Using Unique Product Labels To Differentiate Your Small Business
Starting a business can be an intimidating endeavor. But with passion, determination, and hard work, success is within reach. For one entrepreneur, a love of slime turned into a thriving business that has garnered a loyal following.
We spoke with Carly, the owner of the slime business, SlimeCityB, who shares insights on what inspired her to start the company, how social media played a significant role in its growth, her process for creating and testing new slime recipes, and how she differentiates her products from competitors using labels.
But first… what is slime?
Think back to when you were a child — did you ever play with putty? Slime is like the adult, evolved version of just that! It’s a gooey substance that acts as both a solid and a liquid. It’s typically made with a base of glue and a concoction of other ingredients like lotion, shaving cream, and shampoo, and can include mix-ins such as beads, charms, fake snow, clay, and more. Different combinations of textures create unique slime textures. The glue mixture is then activated with borax, contact lens solution, or some other activator, turning it into stretchy slime.
What’s the point of it? Well, it’s fun to squeeze, poke, pull and pop! Many find that playing with slime can be a form of ASMR, and some find it to be stress-reducing and anxiety-soothing. Others find that making slime is an outlet for creativity — coming up with new slimes requires (for business owners) thinking over the name, texture/ingredients, scent, and label design, and how they all work together to create one perfectly themed slime.
The Slime Trend
Slime has been around for many years putting smiles on faces — many credit Mattel Toy Company with the invention of slime in 1976. Since then, slime has been a popular children’s toy, and was even adopted by Nickelodeon, a popular television channel, as an important element to their brand.
In the mid 2010s, slime was growing in popularity and became a trend that was quickly gaining momentum. But this time around, slime took on a whole new personality with a modern twist. People were making their own bright and colorful slimes and posting clips of it being played with. Adults were jumping on the trend too, most likely because of the satisfying nature of it.
In 2016, the trend really popped off on Instagram and Youtube. Around this time is when videos of slime being played with started to go viral, with more and more slime shops, like SlimeCityB, entering the scene. As members of the slime community experimented with different ingredients, methods, and textures, slime continued to evolve into what it is today.
Meet Carly from SlimeCityB
In 2016, Carly noticed the growing popularity of slime on social media platforms. Since it seemed that slime was taking over the internet, she jumped in on the trend too at just the right time — creating and posting videos of her own slimes, which eventually led her to opening her online slime shop, SlimeCityB.
She tells us, "I was having so much fun creating simple slimes and posting to my Instagram! I quickly started to get a ton of requests to start selling so I opened an Etsy shop and hit 1,000 sales within the first couple months."
Many slime shop owners choose to have a theme or a definitive style for their slimes. For Carly, she’s inspired by pop culture from the early 2000s. For example, her latest slime restock features SpongeBob-themed slimes!
"I like to make slimes based on things that I love so coming up with my ideas is usually super easy. I love early 2000s nostalgia and video games so I love making products for people who also have a niche interest in those things plus slime!"
After she chooses the theme for a batch of new slimes, it’s time to get creative with slime names, colors, textures, label designs, and more to tie the whole thing together! Carly also takes her customers and their preferences into consideration when picking out the colors, scents, and textures of her slimes.
Growing Her Slime Business
Carly credits social media as the driving force behind her business's success, saying that she would not have her business at all if it weren't for social media.
After getting her business up and running, she used platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase her products with a variety of ASMR and other fun videos revolving around her slimes. Since slime is such a stimulating product, videos are the best way to really sell consumers on the value of the product.
Carly also adds that her social media presence has helped her secure brand deals with large companies, and she has amassed nearly 1.5 million followers across platforms.
Using Labels to Differentiate Her Business
One surefire way to make slime stand out at first glance is by adorning it with a unique product label. It’s an opportunity to let your creativity flow, and the perfect way to tie the theme together — think of it like the cherry on top! Carly designs her own labels using Adobe Illustrator and PicMonkey, and takes pride in the uniqueness of them. In Carly’s case, she finds success in using imagery that appeals to the nostalgia of 90’s and 00’s kids.
With any high-quality design, you want to make sure your labels are just as up-to-par. So once she’s finalized the design, she grabs her OnlineLabels blank labels and prints them the same day. Printing them herself makes it especially convenient if she’s ever running behind on restocks.
"I have been purchasing the weatherproof blank labels for my slime jars from OnlineLabels for about 5 years now. They have given me the freedom to design everything how I like it super fast," says Carly.
She also says she purchases our 1.625" x 1.8125" custom labels, where she uploads her designs and has us print them for her, noting the excellent print quality.
Our interview with Carly, owner of SlimeCityB, highlights the importance of finding inspiration in what you love, utilizing social media to promote and grow your business, and the significance of branding and labeling to differentiate from competitors.
We hope this article was helpful and inspiring, whether you’re a big slime fan, or are looking to start your own business. With OnlineLabels, entrepreneurs find solutions to common business challenges and thrive in their industries.
Need product labels? Shop blank labels or custom labels today.
