Heading to a trade event or conference? You need marketing materials that are desirable, portable and useful. Lanyards are a popular choice for giving away at events to help increase brand awareness and enjoy some free publicity.
If you manage to create a desirable design that people can’t wait to get their hands on, your stand could be the highlight of the conference. And if you manage to repeat this every year, you’ll quickly become a conference legend, responsible for everyone’s favourite collectible lanyard.
It might sound like a marketing dream, but this certainly does happen every year for brands. All you need to do is have a well-thought-out strategy to get your lanyards into the hands of the people who want them most.
What is a lanyard?
A lanyard is a loop of fabric or ribbon that usually contains a clip on the end to hold items like an ID card or keys. They are commonly used as promotional items at events because they can be printed with bright and eye-catching designs.
What type of lanyards are available?
Woven lanyards are popular as they are durable and sophisticated. You can also choose options like full colour sublimation printed lanyards, which allow for eye-catching, full-colour designs. And finally, there are also lanyards made from sustainable or recycled materials, such as bamboo or recycled plastic. There is no shortage of options available.
Who can use lanyards for business promotion?
Lanyards have a number of different business uses. You can give them away at events, conferences and networking situations. You can also use them in your company to increase brand awareness and improve security.
Offering your staff branded lanyards for their company ID or building keycard is an excellent way to enjoy some free publicity outside of the office. If your employees are proud to show off where they work, they’ll have no issue wearing their lanyard to and from the office every day.
You can also use lanyards as a promotional giveaway item at events. Event attendees usually expect to go home with a number of free items such as pens, business cards, notebooks and tote bags. Lanyards are another popular promotional item.
What should you include in your design?
Think carefully about the design and how you want to represent your company. Start with your brand colours and personality. Next, introduce your brand logo and name (if your logo doesn’t have the name included). And finally, you can think about adding a witty slogan or something that will make your lanyards more desirable.
If you are a high-end, luxurious brand, your lanyard design should reflect this status. If you’re a cutting edge tech brand, your lanyards need to call out to your ideal target market.
If you are making lanyards for a specific event, think carefully about if you want to include this in the design. While it could make your lanyards more desirable (as people will keep them as a memento of the event) it also means that you could be left with excess stock at the end.
An evergreen design will allow you to use it for every event, but it won’t be as desirable for attendees. A compromise would be to create a neutral, evergreen design for your lanyard, and then customise this for each event with a laminated pass.
What should you avoid with lanyards?
When designing your lanyard, there are a few common pitfalls your need to avoid:
- Remember that part of the lanyard will be obscured by the neck, so be wary about any longer bits of text that may be cut off. This could lead to embarrassment if the message ends up being rude.
- If you’re going to use lanyards for workplace security, don’t make these the same design that you give away for free at events. Differentiate between staff and giveaway lanyards for the best results.
- Think about sustainability. If you are known for being an eco-friendly brand, make sure any items you give away at events match your ethics. There are recycled and sustainable lanyard options available so that you can produce them and give them away with confidence. You can assume that people will notice if you don’t choose this option.
