10 Best Practices for Integrating Custom Lapel Pins into Your Branding Strategy

Custom lapel pins are dynamic tools that can prove quite valuable for strategic branding and marketing. This small yet mighty accessory can be incorporated into your overall branding strategy to boost the perception of your brand and promote products or services. Custom pins can also be used to convey creative brand messages to customers (and potential customers) in creative and memorable ways. 

However, you’ll only get all of these benefits if you use custom pins strategically. In this post, we’ll explore the most effective strategies for incorporating lapel pins into your branding campaigns. 

Brand Alignment

A custom lapel pin isn’t meant to be an abstract standalone merch. The first step in the design process is to ensure the pin is aligned with your overall brand identity and strategy. This means incorporating your brand logo, colors, and other elements that tie it to your brand. This way, when someone sees the pin, it communicates what your brand stands for or starts a conversation relating to your brand. Your custom pin should fully embody your brand identity whether it is seen alone or together with other branded accessories. 

Simplicity is Key 

When it comes to customized accessories like lapel pins, less is definitely more. Even the biggest lapel pin has a limited canvas for your decking. Trying to cram too many tiny details on such a tiny pin will make your design cluttered and confusing. Instead, go for a simple design that stands out even from a distance.

Quality Matters

In creating branded lapel pins, invest in quality materials, great designs, and a quality print. Always remember that the pin carries your brand identity and a good quality pin will reflect positively on your brand. The quality of the pin will also determine if people will wear it often and how long they’ll be able to keep the pin. A few good-quality customized pins will drive better results compared to mass-produced low-quality ones. 

Cross-Promotion

Custom pins are great on their own, but you know what’s even better? Pairing the pin with other customized accessories and apparel. For comprehensive branding and marketing campaigns, create other items like hats, custom patches, money clips, keychains, and so on. This gives you more promotional items to give to your employees and customers or share at events.

Connect Your Pins To A Bigger Campaign 

Similar to the point described above, you can combine your custom pin with a much bigger branding or marketing campaign. This will give it more impact and drive even bigger results. For instance, if you’re rebranding your business, you can create custom pins with the new logos and colors of your brand to aid brand recognition. You can also create limited edition lapel pins that are only available to customers who sign up for your email list as part of a campaign to build an email list for your business. 

The Power of Storytelling 

Storytelling has always been one of the most impactful branding and marketing techniques. It elicits emotions and makes it easier for people to connect to your brand. Instead of simply slapping your logo on a lapel pin design, use the pin to tell a story. Consider using symbols and imagery to add more depth and meaning to your custom pin design. Decide on the overall message you want to convey with your pin then think of symbolic concepts to illustrate it as succinctly. 

Leverage Technology

Incorporating technology into custom pin designs is one of the ways you can make your designs more impactful. These days, it is possible to create pins that are both visually appealing and interactive in a way that elevates your branding strategy. 

For instance, adding QR codes or NFC chips to your custom lapel pin adds a layer of interactivity to the pin. People can scan the embedded QR codes to display your business landing page or get your contact details directly on their mobile devices. These tech-enabled pins can also be used to share digital content to boost your branding efforts. 

Track Results 

It’s not enough to simply create custom lapel pins for branding purposes. You need to measure the success or effectiveness of the pins you create. Collect feedback from people who got your pins to see what you got right in the design and the mistakes you made. You can also track how the pins are worn and how it has contributed to shaping the overall perception of your brand. With these metrics, you can adjust your strategy for subsequent custom merchandise you create. 

Distribute Strategically 

You should be strategic about distributing your custom pins. Don’t just hand them out to random people. You should come up with a distribution strategy that drives the most impact for your brand. For instance, consider giving your customer custom lapel pins as a reward for their loyalty. This nice surprise can enhance their satisfaction with your services and get them to buy more. You can also organize contests or giveaways and include lapel pins as rewards for active participation. This way you get to engage your customers while also spreading awareness about your brand. 

Community Building

Custom pins can help connect people with similar interests. Since community-building is one of the most efficient forms of marketing, you can tailor your pins for this purpose. The customized pin can serve as valuable memorabilia given to members of an exclusive community. Members may even trade the pins for points or goods and services at your business locations. This fosters a sense of community that drives your brand forward. 

Wrapping Up – Elevate Your Brand Your Custom Pins 

Creating custom lapel pins is a unique and efficient way to drive brand visibility and engagement. By following the design, production, and distribution strategies highlighted above, you can successfully incorporate this powerful tool into your broader branding efforts. 

At The/Studio, we are all about helping businesses harness the full potential of custom lapel pins and other versatile branded accessories. Get started today and get a free quote from us to begin your branding journey.