Your Complete Guide to Name Badge Best Practices

Name badge best practices are your new best friend! Why is that? Because a person’s name deserves to be remembered, yet it is often the first thing forgotten. Self-disclosure is the foremost way to build rapport and connect with people you just met. Initiating a conversation is half of the battle, but a name badge can make a huge difference. Let’s talk about some name badge best practice to make sure you get the best ROI on your name badge investment.

Careful and thoughtful planning about your name tag design can save you a lot of trouble. A name badge has two primary responsibilities. It should clearly identify the wearer and adequately represent your business or organization. But it’s extremely important to make best use of name badges by observing a few basic best practices.

Best Practices for Wearing Name Badges at Trade Shows and Events

Before you start packing for your trade show or event, make sure that your employees, booth representatives, and sales personnel have company name badges. Why is this important? Because some events or trade shows don’t maximize your company information. Secondly, an event name badge (unless it’s your company that is hosting it) won’t include your logo. Using your own name tags along with event name badges will help with your brand recognition.

Do you really need to wear two name badges? Sure! It’s still a great way to get your name and brand out there. You rarely see a single commercial for a product, right? They know it’s repetition that helps people remember their name and brand.

Make sure to wear your name tag where it is easily visible. You want every person who visits your booth to see your name badge. It’s the easiest way to advertise your business. They can help reach potential buyers or convert prospects on the spot. Name badges and other info in your booth will make sure anyone who enters knows exactly who your representative is. This differentiates you from all the rest!

What If An Event Provides a Poorly Designed Name Tag to Wear?

A lot of event name badges are not designed well. The event organizer didn’t take the time to consider the design well and gave no regard to color, font size, or visibility. It’s not a bad idea to bring your own branded name tag to an event, especially if the one you’re given is sub-par. You can easily wear both. Of course, you’ll want to wear the event name tag for security and event identification. But most hosts will not be offended if you wear your name badge too.

Which Side Does a Name Tag Go On?

Most networking experts and meeting planning personnel will suggest putting name tags on the right side. This makes it directly visible for introductions and handshakes. Most will tell you this is the best practice. However, there are some who argue for left-sided placement. It may make more sense in some settings.

For instance, if you work in a hotel, at a trade show, in retail, or another environment that has rows, hallways, and aisles, name tags are more easily viewed by oncoming traffic if it’s on the left side.

First Name Twice On Name Tags

At some events, it’s normal to put the person’s first name twice. Usually, it’s more common at large groups, meetings, or conventions. The first name is a little larger and placed just above the wearer’s whole name. Doubling the first name like this is helpful when people go by different, middle, or abbreviated names.

One example is Don above, Donald G. Lastname. The main thing is to get someone’s attention on the person’s first name. However, if your name is Don and you go by Don, you don’t need to put it twice. You may just make Don in a larger font than the rest of his name.

First and Last Names on Name Badges?

The policies on putting first and last names of a wearer on name tags can vary greatly. In some settings, putting both names on a name tag is acceptable. However, in most settings, the first name is engraved on the name badge with the initial of their last name. Other organizations switch that around and put a first initial followed by the last name. It really depends on the setting.

Some Name Badges are Better Quality Than Others

Name badges can come in varying levels of quality. If you attend a party, you may see a paper, or stick-on name tag. There are lots of styles and sources for name tags, but if you are talking about a business setting, a corporate event, or other important meeting, you’ll want to get the best quality the budget allows. That’s why you’ll want to get your name badges from Name Tag Pros, where you are always guaranteed high-quality name badges.

You Should KISS Your Name Badge

Of course, we don’t mean you should literally kiss a name badge, unless you’re into that sort of thing. KISS stands for “Keep It Simple, Silly!” You don’t want to overload a name tag design with tons of information, graphics, or colors. Keep the design as simple as possible while communicating the necessary information.

Name Tag Pros – Your Source for Professional-Quality Name Badges

We put decades of experience and expertise to work with every single name tag we design at Name Tag Pros. All of our name badges are made from the highest quality materials, and we’ll work with you to make sure your name badge is designed using best practices. Give us a call, today and let’s get started on your unique, custom name badges today!