Branding is no longer what we see on TV or read in magazines; it has become interactive and personal. Small businesses, in particular, need to create a strong relationship with their existing customers, and especially their prospective customers. These relationship efforts should go beyond a simple purchase, and what’s a better way to create a bond with someone than through food?

Custom branded ice cream cups are one way to show your customer base that you care about them and want to give them a delicious and memorable experience. Plus, it’s a fun and easy way to market your shop!

There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re marketing your shop with custom branded ice cream cups and ways to promote them. We’ll share nine tips to help you get started with your marketing efforts.

Go Green

1. Keep Your Branding Consistent

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to make sure that your custom ice cream cups match the overall aesthetic of your shop. Your target audience should be able to immediately recognize your brand when they see your cups.

Here’s a few things that you should consistently have for your branding:

  • Feature your brand colors and logo on your cups: Incorporating your brand’s colors and logo on the cups solidifies visual recognition. Customers quickly associate these elements with your shop, enhancing brand recall and making your cups stand out in their minds.
  • Choose a design that matches your brand aesthetic: A harmonious design aligns the cups with your overall brand aesthetics. Whether your brand exudes vibrancy or sophistication, a consistent design language reinforces your image in customers’ perceptions.
  • Make sure the font and messaging is consistent with your brand voice: Consistency in font and messaging maintains your brand’s tone and voice. This ensures that your cups communicate in a way that resonates with your target audience, contributing to a coherent brand identity.
  • Consider using the same ice cream cup design on other marketing materials, such as flyers or on all your social media channels: Extending your cup design to flyers, social media, and other marketing materials creates a unified visual identity. This synergy reinforces brand recognition across various touch points, creating a cohesive customer experience.
  • Train employees to communicate brand messaging and values to new customers: Equipping your staff to communicate your brand’s messaging and values ensures a consistent customer experience. From the cups to verbal interactions, maintaining a coherent brand identity enhances customer satisfaction.
  • Use the same cups across all locations, if applicable: If you have multiple locations, uniformity in cup design reinforces brand unity. Customers recognize your brand instantly, regardless of the location, fostering a sense of reliability and familiarity.
  • Keep an eye on your target audience feedback to ensure your branding resonates with them: Regularly seeking feedback from your target audience helps gauge the effectiveness of your branding. This ensures that your branding strategy remains aligned with their preferences, strengthening brand resonance.

Many local businesses make the mistake of using different fonts, colors, and logos on their cups than they do on their other marketing materials, like on their social media platforms. This can be confusing for customers and make your brand look disorganized.

It’s important to have a strong branding strategy in place before you start designing your cups. Once you know what colors and fonts represent your brand, you can start thinking about how to incorporate them into your cup design.

2. Use High-Quality Images

The quality of your images will directly impact the perceived quality of your brand. That’s why it’s important to use high-resolution images on your ice cream cup design (and all of your marketing materials and social media platforms!).

When new customers see a well-designed cup, they’ll automatically associate your business with professional quality and may even create social media posts with them. On the other hand, if your cups are blurry or pixelated, customers will likely perceive your brand as being cheap or low-quality.

By utilizing high-quality images in your marketing efforts, you can effectively showcase the appeal of your custom ice cream cups and entice customers to visit your shop. Remember, compelling visuals have the power to capture attention, evoke emotions, and ultimately drive sales and customer engagement.

Go Green

3. Keep Your Design Simple For Your Potential Customers

Your customers are going to be looking at your custom ice cream cups for just a few seconds, as a business owner you need to make sure that your design is simple and easy to understand.

That means using minimal text and clear images that represent your brand. Your prospective customers should be able to understand your message without having to spend a lot of time deciphering it.

Your design should also be easy to read from a distance. Use bold colors and large font sizes so that people can see your message even if they’re not standing right in front of your cups.

Here are some tips on how to keep your custom ice cream cup design simple for potential new customers:

  • Limit the number of colors: Using too many colors can make the design feel cluttered and overwhelming. Stick to two or three colors that match your brand aesthetic.
  • Use bold, simple shapes: Using bold, simple shapes can make the design easy to read and understand at a glance. Avoid complex shapes or intricate details that can be difficult to discern.
  • Focus on one main message: Determine what the most important message is that you want to convey to potential customers and make that the focal point of the design.
  • Use easy-to-read fonts: Choose fonts that are easy to read and legible, even from a distance. Avoid overly ornate or complicated fonts that can be difficult to read.
  • Avoid too much text: While it’s important to include messaging on your custom ice cream cups, avoid using too much text. Stick to a few key phrases or a tagline that is easy to remember.
  • Use negative space: Incorporating negative space into the design can make it feel more modern and sleek while also making it easier to read and understand.
  • Consider a minimalist approach: A simple, minimalist design can be just as effective as a more complex one, especially when it comes to branding. Sometimes, less is more if it connects to your brand.

By following these tips, you can create a design that is easy to understand and effectively markets your shop to potential customers.

4. Use Attractive Colors on Your Custom Ice Cream Cups

Color is one of the most important elements of your custom ice cream cup design. The colors you use will determine how attractive your cups are to customers. Believe it or not, colors affect our moods and emotions. That’s why it’s important to choose colors that reflect the tone of your brand.

For example, if you want your local customers to feel happy and excited when they see your cups, you might use bright, primary colors. Or if you want your repeat customers to feel more relaxed, you might use cooler, pastel colors.

Think about the emotions you want your customers to feel when they see your custom ice cream bowls, and then choose colors that will evoke those emotions. By doing so, you’ll be more likely to grab customers’ attention and make a lasting impression.

5. Get Creative With Your Text

In addition to using attractive colors, you can also use text to make your cups more eye-catching. Again, because customers will only be looking at your cups for a few seconds, it’s important to use concise and easy-to-read text. But that doesn’t mean your text has to be boring. Get creative with your fonts and experiment with different sizes and styles. Just make sure that your text is still legible from a distance.

In the age of social media, online marketing and digital marketing, anything unique and visually appealing is likely to be shared on social posts. When customers receive their custom ice cream cups with eye-catching texts, they’re likely to photograph and share it on their social media accounts, tagging your shop and thus will promote your business, especially when posted on social media and sharing with their online community. This user-generated fresh content acts as free promotion and authentic endorsement, expanding your shop’s online presence and helps you market your shop online so you can utilize the search engine optimization portion of your business and show up more online.

6. Add a Decorative Element

Another way to make your cups more eye-catching is to add a decorative element. This could be anything from a colorful pattern to a simple graphic.

A decorative element can help to break up the text on your cups and make them more visually appealing. Just make sure that your decorative element is still relevant to your brand and doesn’t overwhelm the rest of your design.

Here are some examples of what to add to your custom ice cream cups to help target your potential customers for your marketing strategy:

  • Colorful patterns
  • Custom illustrations
  • Quotes or phrases
  • Texture
  • Metallic finishes
  • Bright or neon colors
  • Edible decorations
  • Seasonal themes
  • Unique shapes
  • Interactive elements

7. Use High-Quality Materials

The material of your cup can also affect the perceived quality of your brand. If you use high-quality materials, your customers will automatically assume that your brand is also high-quality. When customers receive a cup that feels substantial and well-made, it enhances their perception of the overall quality of your products and services. This association with quality can extend to how customers perceive the ice cream itself and therefore also gives them a strong impression of your business profile and will keep them coming back for more.

For example, you could use paper cups that feature leak-proof interior lining and offer a comfortable grip that won’t let your fingertips get too cold. On the other hand, you could even serve your scoops in 8oz or 9oz PET cold cups if you prefer using plastic. Either option can make your ice cream servings enjoyable for your customers. Just make sure to use high-quality materials for your ice cream cups.

Incorporating high-quality materials into your custom branded ice cream cups is a strategic investment that contributes to the overall success of your marketing efforts. By enhancing customer perceptions, contributing to a positive experience, and aligning with your brand values, you create a holistic marketing strategy that resonates with customers and strengthens your shop’s position in the market.

8. Create Limited Edition or Seasonal Custom Branded Ice Cream Cups

In the dynamic world of marketing, staying ahead of the curve requires constant innovation and a willingness to embrace fresh and creative approaches. Limited edition and seasonal custom ice cream cups provide a compelling and effective strategy for marketing your shop that can significantly elevate your brand’s visibility and customer engagement. You can even tap into influencer marketing or UGC to create some extra buzz around your custom ice cream cups.

Creating a Sense of Urgency to Prospective Customers: Utilizing the potent psychological trigger of FOMO, limited edition and seasonal custom ice cream cups prompt swift customer action to secure something exclusive or time-sensitive. By highlighting the temporary availability of specific cup designs, these cups drive early visits, resulting in heightened foot traffic, increased sales, and a sustained buzz that goes beyond the cup’s presence.

Encouraging Repeat Visits: By linking to limited-time offers or seasonal concepts, custom ice cream cups can incentivize repeat visits from customers aiming to amass a full collection of distinct designs. This approach is particularly effective when implementing a series of limited edition or seasonal cups over time, fostering loyalty and excitement. For instance, envision a sequence of cups inspired by diverse ice cream flavors, revealed monthly, enticing customers to frequent your shop repeatedly, subsequently boosting foot traffic and sales.

Generating Conversations and User-Generated Content for different social media platforms: Limited edition and seasonal custom ice cream cups serve as natural conversation starters, prompting customers to engage in inquiries, excitement-sharing with peers, and even social media postings due to their unique and appealing designs. The content shared, including images and personal experiences linked to these cups, generates user-generated content (UGC), effectively acting as genuine, unpaid endorsements for your shop. This potent form of social proof holds considerable influence, as customers tend to trust recommendations from their peers. Encouraging the use of a designated hashtag related to your cups further facilitates the discovery and amplification of UGC.

Limited edition and seasonal custom ice cream cups offer a multi-faceted marketing approach, blending exclusivity, and customer engagement. By leveraging these cups, you create urgency, drive repeat visits, spark conversations that can turn into marketing campaigns and give you a strong social media presence. These cups can slo help with fostering strong emotional connections that enhance brand identity and customer loyalty. Integrating these cups into your local market strategy can set you apart from competitors, delivering an experience beyond ice cream enjoyment and crafting an unforgettable journey that cultivates lasting customer devotion through creativity and innovation for your physical store or online business.

9. Work With a Professional

If you want to ensure that your cups are eye-catching and professional, it’s important to work with a professional. Collaborating with a professional’s insights into your custom branded ice cream cup marketing endeavors elevates your marketing campaigns from the ordinary to the extraordinary. By honing in on your target audience with precision, you create a more profound connection that resonates, engages, and ultimately drives your business’s success.

At Your Brand Cafe, we have a team of experienced designers who will work with you to create the perfect design for your brand. We also use high-quality materials and state-of-the-art printing techniques to make sure that your cups are of the highest quality. We specialize in boosting brand visibility through superior customizable promotional products especially for our custom branded ice cream cups or food bowls. Our art team will work closely with you to ensure your logos and designs are produced to exact specifications. Furthermore, we always provide low minimums, quick turnaround times, and fast shipping so that you get the products you need before they are needed.

Market Your Shop For Maximum Results

Custom ice cream cups can be a powerful marketing tool for ice cream shops looking to stand out from the competition. Whether you’re using them to promote new flavors, generate buzz around your shop, or reward loyal customers in your local community, custom ice cream cups offer a fun and creative way to engage with your audience.

There are a number of things you can do to make your custom ice cream cups more eye-catching. From using attractive colors to adding a decorative element for social media users to create social media posts about, there are plenty of ways to make your cups stand out. As small business owners, just make sure that you keep your brand in mind and don’t overwhelm your design.

Embracing innovation in marketing is vital, as demonstrated by limited edition and seasonal custom ice cream cups. By offering captivating designs, they encourage repeat visits and loyalty. Moreover, the cups spark conversations and user-generated content, amplifying brand identity and loyalty through an unforgettable customer journey.

When designing your custom ice cream cups, make sure to consider factors like the design, materials, and branding. And don’t be afraid to get creative! By using custom ice cream cups strategically, you can build brand awareness, encourage repeat business, and create a memorable experience for your customers.

Kyle Spearin

Kyle is a Boston native with a knack for SEO, writing, and editing content. Over the past three years, he's worked with venture backed startups and small businesses to expand their online presence. When he's not working on content, he enjoys hiking, football, and traveling with his wife.