STOWE, Vt., Feb. 10, 2009 — In the endless barrage of bad economic news and near-daily layoff announcements, one marketing company specializing in the design and production of custom stickers, labels and magnets is choosing to focus on the positive. Websticker.com (http://www.websticker.com), a division of Freely Creative, Inc. (http://www.freelycreative.com), is making some bold choices that fly in the face of the recession — and set it apart from other printing services.
Company founder Jeff Nicholson calls his company's approach "Group Hug Marketing": Invite people in, make them comfortable, and do everything possible to meet their needs. Sales and profits, he says, are simply a side benefit of a marketing strategy that emphasizes building relationships. At Websticker.com, that strategy includes providing personal service and consulting and doing design at no charge. The company even recommends other printer resources if they can better handle a client's job.
"We've been in the custom sticker business for 16 years, and in that time we've learned what works for our clients and for our own company," Nicholson said. "It's easy for businesses to hit the panic button and begin outsourcing or cutting employee benefits when profits start to slip. Websticker.com has decided to go a different direction. It's business as usual, and that means taking care of our clients and our employees."
For employees "business as usual" includes raises, free ski passes, and flex time for out of office activities. In the office, Websticker.com refuses to automate or outsource design, is increasing its free production program for nonprofit/charity organizations, and is putting clients — not profits — first. It's a business model that may not seem to make sense in today's economy, but Nicholson has built his business, which now produces over 16 million stickers annually, on strong relationships.
"Just because anyone can now design products themselves online doesn't mean that's the best choice for printers or customers," Nicholson explained. "At Websticker.com, our number-one goal is not to sell the customer quickly with limited interaction, but to build trust and then help create the best, most economical product possible for their needs. Yes, times are tough, but that's not a reason to change our goals or to abandon the ideals on which our business was built — ideals based more on sustainable well-being than on growth and profits."
Freely Creative, Inc. was founded in 1992 and launched its online presence as Websticker.com in 1997. The company prints custom promotional stickers, bumper stickers, decals, magnets, labels and sticker-based marketing pieces; clients can provide their own artwork or have the Websticker.com team handle the design. Featuring a newly redesigned Web site, Websticker.com offers free consultations, free design and top-quality products for "When You Want Your Name To Stick." To learn more and meet the staff, visit http://www.websticker.com
Contact:
Jeff Nicholson
Freely Creative, Inc.
802-253-2011
Email
http://www.websticker.com
# # #