It’s tradeshow season, which means our sales team is working more from their laptops on Delta’s WiFi than from the office on their way to meet with some of you – our wonderful readers!
As is true for any tradeshow jaunt, we get A LOT of….. interesting questions while we’re on the road. In an effort to rally up blog ideas – why not make a series out of it?!
Drumroll please……….
Behold, Tradeshow Tuesday is born and here you are on inception day, aren’t you lucky! Each week during tradeshow season, I’ll answer different questions that attendees have asked this season. From the mundane run of the mill questions to the off the wall wacky ones we’ll cover them all every Tuesday.
Today’s burning question: How can I use custom door hardware to increase my brand image?
First, let’s give credit where credit is due – the design teams across corporate America have been reading our posts and they finally believe us when we say “Your doors and hardware speak volumes about your quality as a brand. Stop ignoring it!”
Ranging from appearance, to the materials from which they are constructed, to their functionality, your doors speak. Take a look at these custom door hardware factors to make sure yours are saying the right things.
Custom Door Hardware – Appearance
Imagine for a moment, how many people walk through your front door every day.
Those are a lot of literal touch points you should be using to enhance your brand image and make a lasting impression.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes – would you be wowed if you were to enter a building using this door pull?
How about this one?
You would stop for a second and maybe say “hmmm that’s different” or perhaps you would point it out to your friends or family. Why? Because it’s custom. Custom conveys uniqueness. Custom conveys quality. Custom anything sends a message, but custom door pulls make a very strong impact.
Custom pulls with the logo of your brand are an excellent way to keep branding at the forefront.
What about kick plates? Have you ever seen a custom kick plate? Do you think you would be taken aback for a moment if you did?
Rockwood Manufacturing carries a line of uniquely shaped kick plates.
You can also get custom finishes, patterns, and engraving. Much like door pulls, these unique kick plates will serve their basic function of door protection, but will also build upon the experience your customers recall about their visits.
If you’re looking for more highly customized door hardware, you can opt to install door edges that coordinate with kick plates.
Not only do these door edges look good, they protect the latch side of the door from dents, nicks, and scratches.
Don’t forget to use custom colors and unique hardware finishes to complete your new look. Your brand’s colors are everywhere within your facility – why not extend that to your hardware?
Custom Door Hardware – Materials
If your company has implemented a green initiative, did you consider how you can incorporate green building materials into your plan? Surprisingly, there are a number of green hardware products to choose from.
Another unique material, particularly for restrooms, is copper. Did you know that copper inherently has antimicrobial properties? I now pull this piece of knowledge out at the most random moments in conversation – but that’s ok, because it’s interesting, right?!
Trimco launched their line of unique door pulls a couple of years ago. The pulls are made from CuVerro (an antimicrobial copper), which kills 99.9% of germs.
Now for one of my favorite materials – hollow metal doors that look like actual wood. (Yes – I really do get excited about this stuff.)
Curries launched CurriStain doors and our customers love them. They are now able to have a classic high-end look without the typical issues that plague wood doors.
Now it’s your turn, have you implemented custom door hardware into your branding yet? How are you using it?
We’re attending ISC West in Las Vegas this week – let’s get together and chat! We’ll also be at the National PRSM Conference April, 6 through April, 8. Come see us at booth 1207!