Sticky Marketing

I picked up a pizza at Papa Johns the other day and was instantly reminded of a marketing technique which is available to many of us but that we don’t use: sticky marketing. On the top of the pizza box, several pieces of paper were stuck. One was a sticky note offering two pizzas for ten dollars. Another “proudly offered members of the armed forces 25% off.” A third was a folded-over 8 1/2 x 11 full color flyer with lots of coupons and special offers.

These immediately grabbed my attention in several ways. I thought the two pizzas for ten dollars was a great deal and set that sticky aside to use soon. I thought a 25% discount for members of the armed services was a wonderful salute. I gave the flyer the least attention, partly because it had too many offers on it and partly because my attention was spent.

All of these sticky pieces were invitations for the next transaction. Asking your customer to do business with you again while the customer is enjoying the current purchase is profitable marketing. Sticky notes are excellent vehicles to do that.

Yesterday afternoon I ran across another excellent use of sticky notes in marketing. I checked out a bookstore online and read a customer comment from Ed. “I like this place a lot since it has little yellow notes letting you know what awards certain books have won, and why it is a great read.”

“Wow!” I thought. “That is a great idea. Customers love to be given an inside scoop on a book.”

Writing this scoop on a sticky is attention-getting, intriguing, and memorable. The customer who wrote the comment was impressed enough to go to his computer and write a positive comment about the store. That action alone indicates excellent marketing. The customer’s obvious enthusiasm for the store in his comment was profitable word-of-mouth marketing.

Thinking about the power of a sticky little piece of paper, I remembered how excited I was when I discovered electronic sticky notes that I posted on my Web site. I love them because they allow me to highlight a message to visitors without being obnoxious. Visitors may click on them and be taken to a page for further information. I can easily change the message whenever I want. These stickies are a win-win for the customer and me, and the fee to have them is affordable.

What makes a sticky note, whether electronic or paper, effective?

First, the note is small. That gets our attention. Second, these notes are often yellow, which next to red is the color to which people are most attracted. Third, the message is brief. We like brief. Brief is powerful. Notice that I didn’t bother with the flyer because it wasn’t brief. Fourth, the note is portable. I could easily pull the note off the pizza box and place it where I would remember the offer. Fifth, the note is easy for the business to use, whether by handwriting, printing, or electronics.

Most important, however, is the note’s sixth feature: stickiness. The note is easily stuck on a pizza box, a book, or a Web page. It also sticks in the customer’s mind. Remember the customer at the bookstore who took the time to tell others about his experience? The memorable effect that sticky note had on him is something that all business people seek with their marketing. As many marketers and business people will attest, achieving memorability is a challenge. Used well, sticky notes accomplish that.

How can you use sticky notes to invite customers with the next transaction, give them a scoop, or lead them into your Web site?

How can you use sticky notes to make more sales?