Who doesn’t feel a bit like they’re the goofball in a comedy when wearing a “Hello, my name is …” sticker? Although it is indeed functional and serviceable, a name sticker that can be bought at a local office supply shop isn’t the way to go for your clients who want to make a good impression.
Andy Logan of Vault Promotions elaborates, “Name tags with full-color logos and crisply imprinted names send a different message than temporary paper tags with names handwritten with a Sharpie®. You wouldn’t go to a bank job interview wearing a Speedo®, or turn in a resume that says you’re ‘detale orrinted.’ Bad first impressions.”
Badges play a significant role in creating a first impression, particularly in a business environment, Logan points out. Often before the first “Hello,” we can learn a person’s name, occupation, and company just by the nametag, and begin to form an opinion about the degree of professionalism as well.
Badges, badgeholders and lanyards introduce the person and makes the launch of a conversation much easier. Tradeshow booth personnel, attendees, event staff, nurses and related healthcare practitioners, store floor managers, all are frequent users of these ID items.
Further, according to ID Superstore, “lanyards make it convenient for employees and visitors alike to comply with company policies mandating the wearing of ID at all times. Customers can see the name of the person they are dealing with and can interact better. People in fast paced environments can avoid the embarrassment of having to fumble for a name during a personal interaction. Instead they can just read the name.”
For employees that need to swipe their ID badges to gain access throughout a building, lanyards make it easy.
Can your clients obtain these from their local store? Yes. But why use generic lanyards when they can use that highly visible real estate to promote their logos or tagline?
Brian Stidham, director of business development for EMT, thinks it all comes down to the type of branding statement your clients want to make. Lanyards are no different than other promo products that inform how we want our company, brand, or event to be perceived. Are you an ‘office supply store name sticker’ type of organization or one that wants your brand to be taken seriously.”
EMT, says Stidham, produces conventional screenprinted and heat-transferred lanyards for trade and consumer shows, “many distributors also come to us for our unique custom lanyards that make a statement.” These enhancements include reflective iridescent material or raised PVC imprints that give logos a 3D look. EMT also offers unconventional substrates like cork, leather, recycled PET, and bamboo to name a few. Your client can add any type of safety or clip as well.
Vault provides a large variety of badge styles, Logan emphasizes, all of which are designed to “accentuate the client’s image and put some pop in his/her branding,” Logan describes.
Vault provides a customized online name badge release and fulfillment system. Simply prepay for the quantity of badges you need, and Vault will produce them all at once without any personalizations and extend the bulk discount. The company will then store your client’s badges in its name badge vault, ready for personalization when the client needs them. Log in to your customized program, enter or upload the names needed, and Vault will pull from your inventory, personalize them, and ship them out. “No billing. No invoicing. No problem,” he says.
You may likely have more potential sales for badges and lanyards that you may realize. Is a client taking part in a charity event and needs to man a booth? Perfect. Did you just sign up a physician’s office? Perfect. On-site catering client? Perfect.
Many event and tradeshow attendees keep their event IDs not to remember their own names but as souvenirs and remembrances of a fun time. Generics just won’t work!
CASE STUDY:
Andy Logan of Vault Promotions: “A nationwide retirement community client needed name badges for its office staff, community staff and residents. Each community had a different logo however, so there were a total of 50+ different badge designs. On top of that, they needed the ability to order badges one at a time as new employees were hired or when new residents arrived. With 50 different badges, compounded by the ability of needing to order them on demand in small runs, the distributor wasn’t sure where to start.
“With the Vault’s online release program, and custom branded ordering website, www.OrderYourBadges.com, providing a solution was easy. Badges were purchased in bulk by the client to lock in high qty pricing, were preprinted with all common information/graphics and stored. We set up an end user-friendly site that allowed the client to easily log in, select the location needing badges, enter the personalization and confirm the locations ship to address. Once they processed the order, the badges are pulled, completed with the appropriate location info and personalizations, and shipped out as few as 1 at a time within 24 hours. Usage reports based on location are easily accessible online, allowing the client to easily pull data for a specific time range and bill internally for each locations usage.
“This system has allowed our distributor partner to easily process large replenishment orders without the headache of needing to be involved on each release/transaction. It also saved the client a huge amount of money as they were able to buy in large quantities at bulk pricing instead of small piecemeal orders across multiple locations, without the added work, invoicing and paperwork required with their previous vendor.”