If you are in financial services, you are in an industry that is among the largest consumers of paper. In fact, according to Printing Impressions magazine, the banking and insurance industries spend $10.5 billion every year on paper alone. With the industry’s move to e-documentation, this might be a surprise to some. For others, maybe not so much. Disaster recovery, legal documentation, redundancy, combined with all of the various regulations, there are also times when paper is required. This translates into the need for labels—and lots of them.

Where are some of the many types of labels used by financial institutions?

• Asset tags
• Shipping and address labels
• Box labels
• Communication labels
• Brand Identification labels
• Organizational labels
• Color-coded labels
• Filing labels
• Marketing labels
• Promotional decals

Note that while most of labels are used for office functions, many other types are used, as well. In fact, “labels” might be defined as anything from basic silver asset tags on your filing cabinets to color-coded labels on the files inside them. They might also include window and promotional clings for windows, walls, and even floors that banks and credit unions use for marketing and promotional purposes.

No One Size Fits All

With so much variety when it comes to labels, there is no “one size fits all” label in the financial industry. Labels designed to adhere to paperboard file folders aren’t designed for windows or metal filing cabinets. The label material and adhesive also need to match the end use and the substrate (metal, glass, paper).

Quality matters, too.

• Text should be crisp and clear at any size.
• Printing must be durable and not fade.
• Labels must be strong and resistant to ripping and tearing.
• Corporate colors should match those across all of your other marketing materials.
• Labels should should stay put no matter the substrate or environmental conditions in which they are used.

Don’t Miss the Marketing Opportunities

When thinking about where and how to order your labels, don’t forget about other “label type” products, including marketing and promotional clings and decals. These are great opportunities for you to get new products and services in front of your customers.

When customers walk into the lobby of your bank or credit union, for example, the glass windows of the inside offices offer a perfect platform for promoting home refinance rates, consolidation loans, or certificates of deposit. Or use the street-facing windows to draw people in with great promotions for opening a new checking or savings account.

Because financial labels are part of a company’s larger brand image, it’s important that promotional labels and clings be of the highest quality and that their colors and overall look be consistent with your other marketing materials.

This is one reason it’s always a good idea to consolidate your label purchases under one roof. While you might be tempted to always be on the hunt for new cost savings, using multiple suppliers actually costs you money in the long run. How much do your employees spend looking at pricing and ordering labels? How much do they earn per hour? Add these man hours to the cost of the labels themselves and you may find that they offset any savings you get from chasing the lowest price.

Second, branding is critical. Bringing all of your labels—office labels, asset tags, promotional clings, and more—under one roof with a supplier capable of producing the quality you need and matching corporate and brand colors as necessary, creates a stronger brand image. This, in turn, translates into greater customer trust and, by extension, stronger sales.

All of these are reasons that Brandmark makes a great partner for all of the labels you need . . . whether on paper, on your assets, or on your windows and walls!