Business cards are treated by most businesses as post it notes for your contact information. A typical business card design contains the following:
- company logo
- your name and credentials
- your phone, address and email
Cards are then handed out to people so they have a convenient reminder of your contact information.
Now think about when you visit a trade show and collect business cards. When you get back to the office, where do most of those cards end up? In the garbage. Now, where do you think most of your business cards end up? That’s right - in the garbage.
It’s time to rethink your business card strategy - in fact, it’s time to HAVE a strategy. Rather than treating your cards as a contact sticky, start treating them as a promotion tool.
Here’s some suggestions.
1) Business card design - make them rock. Go outside the box and develop something that’s memorable and brandable. Watch this video as an example. There are plenty of business card design examples available online - just search them.
2) Attach something to the card to make it ’sticky’, some piece of information that people will want to keep around. A calendar on the back side. Make it a business card. Whatever suits for your industry - add something to it that makes your prospects want to hold on to the card rather than dump it in the garbage.
3) Add something to the card that makes people want to hand it out to others! If you sell life insurance, put insurance policy information on the back and tell your clients to complete it and hand it to their beneficiaries. If you are a photographer, add a 10% off coupon for friends and family on the back of your card and suggest your clients hand it out to others.
4) Hand them out everywhere. At gas stations, anytime you meet someone new. Don’t be shy. It’s a promotional tool - hand out 100 and 1 of those 100 people is going to be actively seeking your services. Or they’re going to discuss your services with their spouse over dinner that evening. Don’t be a business card hoarder, they won’t do you any good in your desk drawer.
5) Make the handout memorable. In other words, when you hand someone your business cards to someone, make them remember you. The most extreme example of this would be the street hustlers in Vegas who hand out cards for escorts. These folks SNAP their cards at everyone walking by as they wave it in your face. The instinctive reaction is to take the card. Now I’m not suggesting you do that - it’s an extreme example :). However one thing you could do is hand out a piece of candy with your business card. Embarrassed by that? First, get over it and start promoting your business. Secondly, deal with it - hand people your card and a piece of candy, then tell them that you hand out the candy so that they remember you and are less likely to throw your card away. People will appreciate and understand - they don’t mind people marketing their businesses, the do mind if it’s underhanded. So be upfront.
And today we’ve got a myriad of choices. You can order business cards online or get them from your local print shop. Don’t print them yourself on your laser printer - remember this is a marketing and promotional tool, not an opportunity to save $3. Get some quality cards with a quality design - you’ll be the happier for it and look more professional.