“I’ve had an idea. Tell me if it’s great or nonsense. STICKERS.”
The text came in with exactly that energy.
A longtime client of mine, a consultant who helps creative professionals work through their process, was getting ready for a prospecting event. She wanted something more substantial than a business card. Something that would linger.
She pictured a sticker with her branding and her tagline: Say more about that.
She loves stickers. They live on her laptop, her water bottle, her notebook. They travel with her. She imagined someone spotting one while she worked at a coffee shop, asking about it, and wanting one for themselves. Fun, memorable, shareable.
And honestly? That instinct is smart. But the question wasn’t whether stickers were a good idea. The question was what those stickers needed to do.
That’s where strategy enters the room.
The Format Trap
Leaders often choose tactics they personally like, have seen others do, or that simply feel visible and fun. Suddenly, teams are ordering swag, starting podcasts, or launching ad campaigns.
But format alone doesn’t drive impact.
Her instinct was solid: create something stickier than a business card (literally!). Our task was making sure it was sticky for the right reasons, aligned with what she does and useful to the people she actually wants to serve.
A simple branded sticker would have functioned like a miniature billboard. It might generate visibility, but it wouldn’t reflect her niche positioning, the depth of her thinking, or the transformative nature of her services.
Visibility alone isn’t sticky. She needed to build authority.
The Strategic Filter
Instead of evaluating the stickers, we evaluated the purpose. We slowed down and asked:
- Who exactly are you trying to attract?
- What are they struggling with?
- What would help them in the moment?
- What does your positioning promise?
- What small artifact could demonstrate how you think?
I use this filter for campaigns, content, and now, even stickers!
Once we ran her idea through these questions, the direction became clear: the item needed to communicate her value in real time to her audience, not just display her brand to the world at large.
Strategy usually means asking better questions earlier in the process. When you do that, you might realize you don’t need to change the tactic if you can clarify its intention.
Before acting on your next marketing idea, run it through my strategic filter:
- Does this reflect who we are best for?
- Does it demonstrate how we work?
- Does it create value in the moment?
- Does it encourage the right next step?
The Asset Shift
Once we defined what the swag needed to accomplish, I researched similar ideas and suggested a conversational sticker sheet built around her tagline.
Each sheet would include thoughtful prompts designed to help a creative move through a block. Every sticker would feature her brand elements and a soft call to action inviting them to “find their answer” by working with her.
She hesitated at first. What if these prompts reduced her work to quick questions instead of the deep, sometimes vulnerable conversations she facilitates?
So I reframed it: The sticker is not the service. It’s a preview of the thinking she sparks.
And it accomplishes exactly what we need it to:
- It speaks directly to her audience.
- It demonstrates expertise before a sales conversation.
- It shows how she thinks.
- It becomes useful at the moment her audience needs help.
- It turns a passive object into an active tool.
To minimize risk, we crafted questions that were pointed enough to unlock creativity but broad enough to apply across disciplines. And they were deep enough that they didn’t oversimplify her work.
The Relevant Results
If we’d followed her original path, someone (a creative professional, we hope) gets a sticker. Maybe they think it looks cool. Maybe they look her up. Maybe one day they need her services. Maybe they remember who she is and what she does. Maybe they reach out.
Maybe.
On the strategic path, a creative professional gets a sticker. When they hit a block, they see her prompt. They use it. They move forward. And they associate that breakthrough with her.
Now she gets targeted visibility and relevance. That increases memorability, authority, and the likelihood of a follow-up.
This is how small tactics, done strategically, can produce outsized results.
The Bigger Lesson
By now, you know this story was never really about stickers. It was about intentionality.
Slowing down to ask what a tactic needs to accomplish before you invest. Making sure small decisions support your bigger goals. Designing for outcomes instead of impressions.
Her original instinct was good, but strategy made it better.
What marketing idea are you sitting on right now?
- Is the instinct right?
- Have you pressure-tested the execution?
- Does it reflect your positioning?
- Does it create value, or just visibility?
Tactics are easy to launch, but alignment takes more discipline. If you choose tactics because they’re fun, familiar, or trending, you’ll get scattered results.
But if you choose based on purpose, even small decisions will work harder. Not louder, or flashier. More effectively.
And that is what makes strategy sticky.