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Metalpromo

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Event Pins

Using Custom Lapel Pins to Commemorate an Event

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Want to commemorate a special event in a practical way? Check out our article on custom lapel pins to see if they could be right for your needs.

Your company has a 10-year anniversary party coming up. Your employees have worked hard to get the company to where it is. This will be a special occasion that the guests will want to remember.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could give them a gift to remember this event? But you find yourself wondering how to commemorate an event like this without breaking the bank.

What better way than with custom lapel pins? These small, inexpensive items can provide tremendous sentimental value.

Read on to learn about how lapel pins can make great event memorabilia.

What Events Can You Commemorate With Pins?

Pins are a great option for commemorating special events of all types. Whether it is for a company event or a school function, pins can serve as a meaningful gift.

Work anniversaries are a popular option for commemorating. Many companies like to recognize milestone years of service. Pins can be a meaningful gift to give your employees for their work anniversary.

custom lapel pins shed aquarium

Perhaps a team finally completed a large project that improved work processes. A pin would be a simple but meaningful way to show your appreciation to the team members.

You can give out pins at a special event such as a convention. Many fan conventions have a practice of giving out ribbons, and pins could be a fun way to enhance this interaction.

When grandma and grandpa celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, pins could be a great party gift. Your family will remember this big event when they look at the pin.

Custom lapel pins can display pride in a school or a club. They can function as fundraisers or as prizes for those doing the fundraising. A city can commemorate its anniversary with custom pins as well.

Regardless of what type of event you’d like to host, a well-designed pin will offer a cherished memento of the occasion.

Why Custom Lapel Pins?

Maybe you are wondering why you should be using lapel pins as gifts. Not only do people collect pins, but they also enjoy simple gifts that can serve other functions in their lives.

Pins are practical gifts. Some events are commemorated with items that the recipient cannot do anything with. Pins can be fastened to clothing, bags, and more. Collectors show off their gifts on pinboards, lanyards, and other creative displays.

Lapel pins can accessorize an outfit. They can also be a way for people to visibly show off achievements and status.

If you are creating a special item to commemorate a special occasion, it should last longer than the event. Pins are created to last for years, not days. Ten, twenty, even fifty years down the road, the recipient will still have that pin to remember the special event.

Best of all, they aren’t some paperweight. All too often, well-meaning people give pretty gifts that aren’t functional. Statues and trophies look nice in a glass case but often just collect dust in a corner of the recipient’s home.

Modern people are focusing on living more minimalist lifestyles. Pins fit well into these lifestyles because they are small and functional. They are more likely to be appreciated than a glass ball with an engraving.

One of the benefits of custom lapel pins is that they are affordable. Custom items usually cost a lot of money. But with lapel pins, you can create something unique without spending your entire paycheck.

How to Make Custom Pins

Now that you have learned about how pins can make great gifts, you’re wondering what to do to create them.

Creating a pin does not need to be difficult. You can design your own art on any number of digital platforms or have us design the art for you at no additional charge (*restrictions do apply).

You’ll want to keep the art somewhat simple. Complex designs, especially those with lots of shading, do not always translate well to pins. Keep in mind that the area of a pin is quite small, so intricate details will likely get lost.

Decide if you’d like to add any enhancements to your pin. You can have a design with glitter or crystals. You can even have an enamel that glows.

Decide if you want to make your pin with soft or hard enamel. A hard enamel pin produces a durable product with a smooth design. Soft enamel allows for raised designs but is less resistant to scratches.

Custom Sports Lapel Pin

If enamel is not quite what you’re looking for, you can also have offset printed pins or die-struck pins. Offset printed pins allow for highly detailed art, so if your design is intricate, this may be the option for you. Die-struck pins have a simpler yet classic look.

Ordering Your Pins

Once you’ve got the pin created, it’s time to place your order. Most manufacturers will have an order minimum. We offer low minimums so that you don’t have to order more than you will need.

Processing times vary, so it is important to plan ahead. Complete our quote form for more specific information about how long it may take to create your pins.

When they arrive, you can package the pins in any way you like. They can be placed in cute gift boxes or simply distributed as they arrive. The presentation ideas are only limited by your imagination.

Create Your Lapel Pin Today

When you’ve got a big event coming up, create custom lapel pins as a memento. We’ve been creating products since 2003, so you can rest assured that we will provide lapel pins that people will remember.

Contact us today for a quote for your custom order. Our experts would be happy to help create pins that are as unique as you.

Promotional Fundraising Products: 5 Reasons to Use Lapel Pins

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Promotional fundraising products are the best way to launch your program or offer commemorative souvenirs and what better way than with custom lapel pins!

Spreading awareness for your charity or fundraiser can be hard work.

It’s necessary work, however. If you can’t find the proper support for your cause, then it’ll be incredibly difficult to maintain your funds, let alone increase them.

That’s why you need fundraising products. Something that someone can take home, wear, and use to tell other people about your cause. Lapel pins are a great example of how fundraising products can start conversations and spread awareness.

Lapel pins have been used to spread awareness dating all the way back to the mid 19th century. At that time, they were used mostly to campaign for political candidates, but as the years have gone on, the uses for pins like these have multiplied.

In this post, we’re going to give you 5 great reasons to use lapel pins for your fundraiser. The best way to appeal and spread a positive message to people is by using…you guessed it, other people. Let’s talk lapel pins.

Why Fundraising Products Work

The hardest thing for fundraisers to do is actually generate interest in the cause that they’re raising funds for. Unless a person is specifically affected by a certain cause, it can be hard to get someone to really care enough to donate.

Fundraising products allow non-profit and charity organizations to create incentive around giving donations. Instead of quietly donating their money to your cause, the person gets a token of their donation and your appreciation. It’s a nice way to commemorate a truly good deed.

There’s a lot more to it though. Most people are far more likely to donate to a charity or fundraiser when they’ve received a gift. You can also take it one step farther and sell your fundraising products to ensure that you get a return on them.

The advertising benefits are also obvious. If you give away or sell a wearable fundraising product, then you’re creating a walking advertising campaign, allowing more people to become aware of your fundraiser and increasing the likelihood of donations.

This is why lapel pins are so effective. Next, we’re going look at why lapel pins make the perfect wearable fundraising product for your charity fundraiser.

5 Reasons to Use Lapel Pins

Lapel pins first popped up in the form of campaign pins in the mid 19th century. One of the oldest examples of the campaign pin was with Abe Lincoln’s campaign in the 1860s. Even since then, these pins have been widely used to display devotion and spread support for presidential candidates.

Needless to say, this form of support has spread to other areas, including charitable fundraising and the non-profit sector. So, what makes a good lapel pin?

It has to look good, for one. But, it also needs to convey the underlying message of the fundraising campaign in a concise way. The best lapel pins will build awareness around the branding of the fundraiser. This is how you get people of all demographics to pay attention.

1. Cheap Way to Spread Awareness

Politicians used to call their campaign pins “walking billboards” and while that kind of bluntness may dehumanize your donors, it’s not untrue. Giving away lapel pins for people to put on their jackets or shirts allows your message to spread in a silent but effective way.

A well-designed lapel pin will start conversations and lead to more awareness around your fundraiser. Whether it’s a school fundraiser or you’re raising funds for a charitable donation to a cause, building awareness is always the name of the game.

2. They Can Lead to Donations

Giving away your fundraiser’s lapel pins builds awareness, but it can also lead directly to donations. Young people are the most likely to make charitable donations and they’re even more likely to do so after they’ve been given a gift. In short, your investment in lapel pins will pay off quickly.

You don’t have to give them away, though. You can sell your lapel pins and turn an immediate profit so that you don’t have to rely on “donation.” With a good company at the helm, they’ll be cheap to make, so you can earn good money by selling your lapel pins for even $5.

3. Build Your Brand to Achieve Long Term Goals

Brand building is the best way to create long-term waves in the fundraising world. Campaigns like Livestrong, Breast Cancer Awareness, and Project Life Jacket show us how branding can take off and bring fundraising to a completely new level.

Even on a local level, you can make branding with your lapel pins a priority. Accompany your pins with a great social media campaign and you’ll be off to the races. Campaigns with great branding go viral quickly these days.

4. They’re Collectable

Pins are collectible items. Surely you’ve seen jean-jacket wearing kids walking down the street with their denim covered in pins. There are other people that keep their pin collections at home, on a corkboard, or in safekeeping.

Give these people an attractive new pin to add to their collection. It’ll be a wonderful reminder of the donation that they once made to your fundraiser.

5. You Can Always Keep It Fresh

Since lapel pins are cheap to make and act as a small token of a donation, you can keep designing new ones and giving them away. You can keep the fundraiser alive with new branding and a fresh marketing campaign.

If you’re doing a yearly fundraiser, you can make a new pin design each year and give them to your donors so they can start a collection. You could even create a marketing campaign centered around your pins to drum up awareness around the fundraiser when you notice donations decline.

Get Your Lapel Pins Made Today

The value of fundraising products cannot be understated. If you want your fundraiser to be legit, then make sure you’re offering these products to your donors.

To get your lapel pins made, visit us at Metalpromo today. We offer custom soft and hard lapel pins that work great for fundraisers, educational purposes, and military service. While you’re there, check out our blog for more information on the value of a great pin.

Boost Your Team-Building Efforts Through Corporate Pins

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Corporate pins can be effective in creating a culture that brings team members on board with your vision. Learn how to make pins that unite your employees.

Corporate Pins

Keeping your employees happy is more about your corporate culture than the salary they make. Did you know that 88 percent of people looking for jobs consider your company’s mission and culture the most important things to consider?

In fact, 32 percent of job seekers choose positive corporate cultures instead of more money. So, it’s crucial to create a company culture that appreciates and rewards employees to attract and keep your best talent for team building.

Do you have an employee appreciation program in place?

Read more to find out how you can inspire a corporate culture that rewards employees for a job well done. For example, giving corporate pins to your top performers makes them feel like they’re part of your team.

Build Team Loyalty with a Positive Company Culture

The basis of a positive company culture is putting the opinions, feelings, goals and personal lives of your employees first. They want to feel appreciated and need all the positive feedback you can give them. This is a sure sign of a caring employer, which builds team loyalty and retains talent.

One of the ways to show your appreciation is to award gifts to dedicated team members. For example, if your team collaborates on a project, accepts and adapts to challenges and gets the job done, you can reward them with teamwork lapel pins.

Every time the team members wear the pin, they take pride in the project they accomplished and in their relationship with you. It’s a win-win for both you and your team.

The teamwork pins are an outward sign of your positive company culture. It also shows that your employees are happy and appreciated. When your customers see loyal employees, they’re more likely to become loyal customers.

Employee Engagement Boosts Productivity

Engage and listen to your employees, encouraging them to be creative and offer their opinions. This builds trust and challenges them to reach the goals you set. Always take a few minutes out of your day to share personal time with your team. This builds up your team’s spirit.

To take employee engagement on step further and strengthening a positive company culture, reward their unique talents with personalized gifts. This lets them know their opinions matter to you. By building trust and relationships, you’ll see an increase in performance and profits.

Appreciating Years of Loyal Service

Another hallmark that your culture strengthens loyalty is when you recognize your employees’ years of service. For example, you can give employees different styles of lapel pins for their first year, fifth year or twentieth year of service.

Employee lapel pins are also thoughtful gifts for retiring employees who helped you reach your company goals. They can pass these pins on to their children and grandchildren as heirlooms.

These pins are personalized and emotional gifts that show how you appreciate them as friends, not just employees.

Reward Employees for Just Doing Something Right

You don’t have to give employee lapel pins just for special occasions. Reward and recognize your team when you see them doing something right. Each day is an opportunity to show how much you care. This motivates your employees and strengthens your relationship with them.

Your employees need this kind of positive reinforcement. Make an effort to praise them every day. When you recognize their hard work, they’ll become enthusiastic and motivated to perform better as a team.

Lapel pins aren’t just for suits anymore. Your employees can wear them on casual apparel, such as golf shirts, cardigans, sport shirts, dresses, blouses and any other style of clothing. If your lapel pins highlight your company logo, it creates unity in the workplace.

Logo pins are also effective marketing tools that extend your reach. Wherever your employees wear the logo pins, they’re building your brand.

Commemorate Employees’ Special Occasions

Creating a company culture that puts your employees first encourages respect, support and fun. One way to put fun into the workplace is to celebrate your employees’ birthdays, new babies, anniversaries and holidays.

Make it a point to get all your employees in on the celebrations by offering your congratulations at a team gathering. Then you can present birthday or special occasion pins, coins or medals as gifts.

Welcome New Hires with Corporate Pins

Welcoming your new hires on their first day and introducing them to the team make a positive impression from the start. When you engage new employees, it gives them an idea of your business values and company culture.

Explain your expectations and onboarding process with them so they’re comfortable in the workplace. Give them encouragement and explain your goals and vision. Letting them know how they fit in with your vision makes it a personal and welcoming experience for them.

Presenting them with a welcome gift, such as a corporate pin will show them they made the right choice to work for your company.

Schedule Regular Evaluations

Your employees want to know how they’re doing. Follow up with them regularly with feedback and performance evaluations.

Praise them for their efforts, enthusiasm, positive attitudes and accepting challenges. By reinforcing positive performance, you show your respect and appreciation for what they do for your business. This builds morale and drives performance.

Evaluations are another opportunity to present employee pins that show you value your staff’s ongoing loyalty and performance. Also, try to match the gift to the achievement. Your top performers deserve a more substantial gift to keep them motivated.

Continue to Show You Care

Of course, salary is important to your staff. But, the thing that encourages and motivates them to do their best is thoughtful, personal recognition that signifies you value and appreciate them.

One of the strongest motivators is a positive corporate culture and the knowledge that you take the time to praise their efforts. Always present the rewards with sincerity and honesty, whether you’re giving corporate pins, medals or other rewards.

These types of gifts are simple, personal gestures that reward your shining stars and boost team-building.

Contact us for more information about employee recognition lapel pins to promote corporate teamwork and build your brand.

Lapel Pin Etiquette: A Guide for Cleaning Your Lapel Pins

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Lapel Pin Etiquette: A Guide for Cleaning Your Lapel Pins

Although lapel pins have a history that stretches back to the Civil War, they’ve made a huge comeback. Cute, quirky, and unique designs became a huge trend in the fashion scene around 2014 and have since become must-have accessories.

No matter if it’s a pin with professional significance, the perfect accessory for your carefully cultivated look, or just a way to add class to your outfit, you know lapel pins have many benefits.

What happens if you love your pins a little too much and they need some TLC? Read this guide to lapel pin etiquette and learn how to clean them so they’re looking like new again!

What Kinds of Pins are You Working With?

There’s more than one kind of lapel pin. Knowing what kind you’re dealing with will determine the best way to clean them.

Most people are familiar with the classic clutch back or safety pin badge. There are many other stylish kinds of lapel pins that have their own unique qualities.

Which ones do you have?

Clutch Back

Also known as a butterfly clutch, these are usually small and efficient. The pin back has a point that fits into the clutch.

The clutch releases when you give it a squeeze. No complicated parts to mess with.

Stick Pin

The stick pin is a truly classic design. The pin sits on top of a long needle that pierces your lapel.

Pop the metal keeper (or a piece of cork if you’ve lost the keeper) on the end and you’re good to go. This is a fantastic way to bring a bit of vintage style to your outfit.

Screw Back

Just as the name suggests, you screw a nut onto the point on the pin back. This is one of the most secure types of pins out there.

Floral and Boutonnieres

One of the oldest styles, floral and boutonniere pins have sat on many a gentleman’s suit lapel over the years. While both involve flowers, floral is typically made of fabric while boutonnieres feature the real thing pinned on the lapel.

Out of all of them, the boutonniere is the most low-maintenance. No need to polish and shine a real flower — just pop on a fresh one and go!

Long Stem

If you’re looking to make a statement, you need to add a long stem pin to your wardrobe. This modern twist on the classic stick pin is meant to be noticed.

Long stem pins come in a wide variety of designs. Oftentimes, they’re made out of high-end metals like gold and silver, so you’ll need to be extra careful when cleaning them.

Magnetic

Worried about piercing a favorite outfit? The magnetic clasp pin is for you.

These are perfect for keeping the integrity of a delicate cashmere sweater or fancy dress. The only problem is that eventually, the magnets wear out and your pin might fall off.

Collar Pin

This is a unique pin. Most of the other pins that we’ve talked about go directly on a lapel or are worn like a brooch.

The collar pin clips to a typical button up collar. This is a sophisticated style for a man and a daring fashion addition for a woman.

What You Need to Clean Your Pins

There’s a basic cleaning kit that any lapel pin enthusiast needs. The two things you need are a polishing cloth and a polishing agent.

Before you run to the store, know that not all polishing cloths and agents are made equal.

When working with tarnish on silver pins, use a soft cotton cloth and silver polish. You might even be able to find special cloths that already have the silver polish in them.

Jeweler’s cloths work well for polishing pins. Jewelry polish is great to start with but if you want to splurge, go for the jewelry polish cream.

No matter what you use, look for something non-abrasive and gentle.

Cleaning Your Pins

Before you start, remove the back or keeper from your pin. Be careful not to stick yourself.

It’s always a good idea to test the polish you intend to use in an inconspicuous area. Swipe the back of the pin with a cotton bud before you use it on the rest of the pin.

The most basic way to clean the pin is to dab it with your polish and gently rub it with a cloth. Usually, your tarnish will easily come off.

Some metals tarnish faster than others. Copper tarnishes before silver which tarnishes before gold.

Make sure you use a good quality polishing cloth and cream on pins made out of these metals.

Extra Tips and Tricks

Now that you’ve got the basics down, here are a few other tips and tricks to keep in mind.

  • Never use vinegar or anything citrus to clean your pins. It will damage the metal and any enamel.
  • Don’t use polish on a soft enamel pin; rub it gently with a soft cloth so that the paint doesn’t come off
  • Don’t use harsh abrasives on a hard enamel pin; you risk damaging the design
  • No polish? You can try using toothpaste, but test it on the back of the pin to make sure it won’t hurt the pin
  • Never put your pins in a polishing machine; it’ll be too hard on your delicate pins
  • Household cleaners will also hurt pins; stick to jewelry polishes

The key is to be gentle with your pins. This is the best way to extend the life of your collection.

Practice Proper Lapel Pin Etiquette

It’s not hard to practice proper lapel pin etiquette. It’s important to remember that you should always test the back and be careful when polishing your pins.

If it’s been a while since your pins have had a good shine, take them out this weekend and polish them up. Nipping tarnish in the bud before it gets too dark prevents you from scrubbing too hard or using stronger polishes that can damage the metal.

If you love lapel pins, why not make a custom one for your special event or celebration? Reach out to us today for a free quote!

How to Use Custom Lapel Pins to Brand Your Business

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Four Benefits of Custom Lapel Pins

Looking for a way to catch the eye of your customers, both existing and potential? Are you curious if there’s a way you can encourage teamwork and a sense of company pride among employees?

Combining the two of these might sound next to impossible. Thanks to lapel pins, you can accomplish both goals at once. Yes, those little pins folks like to wear and even collect!

Ready to learn more? Get ready to discover four benefits of custom lapel pins and how they can help your business.

Custom Lapel Pins

1. People Gravitate Toward Collecting Lapel Pins

Lapel pins have longstanding popularity among people of all different backgrounds. From folks who collect pins created for charities to Disney pins, there’s a market for just about any type of lapel.

One upside to branding with your company logo is the fact that you can create demand without trying too hard. Folks who are interested in lapel pins can go home and look up your company.

With a little bit of viral marketing in the form of fashion, you’ll develop a name and brand that people remember.

2. You Can Create Special Pins For an Event

Are you planning a grand opening, special sale weekend or another type of event? This is a great time to have pins created.

Pass them out to folks and they’re sure to take them. Many people enjoy free swag, especially when attending events where purchases aren’t mandatory.

Once your company becomes popular, your pins can become a rare or sought-after collector’s item.

3. Having More Than One Type of Pin Makes Them Special

Consider making lapel pins for different events, people, and even times of the year. For example, create lapel pins that are only for staff members. These can mention their position or how many years of service they’ve provided to the company.

Employees appreciate it when they’re recognized for hard work. Giving them a unique pin offers a simple way to accomplish that.

Make a pin for a special event or one that you pass out only on one day a year, such as a customer appreciation pin. There’s no limit to what you can accomplish with lapel pins and company promotion.

The more that you have that are limited edition, the greater chances for collecting and demand among customers. And it goes without saying that as they travel further, more people can learn about your business and what it has to offer.

4. Lapel Pins Go With Anything

One reason these pins are so popular is that they go with anything. They can get pinned on any type of shirt, a purse, or even a dress suit.

If you want a promotional item for your company that anyone can enjoy, even if they’re not a consumer of your product or service (yet!), choose lapel pins. Their versatility is popular and they’ll carry on the message for many years to come.

Our Lapel Pin Gallery

Discover More

Using lapel pins in your promotional marketing efforts is a useful way of building your brand and getting the word out. You’ll find many folks interested in what you have to offer.

Are you interested in getting started? Check out our order guide, and see how to begin the process. Looking for pinspiration? Check out our lapel pin pinterest page! Are you ready for a free no obligation quote? Complete our online quote or call us at (877)-312-9794

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