Ahh, stickers. Who doesn’t love stickers? No one we’ve ever met. As kids, we relished the opportunity to acquire a sticker and slap it on some cherished object. As adults, nothing’s changed. Stickers are fun. And fans love having stickers of their favorite bands. If your band doesn’t have band stickers, well, that’s a situation that needs rectifying. Having stickers is an easy and inexpensive way to market your music.

First, you need an eye-catching, colorful design (don’t forget to put your website somewhere along the edge of the design!). Second, you need a company to print them out for you — most cities have printing companies with affordable pricing packages on stickers. Then, you’re on your way to having fun promoting your band with stickers. Here are some ways you can use these flat and shiny objects backed with glue and wax paper to help spread the word about your band — it goes way beyond car bumpers.

-Tip with stickers (along with cash). People who work in bars, coffeeshops, restaurants and nightclubs are generally part of the younger set who keep up with new music. Give them a sticker along with their gratuity and be sure to tell them about your next gig in town.

-Give them out when people buy CDs and other merch. People like getting a little unexpected free bonus when they buy something. This will make your band stick out in their mind (pun intended).

-Everyone who signs up for your email list at a show gets a sticker. You could even make the offer good for online signups, if you’re willing to mail them the sticker or wait to give it to them when they come to a show.

-Put one on every guitar and instrument case of every band member. Not only does this help ID and keep track of cases at gigs, people will see it and take notice, so it helps brand you.

-Stick them in bathrooms and on walls at appropriate venues. The hipster club, the bohemian coffee shop and the trendy burrito stand already have graffiti and stickers plastered all over the place, just make sure you stick them in an approved place.

-Make a new sticker for each album or tour. Fans will want to collect them like they are trading cards. You could even put series numbers on them, like baseball cards.

-Make a sticker for each band member. Another must-have, collect-all for the die hard fans. These also serve as magnets of intrigue to attract new fans.

-Make them cause-specific. Contact a cause you support and see about partnering up for a sticker. This could exponentially increase sticker exposure.

-Make them team-specific. Do you or your band members have kids, nieces or nephews on little league sports teams? If your music is family-friendly, local team-centric stickers could be a boon for your band.

-Hand them out at other bands’ shows whose music is similar to yours. It’s worth re-iterating here: if you don’t put your band’s website somewhere in or along the edge of the design, strangers who end up with your sticker in their hands will have no idea how to find out more about your music.

Let us know the creative ways your band has used stickers as a fun and effective promotional tool.