd6cd2789225295b84fc8e06)

Today, we want to introduce you to Nabil Fahel — the man whetting the appetite of the tech elite.

Nabil is the mastermind behind Black Market Hummus, the hottest secret food devoured by the technology world in Canada. Here's what some of the world's greatest tech leaders have to say about his hummus:

   *"Honestly the best hummus I have ever had." -Joanne Wilson, CEO, Gotham Gal Ventures*

   *"As expected, hummus is out of this world good!" -Alex Iskold, Managing Director, Techstars*

   *"Holy smokes this hummus is scary good!" -Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify*

Did you ever think an underground hummus business would have such ferocious supporters?

Every month, he and his team deliver small, hand-made batches of hummus to employees at Google, Shopify, Electronic Arts, Open Text, and other  of other multi-billion dollar tech companies in Waterloo, Ontario.

Best of all, he started his business for under $1,000 (and was profitable in the first month).

![Black Market Hummus Preparing for Shipment](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9614a75e918933ddc873b9de56ecf2d7ebf0b551)

## Word-of-mouth marketing

Nabil never planned to start a hummus business. Instead, [Black Market Hummus](https://blackmarkethummus.ca) started from Nabil bringing his mom's hummus everywhere. When he shared with friends at poker tournaments and tech community gatherings, they'd salivate  — and DEMAND he bring more the next time.

__No paid marketing spend, no SEO, no print advertising budgets...just total word-of-mouth.__

Seeing the potential for more after sharing with friends, it wasn't long until Nabil was secretly trekking unmarked plastic containers of his homemade hummus across international borders to share at a conference. He would give it to everyone...and it worked.

> How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

As the word-of-mouth snowball continued rolling, even diplomats wanted in — one day, a Canadian diplomat got Nabil's phone number and reached out asking for hummus.

Nabil's response, "If you can meet me in 10 minutes, I'll bring you a container of hummus."

The Canadian diplomat didn't even bat an eye.

The Mayor, diplomats, poker friends, conference goers...Nabil couldn't fill orders fast enough, so he thought about how to expand on a shoestring budget. In Nabil's words, "How do I spend as little as possible and launch a brand people love?"

At this point, Nabil didn't even have a name for the business. But after talking with a friend, the name was clear.

"We should name it Black Market Hummus," his friend Tony said. "Street-side deals... international trafficking... it just makes sense."

![Custom-Food-Labels-StickerMule-BlackMarketHummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/dabb582f1647222be78cb72249592d4d032c77d0)

## Branding Black Market Hummus

Around this time, Nabil also joined [Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/) to help lead their enterprise partnerships program. As part of their employee onboarding, Nabil was required to create and build a "test" Shopify store. He decided to create one for Black Market Hummus.

With a business name, a website created, and a [free Mailchimp account](https://mailchimp.com/resources/create-your-brand/), Nabil decided to ship only to commercial addresses once a month to save on shipping costs, keep the hummus exclusive, and to make it easy for his customers to spread the word...and the hummus.

> I knew it had to be Sticker Mule."

To brand his hummus and label his containers, [he picked Sticker Mule's die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) and soon after that, Black Market Hummus was officially born.

He mocked up a quick design and worked with our expert artists, for free, to revise it to perfection and make it production ready. As Nabil said, "I didn’t even shop around. I knew it had to be Sticker Mule." 

Using [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) was a turning point for Nabil. Using the stickers as labels made his hummus recognizable from across the room — and the name sparked curiosity too.

With beautiful labels now on his hummus, he started to legitimize the brand, increase word-of-mouth sales, and go from "that guy who brings amazing hummus to parties" to "CEO of an exploding hummus business."

Best of all, a pack of 200 die cut stickers cost him 3-5x less than a typical ad spend. He was able to quickly create a brand people would recognize and excitedly share with their social circles.

With his idea validated through the demand of friends, colleagues, and even Canadian diplomats — and now a brand and beautiful design to back it up — Nabil sent a single email to customers who bought his hummus in the past. He announced he was doing a large batch order and was curious who wanted to buy hummus.

__That one email resulted in $1,600 in sales.__

Already, in his very first month of "official" sales, Nabil was profitable.

Today, Nabil's business is still exploding with growth following the same strategy: using Sticker Mule [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) on all of his hummus containers, freshly made hummus shipped once a month, and delivery strictly to commercial addresses.

"Reaction from the local community has been incredible," Nabil says.

![Worlds-Best-Hummus](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/2ef6b9712f7192853d5ffa7a9a7002b7e22db7cc)

## How to build a brand people love 

Here are the 3 lessons from Nabil about he grew Black Market Hummus for less than $1,000 into a brand people love:

### 1. Validate 
Validate your idea through friends to make sure there's demand first — and then slowly expand to other social groups, friends-of-friends, and acquaintances to keep validating. Free is okay at the start, but to truly validate you need paying customers — even if they are friends.

### 2. The power of scarcity 
Think of creative ways you can generate demand and scarcity mentality in your customers. For example, Nabil only ships once a month to commercial addresses. This encourages people to place larger orders and share with friends so they don't miss their "window of opportunity." At the start of the business, his website was locked with a password to limit demand and feed the brand’s exclusive "black market" status.

### 3. Get eyes on your brand
On a shoestring budget, get creative with marketing. Nabil used die cut stickers to create brand recognition and save 3-5x on his marketing costs. His customers were eating the hummus at work and at parties so the hummus was already visible — adding branding sealed the deal.

![Black Market Hummus delivered](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/5648388f0b0a5bdcff62eabf6e254f5003a9be79)

Visit [Nabil and Black Market Hummus here](https://blackmarkethummus.ca/).

Then order the same stickers Nabil used to grow his brand on a shoestring budget [using your own logo here](https://www.stickermule.com/uses/business-logo-stickers). 

With your stickers you’ll get free online proofs, unlimited design revisions and custom stickers and labels that are weather resistant, waterproof and can be run through the dishwasher.

To get you started, we'll [take $10 off your first order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />


Black Market Hummus is the first HaaS (Hummus as a Service) business and has created a successful brand for less than $1,000. 

Introducing custom buttons 

![Custom pin-back buttons](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/d93abe6272e07a5ca2651e68351654fd9bece0e5)
We recently added [custom buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons) to Sticker Mule. We merged Button Frog into Sticker Mule to make it easier for our customers to use one site to checkout with multiple items in their cart while offering the same great product and turnaround. 

Since launching Button Frog in April 2015, we have had a 4.9/5 review rating with 100% of customers saying they would order again. Custom buttons were the top rated product on [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/tech/button-frog) when they launched and quickly gained a following. Within a few months, we added three additional button sizes and allowed orders of 3,000+ units.

We are thrilled to share that custom buttons on Sticker Mule are identical to those made by Button Frog. 

Circle buttons are available in four sizes: 1", 1.25", 1.5" and 2.25". Every order receives same day free proofing, 4 day turnaround and free shipping. 

Customers can also take advantage of our [multiple item discount](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/introducing-multiple-design-discount) when they add [buttons](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons), [stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-stickers), [magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets), and [labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels) to their cart at the same time.

<ButtonCta text="Create custom buttons now" href="https://www.stickermule.com/custom-buttons?ref=blog" />


We merged Button Frog into Sticker Mule to make it easier for our customers to order custom buttons. 

Get a return on your time sooner to grow faster 

Recently, we expanded into [roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/custom-labels). To do so, we made a substantial investment in new label printing and finishing machinery. Since the printers arrived months before our finishing machine, we soft-launched by purchasing a low-end finishing machine that could only make [circle roll labels](https://www.stickermule.com/products/circle-roll-labels). 

No one would have faulted us if we delayed launching until the proper finishing machine arrived. What would have seemed odd is if all of the machines arrived and then we continually postponed launching while they collected dust. You don't make business investments and not put them to use. 

> You don't make business investments and not put them to use."

Despite the obviousness of this principle, businesses struggle with it when investments are not physical. It would make anyone uneasy to see a machine sitting unused, but it's not as bothersome if human effort is invested in a project that gets delayed. This is an unfortunate because investments of time are significantly more valuable than investments of money. We can make more money, but we can't make more time. 

> Investments of time are significantly more valuable than investments of money."

Since most projects require collaboration, as soon as anyone invests time in a project, you are essentially letting an investment collect dust if you cause it to be postponed. 

Let's consider the life of a generic project:

1. Someone notices a problem with one of our processes and suggests a solution. 
2. A product designer, reviews the problem and proposed solution and drafts a spec for the design team. 
3. The design team creates mockups based on the product spec and iterate until everyone is happy. 
4. The project is placed in the development queue to be worked on. 
5. Development begins work on the project and submit a pull request once it's ready to be reviewed. 
6. The developer waits for feedback on the pull request and iterates accordingly.  
7. Once everyone is happy the pull request gets merged. 
8. Information gets disseminated about the feature so we can make use of it. 

Realistically, once step 1 is complete, someone invested time towards a project that should yield a positive return. The investment at this point isn't huge, but it grows as each additional step in the sequence is completed. As we get further along the process, the downside of delaying becomes greater as a larger investment is now sitting idle, collecting dust.

Business growth is all about return on investment. To enjoy strong growth and solid financials, you pick high return projects and execute them quickly. Picking the right projects is incredibly difficult. Getting them done faster is not. Since returns tend to compound and this cycle repeats constantly, shortening it has a major impact on long run growth. The sooner we get a return on capital spent (monetary or human), the faster we grow. 

> Picking the right projects is incredibly difficult. Getting them done faster is not."

This doesn't mean projects shouldn't be delayed or abandoned. If you discover a project is without merit it should be abandoned. Picking the right projects matters and sometimes we start the wrong ones. 

But, if something is worth doing, then it should be completed quickly. Investments in human effort shouldn't be viewed any differently than investments in machinery. You'd feel weird seeing a machine not being used and you should feel equally weird letting your coworker's effort go un-used. 

Our team works extraordinarily well together because we share a similar perspective on work. If you have a desire to do great work in a stress-free work environment, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).


To enjoy strong growth and solid financials, you pick high return projects and execute them quickly. 

The Sticker Mule guide to Slack

![The Sticker Mule guide to Slack ](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/adc78a94269658848a6339ddef5a2992d387bc66)

Collectively, [Asana](http://asana.com) and [Slack](http://slack.com) manage the majority of our communication at Sticker Mule. We use Asana to handle task related conversations and Slack to handle everything else. Your company might prefer a task management tool other than Asana; the important thing is that you use one. 

To help onboard new team members, we created documentation explaining [how we use Asana](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/the-remote-team-guide-to-asana). I decided to also share our tips and conventions for using Slack for the benefit of prospective team members ([we’re hiring!](https://www.stickermule.com/careers)) and anyone that needs to coordinate a remote team. 


## Integrating Slack with your task management workflow

Tasks are the essence of business so it’s important to think about how Slack integrates with your overall task management workflow. To ensure our task management system & Slack play well together, we have four guidelines explaining when it’s appropriate to communicate via Slack or Asana. If you use a different task management tool like simply replace Asana with your tool of choice and these same guidelines will still apply to your organization. 

### Create Asana tasks once they’re identified via Slack.
New tasks are often identified during Slack conversations, but they should quickly be migrated to Asana where they can be easily managed. You can use [Slack’s Asana integration](https://slack.com/apps/A0F81FK1C-asana) to quickly add tasks by typing “/asana add Task Name” to create a task. 

### Avoid asking teammates to perform tasks in Slack.
It’s tempting to ask people to do things via Slack, but it’s best to create Asana tasks that can be easily recalled, assigned and completed when time permits. Slack messages are easily lost once read so it’s not ideal to issue tasks via Slack. 

### Avoid discussing existing Asana tasks in Slack.
Keep task related conversations within Asana so that they stay in context and can be responded to at the participant's convenience. Occasionally, it may make sense to have a Slack call to discuss a task, but action points from that call should be posted to Asana. 

## 19 additional Slack tips & tricks

### 1. Avoid using @everyone.
@here is less disruptive since it only notifies people that are working. Alternatively, use @mention if you want to post something publicly but only need to notify specific people. 

### 2. Use do not disturb to stay focused. 
When you need to focus on your work for prolonged periods of time use Slack’s [Do Not Disturb feature](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/214908388-Using-Do-Not-Disturb-in-Slack) to temporarily turn off notifications so you’re not distracted. 

### 3. Configure your work schedule. 
Slack lets you configure your work schedule so that messages don’t bother you when you’re off the clock. This allows coworkers to message you at night without worrying about bothering you since Slack will wait until you’re working to deliver the message. 

### 4. Mute infrequently used channels.
Some channels you’ll find yourself using infrequently. Rather than constantly leaving and joining them it’s best to [mute them](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/204411433-Muting-a-channel) so they don’t bother you, but you’re still able to use them when needed. 

### 5. Prefer Slack calls
Standardization makes training and onboarding easier. [Slack’s calling features](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/216771908-Making-voice-calls-in-Slack) are powerful and continue to improve so we are gradually phasing out other voice applications. The one exception is we still use [Zoom](https://zoom.us/) for video conference calls. 

### 6. Use group chats. 
Don’t hold the same conversation with multiple people individually. Instead loop teammates into conversations as needed by using group chats. Slack also lets you quickly convert a group chat into a group call. 

### 7. Create custom emoji.
Ask your design team to spend a day creating a few [custom emoji](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/206870177-Creating-custom-emoji) for the team to use. We rather enjoy inserting emoji-fied versions of each other into chats. 

### 8. Setup a few trigger words.
Don’t go overboard, but creating a few triggers that insert random nonsense into your chats is a great way to add amusement to your day and confuse new hires when they first stumble upon them. 

### 9. Create private channels for trips & meetups. 
Private channels are a great way to keep everyone in-sync during a company trip or meetup. We recommend creating them before the trip starts so everyone is aware they exist. 

### 10. Add a profile photograph.
We highly recommend [adding a profile photograph](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/204092246-Editing-your-profile) so that coworkers can put a face with your name. Although we’re remote it’s still good to see each other so that when we do meet there’s already some familiarity. 

### 11. Hangout in your team’s dedicated channel.
We create a channel for every team and encourage team members to primarily use that channel to discuss work and life with their teammates. 

### 12. Use Zight to share screenshots.
[Zight](https://zight.com/) is a handy tool for sharing screenshots via shortened URLs. Slack automatically inserts the image into the chat when you share a screenshot via a Zight link. 

### 13. Archive inactive channels.
It’s easy to create a lot of channels so you should occasionally cull your channel list by archiving ones with low activity. You may want to abandon a channel entirely or merge the  channel into another one with a broader purpose. 

### 14. Edit existing messages instead of sending new ones.
If you mistype your message it’s better to edit your message than sending a new one. Slack lets you easily do this by hitting the up arrow. This reduces confusion and the number of notifications others receive.

### 15. Set highlight words

![highlight words in slack](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/513f69fb28040936d004022e3077eea408a6ee78)

If you mute channels that you do not use frequently, it can be helpful to set a few highlight words based on your role. 

For example, if you are a content manager you might set “blog” as a highlight word. (To find highlight words after the initial notification, click on the “@” symbol located at top right.)

### 16. Use keyboard shortcuts
Slack has a ton of amazing [keyboard shortcuts](https://get.slack.help/hc/en-us/articles/201374536-Slack-keyboard-shortcuts). My favorites are CMD+K (Quick switch), CMD+U (Upload a file), Shift+Enter (Create a new line), & Alt+Shift+Down Arrow (Next unread message) and CMD+/ (view keyboard shortcuts). 

### 17. Use the mobile app (optional). 
If your job involves being away from your computer a lot then the mobile app is highly recommended. 

### 18. Cross post content instead of uploading twice (optional). 
Slack has a handy feature that lets you cross post content across channels & messages instead of uploading twice. This is especially handy when you’re on mobile with limited bandwidth. 

### 19. Star specific channels & team members (optional) 
Starring a channel or a team member places it above all other channels and direct messages. This makes it easier to find and send a message to the people you interact with repeatedly.

## Conclusion
Slack is the fastest adopted and most heavily used application at Sticker Mule. It quickly replaced email and increased our cohesion despite being an entirely remote team. 

I hope this document helps both our team and others get more value from Slack.

Our team works extraordinarily well together not just because we share the same tools, but because we share a similar perspective on work. We all tend to be [humble, independent, logical, thoughtful and autodidactic](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/characteristics-we-look-for-in-team-members). 

If you have these characteristics too, [we're hiring](https://www.stickermule.com/careers?ref=blog).

Get the Sticker Mule secrets to using Slack with our remote team. Here are the guidelines we use, and suggest for other remote teams, as well. 

How to build your Etsy shop brand 

Wouldn’t it be great if every one of your Etsy customers sent others to your shop?

As a small business owner, you want people to enjoy your creations and tell others. You don’t just want them to come back and buy again. You also want them to recommend your shop to their friends and help you grow. But if you’re a small Etsy shop owner, you might recognize this conversation:

“I found this super cute Etsy shop the other day.” “What’s it called?” “...I can’t remember.”

Now, that’s tragic. The good news is that a combination of good branding on Etsy along with some simple Etsy SEO will make it easier for your customers to not only find you the first time but remember your name and share it with all their friends.

## How to get noticed on Etsy in 2020

A major issue with selling on Etsy is being found in the first place. There are thousands of sellers who create similar products, so when a potential customer is simply referred to finding you “on Etsy,” it’s almost impossible to relocate an exact item.

It’s not easy for buyers to just “find you on Etsy”.

Here’s a simple search on Etsy for a purse. As you can see, there are thousands of results and it would be hard to get your purse to stand out in search. To bring your shop to the top, you need to start with a little Etsy SEO.

![etsy purse search](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/55ccb07e52ddca834203f5acfbba83229ee86b34)

### What you need to know about SEO for Etsy

Did you know that Etsy runs its own SEO game? And playing by Etsy’s rules is what all those big, successful shops are doing to succeed?

Thankfully, Etsy doesn’t keep its SEO program a secret. The Etsy staff keep an up-to-date guide on the site called “[How Etsy Search Works](https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/how-etsy-search-works/375461474487)”.

Shops get found on Etsy in two phases:

- Query matching
- Ranking

Query matching happens when your new customer does a search on Etsy for a product. Then, Etsy looks through all the listings that match the query.

Ranking is similar to Google. The Etsy team wants to provide buyers with the most accurate search results. So, they look through the listings and pull out the ones that best match the search term. Usually, these products then make up the top selling Etsy items thanks to sheer visibility alone.

You want the product Etsy chooses for page one to be yours. So, how do you make it happen? The answer is finding the best keywords for Etsy.

### How to find the best Etsy SEO keywords

To get started with SEO on Etsy, you need to find the right keywords, which is a funny way of saying “a couple of words that accurately describe your product.” 

Keywords are the foundation of setting up an Etsy store: choose the right ones, and getting found is easier. Using keywords that don’t match your product or the buyer’s intent will make it harder for you to use more advanced tools to get ahead.

1. __Start with Etsy’s own search tool.__ You can learn a lot about what people search for on Etsy simply by doing lots of searches yourself. You can see what other keyword suggestions Etsy makes and figure out what kind of products come up when you hit the ‘search’ button. Write your findings down, but don’t rely on this method alone!
2. __Confirm your hunch with an Etsy keyword tool.__ You don’t need to play a guessing game with keywords. You can confirm your suspicion and use data to find the most popular keywords by turning to tools like the Etsy Keyword Tool Dominator. If you’re new to Etsy and don’t have cash to spare for keyword research, you can also use the Google Keyword Planner, which is available at the unbeatable cost of absolutely free.
3. __Optimize your title, tags, attributes, and categories__. With your list of sweet keywords ready to go, it’s time to sprinkle them around your store like magic dust. Add them to every aspect of your listing, including in your content. If you’re brand new to Etsy, you can find a short guide to the different parts of your listing, like titles, tags, and categories, [over on Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/ie/seller-handbook/article/keywords-101-everything-you-need-to-know/382774281517).

By building a foundation of accurate and highly-searchable keywords, you’re preparing yourself to be found by [Etsy’s 41.03 million active buyers](https://www.marketplacepulse.com/stats/etsy/etsy-number-of-active-buyers-3).

## What are examples of successful Etsy brands?

Now that you’re on your way to taking over the top spot in the Etsy rankings, what you need is branding. Branding is more than coming up with names for an Etsy shop: true branding helps people remember your store so they can come back again — and bring their friends.
Branding is a highly individual exercise. Your brand is a reflection of your shop. But if you’re new to buying and selling online, you may find you need some inspiration to kick-start your branding brainstorm. 
To get started, let’s take a look at three Etsy shops who are already successful.

### Lovelane branded by quality & photography

![lovelane etsy page](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/367448538328af4596f0b12734c596d90fdb1427)

[Lovelane](https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovelane) is a custom children’s costume shop with gorgeous photography and glowing reviews. They have a logo, several places for you to follow them on social media, and a website. 

The company is especially active on Instagram where you can see dozens of pictures of their products in use. 

What really stands out for this brand is the unique quality of their children’s costumes and photography that goes beyond the effort of what a normal shop would. 

They have images of children in their costumes playing. There is a nice touch of a child being held in the air in their costume to fly like a superhero. And, you’ll find a few pets and babies in costumes as well.

__Takeaway Tip:__ Be creative with what you offer, and show it being used in your photography. Skip ‘stock’ images, and ask customers to come back and leave a review. Social proof is a great way to show others how great your product is.

### Creepy St. Shop is a fun nightmare

![etsy creepy st ](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/e92b9fd21bb79ab1ee05c2174bd2c9fa3b645622)

When it comes to horror films you either love them or hate them. Lisa from [Creepy St.](https://etsy.com/shop/CreepySt) loves them so much she’s set up her own Etsy shop selling goods celebrating horror film culture. 

Lisa has a fun logo with a skull to indicate the dark nature of her shop. Most items in the shop are related to the horror world, and she stays consistent with her scary brand. 

What’s really fun is how Creepy St. shares horror flicks links, history and facts on social media. She’s active in getting recognition for her brand, while also providing a newsfeed that is interesting to her followers on Twitter.

__Takeaway Tip:__ Entertain your buyers. From the design of her logo to the fun newsfeed, Lisa is able to keep people interested in her shop by staying active with industry news.

### Shine Invitations for beautiful wedding stationery

![shine invitations etsy page](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9dad33d8f5e371fad3a0187c829435dcf7aed7e2)

The wedding category is massive on Etsy. To stand out, a store has to optimize every setting and option. [Shine Wedding](https://etsy.com/shop/ShineInvitations) Invitations does this very well. From their photos, to their titles and descriptions they use every opportunity to show the elegance of their invitations. 

For branding they make sure to use their company name in emails and they refer people to their actual website and social media accounts (where they are highly active). 

__Takeaway Tip:__ Use fonts in your products and photos to stay consistent with your branding. In these pictures they use elegant fonts consistent with wedding invitations.  

## What you can learn from successful Etsy brands

Setting up your shop with a fluid theme is one way to help people remember your brand, but successful shops also do a lot behind the scenes. Here are more ways to work on your branding.

### Use your Etsy shop name in emails

When you send emails about your shop, use your shop name in your signature and at the top of the email. Say “thank you for shopping at My Etsy Shop.”

### Set up social media accounts for your Etsy shop

 If you don’t already have social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, set them up and start using them. The more active you are, the more likely you are to bring visitors to your shop. You don’t have to be on all social media networks.

### Work with others

[Etsy has communities](http://etsy.com/teams), and there are several other places that Etsy sellers congregate to support each other. You can find these places by searching on Google for the Etsy sellers group.

Surprise and delight customers with little branding touches: Even though you’re an online business, most customers will still experience your product offline. Thoughtful packaging, with branded touches like custom stickers and labels, will help you bring your online brand into the real world from the very first moment your product reaches your customers hands!

Check out our [packaging and branding](https://www.stickermule.com/blog/brand-package-etsy-products) post for more tips on what to include in Etsy packaging.

## Get ready to make money on Etsy

Popular shops on Etsy have a lot to teach those who are willing to pay attention. Be sure to check out other shops to see what they are doing to increase sales, and gain exposure to their products.

As you learn more you can implement similar changes both when you start your Etsy store and as you continue growing your brand on Etsy.

There are countless ways to grow your brand using stickers and other custom printed products. Why not get started with branding and packaging, and watch your business grow from there?

<ButtonCta text="Create custom packaging for $29" size="large" variant="secondary" align="center" href="https://www.stickermule.com/custom-packaging" />

Want to stand out from the crowd? Branding your Etsy shop is the first step to making more money. Find a step-by-step branding guide with examples here.

15 highly rated free design courses 

Design is a major factor in how people view your company and website. But, what if you don’t know how to design, or can’t afford a full-time designer?

Luckily, there is [Studio](https://www.stickermule.com/studio). A free, easy-to-use online design tool with over 1000+ templates and counting.

But regardless of what tool you use, it's helpful to understand what makes a good design.

We get asked all the time if we know of design courses, especially by people looking to make their own [vinyl decals](https://www.stickermule.com/products/transfer-stickers). 

With that in mind we’ve picked out 15 free design courses that’ll help you build your design skills. Check them out:

## Introductory design courses for newbies
![Introductory design courses for newbies](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/4fc19671966dc043afc2df9cb7f5f96b7951a68a)

### Intro to the design of everyday things (Udacity)

This course on Udacity is created for anyone interested in design, it provides a summary of key concepts from the first two chapters of [The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman](https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded-ebook/dp/B00E257T6C/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1). The course trains you to recognize how design affects everyday life and how to make better design decisions.

Check out [Intro to the design of everyday things](https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-the-design-of-everyday-things--design101) on Udacity.

### Introduction to graphic design (Udacity)

Here you’ll learn the basics of design theory to create amazing graphics. Unlike other courses you won’t be learning about Photoshop or Illustrator, you will be learning the 5 basics of design. This lays the foundation for a career of design success.

> Great for very early beginners. If you're thinking about pursuing graphic design, but you're just not sure if it's a good fit for you, this course is helpful in giving clear definitions so you know exactly what graphic design means. -Melanie Baker

Check out [Introduction to graphic design](https://www.udemy.com/introduction-to-graphic-design/) on Udacity.

### Photo editing essentials: growing your brand (Skillshare)

[PicMonkey’s](https://www.picmonkey.com/) Jen Reiner shares how to edit a picture and make it awesome without the need for Photoshop. This class is perfect for beginners in design or those that don't want to buy photoshop. Every lesson includes tips and hacks to make your job easier. 

Check out [Photo editing essentials: growing your brand](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/photography/Photo-Editing-Essentials-Growing-Your-Brand/855732974) on Skillshare.

## Design principles courses
![Design principles](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/cb44ac4f7971ee85df1c495d21ae22122a254e67)

### Creative concepting: getting to better ideas faster (Skillshare)

This course by Jessica Moon, creative director at Digital Telephathy, explains how to execute design correctly. She shares exercises, concepts and tactics throughout this 40 minute course. This course is best for anyone serious about becoming professional designer. 

> I absolutely recommend this class to remind some of the key shortcuts and the best ways to make the design process easier and quicker. Great tips! Thank you, I really enjoyed your class. - Cata Gomez

Check out [Creative concepting: getting to better ideas faster](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Creative-Concepting-Getting-to-Better-Ideas-Faster/1408421897) on Skillshare

### Design pitfalls (David Kadavy)

Design Pitfalls is designed by David Kadavy, the author of the best-selling book [Design for Hackers](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119998956/?tag=lilgreendot-20), and lead design at multiple startups. The 6 lessons are delivered 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Each lesson focuses on a pitfall and how to avoid them.

Check out [Design pitfalls](http://designforhackers.com) on Design for Hackers.

### Don't fear the Internet

Everyone has a website these days but not all are visually appealing. With this course you learn “not to fear the Internet” and create a website that incorporates elements of design to increase your visits and engagement. You’ll also learn to take a basic wordpress blog and manipulate the css, html (and some php!) to match your aesthetic. 

Check out [Don't fear the Internet](http://www.dontfeartheinternet.com/).

## Courses on typography & fonts
![Typography & Fonts](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/58c90e3dc8be3b2eb9f2157ea7ccb265fce7f89b)

### Choosing the right font (Canva)

Choosing the right font means the difference between looking like a professional and an amateur. Consider how many people ‘love’ Comic Sans but the professional community finds it childish. 

[Canva](https://www.canva.com/design/DAAkValF-K4/remix) offers a free course that helps you choose the right font for your message, and overall design project. Using the fonts you learned about in this course would help you make some killer [custom magnets](https://www.stickermule.com/products/custom-magnets), give it a shot.

Check out [Choosing the right font](https://www.canva.com/design/DAAkValF-K4/remix) on Canva.

### Typography that works: typographic composition and fonts (Skillshare)

Skillshare offers a more in-depth font course that helps you recognize, use and create awesome compositions with typeface. Beyond choosing fonts, you’ll learn the different types of fonts, when they should be used and what works best for your readers. 

> Lovely introduction to typography with great examples and thought provoking content. Really useful, and achievable projects. -Ann O'neill

[Typography that works: typographic composition and fonts](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Typography-That-Works-Typographic-Composition-and-Fonts/1694217981) on Skillshare.

## Sketching & illustration courses
![Sketch & Vector Graphic Design](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/68fdaa955ceece2b50c574d877d025da62e02ffc)

### How to sketch like an industrial designer (Skillshare)

Julia Troy, who is Quirky's Design Director, created this class to teach you how to sketch your product idea into an image that is presentable and accurately illustrates your idea. This course is best for aspiring industrial designers and anyone that is prototyping an idea or invention.

Check out [How to sketch like an industrial designer](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/How-to-Sketch-Like-an-Industrial-Designer/625650159) on Skillshare

### Vector illustration: design a playful character using geometric shapes (Skillshare)

Vector illustrations are a huge part of design, with the help of Jonathan Ball’s instructions you will learn to create playful characters in vector form. This course is great for anyone interested in design since vector format is used universally.

Check out [Vector illustration: design a playful character using geometric shapes](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Vector-Illustration-Design-a-Playful-Character-Using-Geometric-Shapes/1832339814) on Skillshare

## Logo design courses
![Logo design courses](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/a7b19a52cd02e2c0821b1e5dbc78effb9ec58132)

### Graphic design 101: Why that logo is so compelling (Udemy)

Logos are a huge part of your company, they are usually the first thing a client sees and can be influential in decision making. This course explains what makes a logo attractive and how the design process works, so you can choose the perfect logo for your company.

Check out [Graphic design 101: Why that logo is so compelling](https://www.udemy.com/graphic-design-secrets/) on Udemy.

### Creating brand systems: an overview of combining logos and type (Skillshare)

This short class is made for creatives, illustrators, designers or anyone is interested in learning what goes into creating a dynamic logo. Designers Mike Ski and Jessie Jay created this course and have included simple side projects to help create your own dynamic logo at the end of the class. 

Check out [Creating brand systems: an overview of combining logos and type](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Creating-Brand-Systems-An-Overview-of-Combining-Logos-and-Type/1941759612) on Skillshare.

## Design courses for marketing & startups
![Design for Marketing & Startups](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/9adbad75b9ff85d7e90ceb677e767113b4e91537)

### Startups, this is how design works

Startups have to compete with the hundreds of designers at companies like Apple, Google and Facebook. This is perfect for employees in startups or those interested in startup design. The course teaches everything a startup needs to know about design including: logo creation, innovative UI and how to beat your competitors with awesome, kick-ass design. 

Check out [Startups, this is how design works](https://startupsthisishowdesignworks.com/).

### Web design essentials: creating marketing homepages that drive results (Skillshare)

This 60 minute course is for anyone interested in designing websites with high engagement and results. Dennis Field, a product evangelist and designer, teaches narrowing your creative process and capitalizing on feedback. 

Check out [Web design essentials: creating marketing homepages that drive results](https://www.skillshare.com/classes/design/Web-Design-Essentials-Creating-Marketing-Homepages-That-Drive-Results/1513598221) on Skillshare.

### Principles of UX design (Invision)

Timothy Embretson from Best Buy takes you through the importance of user experience in this free design course by [Invision](http://invisionapp.com). This course is great for anyone designing a website, app or web tool.  

Check out [Principles of UX design](https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/ux-principles-to-guide-your-product-design/) from Invision.

## Over to you
Approaching design on your own is no small feat but there are loads of resources that will help you along the way. The most important thing you can do is practice, innovate, and create on a regular basis. 

Ready to see how that new logo or illustration looks in print? Why not start with some custom stickers or magnets? Get $10 off your first order when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Improve your design skills with 15 free and highly-rated design courses. 

How to engage your online community with swag 

Building an online community is fun, but it can also be daunting. Even with a lot of members there may be very little activity. As a community manager it’s your job to activate your community and engage them with a variety of activities. 

One way to do this is by using swag, or free gifts. Done correctly and at the right times, swag campaigns can improve overall engagement, increase excitement about your community, get members to use word-of-mouth marketing, and grow your community to astounding numbers.  

## Why swag works for engaging your community

Swag can be a cost-effective way to reward community members. It works because it gives members the opportunity to show off their excitement for the community in real life. 

This often encourages others to investigate the site or brand name to see why this person is so enamored. Assuming everything else in the community is optimized this should lead to more activity, sign ups and engagement. 

But rewards like this must be used correctly, or the campaign could backfire turning into a massive waste of money with few new users gained.

## Successfully giving swag to your community

### Start by identifying a specific goal for your campaign. 
Do you want more members (hopefully active members), more traffic, more engagement from current members, or more referrals from current members? 

All of these things might sound nice, but choose 1 or 2 goals that would impact the community most and focus on making these things happen.

### Choose a specific action you want members to take. 
What do you want members to do? Put stickers up around San Francisco, Boston or NYC? Wear your t-shirts to big events? Share an image on social media with an explanation of why they love being active in the community? 

Be creative here, since that will get more members active in the campaign. Think big, you’ll want maximum exposure. 

### Decide who gets the items. 
You can thank new members for joining, reward the most active members by sending them an unexpected gift, give to members who used to be active but have recently slowed down, or you could choose to entice influencers who could share about your community. 

### Run the campaign.
If you are going to incorporate social media, giveaways or sweepstakes, now is the time to run it. If you are not using these things or you want to give away the items first, skip this step. 

### Ship items to recipients. 
Packaging is important here, you can go the extra mile to engage your recipients without spending a lot. Include a handwritten note, give them instructions or ask them to share on social media (“We’d love it if you could take a pic and share it on Twitter”) but don’t demand anything. 

## Common swag & stories of success

It’s a lot easier to imagine your campaign once you’ve heard about others who have been successful. We’ve put together a list of items and some stories of success to help jumpstart your creativity.

**T-shirts**- Not especially low cost when you are scaling, but an exciting prize for the most dedicated members of your community. Be sure to pick a quality, soft t-shirt to get people wearing it for you.

**Examples**: [Inbound.org](http://inbound.org) used t-shirts to reward their most loyal evangelist members. For a short time, anyone who referred 5 members to the site got a free t-shirt, anywhere in the world. 

Sujan Patel wrote about giving away t-shirts in his popular ebook on growth. By giving away t-shirts (that people wore) the company received a lot of word of mouth and were able to growth hack their way to more users. 

**Stickers**- One of the most economical ways to give physical products to your members, because they can be quite inexpensive and cheap to ship. A lot of companies will include [die cut stickers](https://www.stickermule.com/products/die-cut-stickers) as additional gifts in shipping because they are fun and low cost. 

Be smart and give your users a list of ideas of where to use your stickers , too. 

Some ideas: 

* Laptop covers
* Back of their tablets
* On street posts
* Posted to bulletin boards
* On skateboards or helmets
* Vehicles
* Moleskine notebooks

**Example**: Reddit is one of the most popular communities sites online and they’ve [used stickers quite extensively to help their brand grow]( https://www.fastcompany.com/1841389/how-reddit-built-its-empire-500-bucks-stickers-and-giving-people-what-they-want).

A quick search on Google will display several subreddits that have used stickers to connect with their communities as well. Here are a few from that search:

![sticker subreddits](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/88a1c0ce2a7c3e35572963b777799f38d19c58ba)

These stickers have been used all around towns to get people exposed to new brands, on packages for the same reason, in sticker exchanges, on game consoles, bikes, briefcases, laptop bags and more. 

**Notebooks** - Business people are constantly taking notes and writing things down, and a moleskine notebook is the perfect place to do it. That’s why we love branded notebooks. 

**Examples**: 
Here is a moleskine notebook Elevator Agency got from HubSpot. As an added bonus for HubSpot, the agency posted it on Twitter (exposure). 

![Moleskine notebook from HubSpot](https://storage.googleapis.com/sm-content/blog/aaceb1c626f577d0a466782dd6bec2366c6b239f)

When I first joined [Coschedule](http://coschedule.com) in 2014 as a paid member I received a notebook and a couple of stickers in the mail. 

A month later when I unexpectedly stopped blogging I continued as a paying member for a few more months because I loved the notebook so much and wanted to support them.

Another option for getting your swag out to members when you don’t have a budget for it, is to set up a store they can shop. There are several companies that act as fulfillment centers and you can put your brand on a lot of items without having to worry about ordering, stocking and shipping. 

## Swag can get expensive & here’s how to fix it

One of the main drawbacks of using swag is the cost. Sending 1000 t-shirts can cost $15,000 or more with shipping. Stickers can cost $500-$1000 to send to the same number of members with shipping and often get more exposure. 

A few ways you can lower swag expenses:

**Only send swag to the most active members**- many people will want free gifts so you’ll need to be selective. Sending gifts to members who are never active can be a huge waste of resources.

**Choose items within your budget**- T-shirts and gift cards are for communities with big budgets. Notebooks and stickers are great for communities of all budgets. What really matters is the presentation of the gifts.

**Avoid low quality gifts**- Totes seem like a great gift, but are often low quality, unless you are willing to foot a higher cost. Skip items that are low quality, like stiff t-shirts, because you’ll end up replacing them, or the member won’t use them as you’d hoped.

**Don’t offer items your audience won’t want**- If you’ve recently wrote a book, you might be inclined to offer the book as a gift (this helps increase your sales and promotes the book to your members), but you still end up footing the bill. If they want your book, they will buy it, swag should be a gift just for them.

### Conclusion
Offering your community gifts or swag is a great way to encourage more engagement, word-of-mouth and new members. 

By following the tips we’ve included here, you should be able to stay within your campaign budgets, while getting the most return on investment. 

If you have a community you'd like to reward with swag, why not start with stickers? [Get $10 off your first order](https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog) when you sign up by clicking the button below.

<ButtonCta text="Get $10 credit" href="https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=7980330701&ref=blog" />

Learn how swag helps improve engagement, increases word-of-mouth marketing, and grows your community. 

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