Tutorials and Product Advice - Influencing Identity

Brand Refresh (Tips and Tricks)

One of the easiest ways to feel better about yourself is a new haircut. Or buying a new outfit, shoes included. You start to feel differently about things by giving yourself a new look. You may recognize that this quick makeover has increased your positive outlook on life. And now that you have that mindset, you can accomplish extraordinary things.

Your business is no different. Sometimes marketing ideas fade, and sales dry out. Maybe it is as simple as your company logo being out of date. Enter the brand refresh. From redesigning a logo to giving your leadership a new structure, a refresh will often help get a business out of a rut. In order to have a successful brand refresh, your business must rethink its approach to product, story, culture and customer.

A successful brand revival does not happen in a single moment. There are no shortcuts. There is only a continuum of strategic, creative, and operational decisions that, if executed consistently, put a brand on the path to cultural relevance, consumer love, and business success.

Refreshing Your Business with New Identification

Adding a logo onto any name tag or name plate is an excellent way to maximize branding for your company. And, finding the perfect identification just got easier! Choose from either metal or plastic and customize it to match your work environment and brand. Logos can be engraved or printed depending on the style you choose.

A refresh can keep or update recognized visual elements. Or a new look, tone and presentation of the overall style will bring fresh recognition. A brand refresh maintains a visual connection to how the brand identity was seen before. But the “new suit” makeover is up-to-date, vibrant and designed for today’s audiences.

Brand Refresh with Name Tags

Show your professionalism and start fresh with a new name tag that suits you and your business.

We know that wearing name tags helps build a corporate identity. These professional tools also help customers interact better with their employees. Imagine what would happen if not only your employees wore name tags, but so did your customers! There would never be any question about who people were or what they needed.

Professional tools, such as name tags are essential in marketing and communication. They provide not only personal identity but corporate branding as well. Employees who wear name tags offer a sense of customer service and responsibility for that business. Name tags are often the hardest working element to a person’s uniform in meetings, conventions or any event.

Brand Refresh with Name Plates

Spruce up your office with new name plates for all of your employees!

While a name plate is common to see in a workplace, they are often needed for various reasons. Name plates serve multiple functions in different places, from employee identification to the labeling of doors and stairways. For example, a name plate typically displays someone’s name and title when found in an office building. And these plates either sit on a desk or hang on a wall just outside an office.

Adding a logo to a nameplate is an inexpensive way to maximize branding for both employee and company benefits. And they are such a great way to create consistent branding throughout any office or building.

Is your business due for a brand refresh?

Time and your customers are constantly moving and if you don’t move with them, you fall behind. Branding and design from just a few years ago is already starting to look outdated. Go further back still and it can look almost laughably crude. If your company fails to adjust and refresh, it can undermine customer trust and marketplace credibility. People expect businesses and brands to keep pace with changing times, so refreshing your brand makes you look sharp, in charge of your image and hence more professional. In short, it ensures that customers take you seriously.
It’s important that your customers feel like your brand reflects them, and if your brand feels like it’s behind the times, that bond can weaken. Just as your customers grow and improve, so should your business and a brand refresh means that your messaging will reflect this. Branding that helps retain existing customers and attract new ones will ultimately benefit the company financially.

Although change for change’s sake is seldom a good reason for a brand refresh, it could be just what your business needs. Just make sure that the underlying reasons justify the refresh. Keep in mind your reasoning and strategies while working toward your new brand identity.

Employee Safety and Quality Name Tags

As an employer, it is in your best interest to think about employee safety and resolve your employees’ concerns about wearing name tags. When employees feel safe at work, they are happier, more loyal and more productive. They experience lower stress levels and take risks to come up with creative solutions. If you want your employees to do their best, then you need to help them feel safe wearing name tags.

What makes high-quality name tags a must for your business? A name tag helps to create a connection between you and your customer by providing identification of employees and other staff. This name tag also lets your customers know you are here to help and that your objective is to service their needs. There are several basic features to high-quality name tags that provide value to both your name tag and your brand’s identity. (Read More!)

Identification goes hand-in-hand with credibility. If you know someone’s name and the company they are representing, you are more likely to strike up a conversation. In turn, they are also more likely to respond positively to your inquisitions. Having employees quickly identifiable is key in all business interactions, and your company will be able to retain more and more customers.

Remember…

A person is more interested in their name than in all the other names on earth put together. Remember that name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment. But forget it or misspell it – and you have placed yourself at a sharp disadvantage…one of the simplest, most obvious and most important ways of gaining goodwill was by remembering names and making people feel important – yet how many of us do it?
How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

How to Use Different Name Tags while Considering Employee Safety

The important thing when considering name tags is to make sure that your employees feel safe wearing them. Talk to everyone about workplace security and how name tags create a safe work environment. And remember, a name tag helps to create a connection between you and your customer by providing identification of employees and other staff.

A Quick Guide to Name Usage for Employee Safety

First Name Only

Retail
Food Services
Nonprofit/Association
Hospitality/Tourism

First and Last Names

Educational
Sales
Professional Services
Personal/Family

Adding a Logo and Title

Administrative
Business/Technology
Finance/Insurance
Healthcare

Adding All the Bling

Real Estate/Housing
Events/Event Planning
Advertising/Marketing
Clubs/Fraternities

Why Employees May Worry About Name Tags

Some employees do not like to wear name tags because they think it puts them at risk of identity theft. In this digital age, it is easy to find someone’s social media accounts and other information just from knowing their name and where they work. Scammers can also contact human resources and ask for an employee’s information. No matter how people may try to steal your employee’s identity, the consequences can be devastating. If someone steals your employee’s identity, they can end up in a serious financial crisis. Such damage can take months, if not years, to recover from.

Another reason employees may not want to wear name tags is because they are afraid of being harassed. Name tags allow customers, co-workers and vendors to ask for them by name. Some of your employees may have experienced workplace harassment in the form of customers coming to the store and asking for them specifically. If this is the case, your employees are more likely to object to wearing a name tag.

Contains excerpts from How to Help Employees Feel Safe Wearing Name Tags.

7 Features of High-Quality Name Tags

Your name tag reflects your brand’s value. The higher the quality, the more customers will trust you to meet their needs. Here is a quick reference to help you throughout the ordering process.

Business Essentials: Name Tags and Identification

Taking care of the customer is the number one priority of every retail establishment. Without good customers, a business will not thrive. So, make sure your customers are happy with every aspect of your store or restaurant. Start with the business essentials: name tags!

Customer happiness can stem from knowing a company’s staff. Enter the name tag. There are many benefits to providing name tags for your employees. Some of these include the use in marketing, providing store security, identifying staff and many other things. Overall, having staff wear name tags helps to build a company’s brand and they give the opportunity for employees and customers to interact.

Approchability with Name Tags
For the majority of retailers, name tags are a business necessity. And, because name tags are permission slips inviting conversation, they encourage engagement. This is due to their primary function being to personalize and humanize each person. Especially for a business whose focus is customer service and face-to-face interaction.

Business Essentials: Name Tags, Office Signs and Event Badge Ribbons

Why Name Tags are Business Essentials for Retail and Restaurants

From security to branding, retail stores and restaurants have almost become synonymous with name tag use. As part of your business essentials, name tags are a must for identification. But, don’t underestimate the power of other forms of identification. These can include stock signage and even badge ribbons. Here are some ways for you to utilize these items.

Reusable Name Badges

Speedy Badge for a coffee shop is an easy to change reusable name tag.

When you need to have more than one use out of a name tag, these are the badges for you. While most reusable badges are used by temporary retail workers or similar professions, they can also be a versatile option for a company that is looking to save on identification cost.

With printable inserts, these Reusable Name Badges are simple to use and quick to change. Speedy Badges are a great option for a reusable tag. The printed paper slides out from behind a plastic cover and is quickly replaced. Now all of your employees, volunteers and other staff are ready with new name tags.

Stock Signs

Stock office signs like a conference room sign with a frame will help both employees and customers.

From conference rooms to custodial closets, having signs around your store or restaurant is always helpful. Every sign you use helps communicate with your employees and patrons where things are located. And, they come in all sorts of colors so they will match your established spaces.

The best part about these signs? If you don’t see one you need, you can always order a custom sign instead! So, making engraved signs part of your business essentials just got easier. Choose a color and add them to your doors, desks and more.

Event Badge Ribbons

As a business owner, you often times can find yourself needing to attend an event. So, when attending these events, upgrade your name tag with a title featured on a badge ribbon. It doesn’t matter what the title (stock or custom), just make sure it is highly readable at a distance.

You can also use title ribbons at your business. Identify servers, customer service and other staff around your store or restaurant easily with pretty strips of ribbon. Or, think outside the box with these versatile business essentials.

Other Business Essentials

The primary reason that name tags help businesses thrive and flourish is that they can add a personal and professional connection to employees to make them stand out. When people have a personal connection they’re sure to remember and return again and again. So, how much do you make name tags and other identification a part of your life? If you’re not already, start using them today: www.nametag.com.

Creating a Culture of Respect in the Workplace

Whether your business is a restaurant or retail store or even an office, there needs to be an established culture of respect. So, what does respect mean to your business culture (regardless of the type of business you run)?

What is culture? It is the customs, arts, social institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people or other social groups. And, what is respect? It is a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities or achievements. Now that we have those, let’s put them together.

What is a culture of respect, especially when it comes to your business? A culture of respect is when your business or organization feels admiration for the achievements of someone such as an employee, a volunteer or any member of your team.

“When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

Creating a culture of respect for your business well keep customers coming back.

Creating Respect

Without respect, businesses wouldn’t get anywhere. There are many examples in the world where people go to companies and have a terrible experience because they didn’t get the quality of service they wanted. This happens in restaurants because servers are having a bad day and don’t give the attention that a customer should deserve. It can occur as a customer service rep in a retail establishment for the same reason.

Name Tags and a Culture of Respect

So, how does a culture of respect pertain to name tags? How do name tags help you respect someone who does well at their job? Is it because you know their name, or is it because the idea of a uniform has influenced us?

No matter your view on name tags, certain informational aspects answer these questions. We’ve all been influenced by the idea of a uniform; it keeps us connected with employees of a business. Part of this uniform can sometimes be a name tag. Name tags help keep both the customer and the employee respectful toward each other. Let’s take one element at a time.

First, the logo or company name.

People associate the company logo and employees with the organization when employees wear logo name tags at conventions and trade shows. Another benefit to having a logo is that employees tend to keep their name tags on when they go on their lunch break or commute to and from work. By doing so, they advertise the company to the public and make the brand more memorable.

Second, the person’s name.

We all want to be recognized as individuals, and wearing a name tag helps with that goal. Whether the tag is for a business venture or a personal one, your name should be the thing that catches someone’s eye. And, by having your name visible to others, especially those who might not know you, you become more approachable, and in turn, more trustworthy.

People who respect each other help each other. They support each other as employees and as people. Not only does this mean that employees will have richer, more positive relationships at work but also when there is a culture of support, employees won’t be afraid to ask for help. This ultimately makes everyone more comfortable and effective in his or her job.

Third, the person’s title.

This title can vary from anything such as cashier to customer service agent and even store manager. Even designer and marketing or sales titles help customers, clientele and other employees understand the type of service and answers they can get from specific people. These answers then become how these individuals can measure the respect they will receive from the business.

Respect in the Workplace

Creating this culture takes many steps, one of which is paying attention to the ladder of succession. Respect comes from the way employers treat employees. Customers can pick up on if a boss does not treat his employees with respect. If a boss doesn’t respect the employee, then that employee will not treat the customers with respect. Then, in the long run, the customers will not respect the business.

One of the biggest problems that businesses face is keeping the culture of respect open to customers. As a business, you should have a level of respect for each customer to respect your business. Other things that will help a company earn the respect of their customers and employees is having proper signage around the office or store. This can include any needed name plates and identification for everyone who works for the business, even if they are volunteers.

Respect is the glue for strong, lasting relationships. It’s an ingredient to grow self-worth and confidence in your employees. Confident employees, in turn, are pro-active and innovative, actively participating in growing the company, and therefore, also your profits. Respect is what empowers people and breed a culture of continuous improvement. And the culture of continuous improvement, promises longevity and success, something that every company aspires to.

So, how does your company define culture of respect?

Remember that this respect goes both ways. If anyone is missing respect, then the rest of them will eventually be missing this respect. Developing and maintaining a culture of respect doesn’t have to be tricky. It is merely recognizing that customers deserve respect and that you deserve respect as a business owner.

No matter what, always remember that to earn respect, you must return it. And don’t forget the name tag! Remember that they give off an air of respect by simply making them part of a uniform for your company.

The Power of Names and Why They are Important

Why is it so important to use people’s names? According to Dale Carnegie, a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. The sound of someone using your name typically cuts through all other noise that might be going on around you. Since birth, you have been conditioned to respond to the sound of your name. Think about it this way: how would you feel if your mother referred to you by another person’s name? That is why the power of names is so important!

A person is more interested in their name than in all the other names on earth. So remember a person’s name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment. But forget it or misspell it – and you have placed yourself at a sharp disadvantage…one of the simplest, most obvious and most important ways of gaining goodwill is by remembering names and making people feel important – yet how many of us do it?

–How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie

It is important to use a person’s name when interacting with them. It is, after all, their most significant connection to their identity. When you address someone using their name, you acknowledge their importance, which is the easiest way to get their attention. But only some of us are great with names, so what happens if we are with someone and need help remembering their name?

Enter name tags!

Name tags can do more than just provide your name to those you meet, they can potentially change your life. Adapted from Scott Ginsberg, here are just a few ways name tags will improve your life.

“A name tag isn’t just a sticker; it’s a statement. It’s about friendliness, identity, culture and human nature.”

A Name Tag is a Permission Slip
“Wearing a name tag is an invitation to friendliness. It’s a way to open up to others and overcome personal walls. Their primary function is to personalize and humanize each person. Inviting encounters is what they do. And you permit this change to happen every time you put on your name tag.”

A Name Tag is an Engagement Tool
“The hardest part about conversations is getting the ball rolling. That’s why name tags are so great. They are the basic building block of conversation. The sooner you know people’s names, the sooner you feel comfortable around them.”

A Name Tag is a Service
“Sure, you feel dumb when wearing a name tag. It’s uncomfortable. But think about how many people whose lives you just made easier. Like the guy who’s been working down the hall from you for six years but didn’t know how to spell your name until now. (Or) the shy person across the room who didn’t have the courage to walk up and say hello. (How about) the new yoga teacher who had thirty new students, yet only 29 new names to memorize. Whew! How are you practicing mini-sacrifices each day to make other people’s lives (even a LITTLE) easier? What comfort are you willing to forego?”

From our blog, Change Your Life With a Name Tag

Names are essential to new relationships, as a person’s name connects to their identity and individuality. Therefore, using someone’s name and remembering it shows a greater connection to who that person is.

The Power of Names (and how to help others remember yours)!

Whenever you put on a name tag, you become the face of your business or cause, whatever that is. It can quickly help the people around you match your face with your name. We have all heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” So, tell that story simply and quickly with your smile and a name tag.

Build relationships by wearing a name tag, and you help others remember your name. As Mr. Ginsberg has said, your name tag becomes an invitation and permission slip for others to converse with you. They encourage engagement by inviting others to speak with you to share their stories, and you will gain additional opportunities to share yours. So, whether it’s a quality name tag or a simple sticker, keeping your name visible will help start conversations and build relationships!

Start sharing the truth about name tags at your next business meeting,
conference or networking event!

Get Your Name Tags Now!

example of reusable badges — Reusable Badges