How to Choose the Right Partner to Build Your Custom Headwear Program

The search for just the right quality custom hats can be time-consuming and irritating. Choosing the right hat styles and design for your brand and target audience is a contributing factor to the success or failure of a branded custom headwear program.

Whether choosing screen printed t-shirts emblazoned with your company’s logo or finding the perfect giveaway items to remind potential clients and customers of your business, picking the right branding partner is essential.

We often hear people ask, “What really is the big deal about hats? They’ve been around forever, and you can get them anywhere." Keep reading to learn how hats came to be such a big deal for companies to leverage as an effective promotional product.

The rise of custom headwear

Custom hats have become massively popular for functions, events, uniforms, clubs, etc. They are an effective and affordable way for a company to showcase their individuality or the traits that make them different and stand out from the crowd.

Gaining immense popularity in recent years, hats are a high-visibility promotional item that is both practical and stylish, often accessorized with other custom apparel items like custom sweatshirts or t-shirts. Most commonly, they are used to help a brand differentiate itself through subtle creative designs and tangible translations of its core beliefs.

Custom hats can be used to benefit many aspects of your business including being part of a marketing strategy, HR’s employee experience, and your customer service team’s tactic for ongoing customer appreciation efforts.

When facing the decision-making process, one should take into consideration the following key aspects involved in the conceptualization of your brand:

  • Do a quick search and make a list of the top five branding agencies that appeal to you. From there, compare the top positive and negative reviews from current or previous clients. Then evaluate any other available info you may need to reach your own conclusions about each agency.
  • Once you have a better idea of what each agency provides, reduce your list to the top three and do a deeper dive. Research their processes, quality, and other key aspects of internal operations and account management such as reliability, approach to creative development, the uniqueness of their product sourcing, accessibility, and a willingness to work with your brand.
  • Rank the remaining candidates according to their pros and cons. If possible, meet with them in real life to review their capabilities and strategy to ascertain which is the best fit for your needs.

Differences between agencies and vendors

Unless you’ve worked with an agency and a vendor, it’s difficult to know the difference between the two, especially while in the thick of researching.

Vendors work on an order-by-order basis and deliver the product as described by you or your marketing team.

An agency, on the other hand, provides a much more involved service and will even assist in marketing and design aspects.

Colorado is home to some of the most creative and successful minds in the country. As such, the quality of care that is taken with custom headwear must be consistently top-notch, innovative, and out-of-the-box -- always surprising and delighting the client.

A true agency partner conducts ongoing extensive research on their clients, the market and industry they are in, and keeping a pulse on the changing expectations of its target audience. We believe that is truly the only way to fully articulate a company’s message and building that emotional connection, and authentically showcasing a brand’s ethos.

Choosing the right agency partner is no easy feat, but worth a thoughtful approach

Deciding on an agency partner requires time and energy, but in the grand scheme, each step in the comparison process is essential to ensure a successful long-term partnership. Choosing to invest in custom headwear will give your business a taste for it’s benefits to the bottom line, employee satisfaction and retention, customer loyalty, and brand awareness.

We find most brands we partner with to build their custom headwear program see enhanced team spirit, a new revenue stream for the business, and an effective incentive for prospective and current clients.

Here at Anthem, we strongly believe in having our clients back every step of the way with their best interests in mind. You’re not another client or number to us, you’re part of who we are as a company, and will work tirelessly to keep your competitive edge sharp.