|
|
5 Tips On
Making Your Business Card A Powerful Marketing Tool
By John Harley
When used effectively
business cards can be a great marketing tool. In this article we will
discuss 5 of the most effective ways that you can use your business
cards everyday.
1. Be Creative.
Be creative in the design of your business cards. Business cards do not
just need to be bits of paper with your contact details on them. Be
creative and give your business cards a use and purpose. Make them a
powerful marketing tool in the promotion of your business.
Your aim is to make your business card something that the receiver will
want to keep and make use of. This is the difference between a well
thought out and designed business card and a piece of paper with your
contact details on it that will probably be thrown into the trash.
Give the recipient of your business cards a special offer. For example
if you are a school/training centre you may offer 'first lesson for free
with this card' or if you run a shop maybe you will offer '10% of any
purchase over $50'.
Whatever your business, there is a creative way to give your business
card real value to the receiver. If you can think and implement these
new creative ways before your business does, you will have an instant
advantage in that area of business, and should definitely see a rise in
business if you have promoted you cards correctly.
2. The 1 minute rule
The 1 minute rule basically says, if you talk to a person for longer
than 1 minute they should already have one of your business cards in
their hand.
This means in conversations you need to find a way to talk about what
you do, and be in the position to be able to offer one of your business
cards to the person you are talking to in the first minute of
conversation. This can be likened to a conversation you may have with
someone at the bus stop or on the elevator. The conversation will end in
a very short time and you only have a very short time to get your
message across, or in this case get your business card to the recipient.
The 1 minute rule is basically just practice to get your business card
out there as much as you can. Many people go through all the trouble of
ordering business cards just to let them sit in a corner of their
office. To use business cards effectively you must be giving them out at
every opportunity that you have.
3. Make them keepers
Once you have given your business card to someone what is going to keep
it from being thrown in the trash or forgotten about. Unless you are
selling necessities it is probably fair to say that most likely they do
not need the product/services you are offering at the present moment.
Hopefully though in the future will come a time when they are looking
for that product/service and that is when your business card still needs
to be in the hands of the person.
Why does someone want your business card? If you cannot answer that
easily, maybe it is time to think about a new business card design.
Does your business card have valuable information on it? By valuable I
mean a map, discount, calendar, measurements, charts or anything
relevant to your industry? If it doesn't, you may want to think about
adding a value feature to your business card.
4. Leave them everywhere you go
During a number of trips around a number of businesses in my local area
I have noticed piles of business cards on the counters of various
businesses. For example a recent trip to my accountant I noticed they
had a few piles of business cards on the counter for mortgage lenders,
home loans, etc.
This can be likened very much to link swapping that goes on with
webmasters looking for business referrals from similar businesses.
Every place that you frequent, you should ask if they mind you leaving a
stack of you business card there for their customers. You could try this
at your doctors office, your dentist, accountant, lawyer, beauty saloon
or hairdresser.
For similar businesses (e.g. accountant > lawyer or money lender) maybe
you can arrange to have a stack of their business cards displayed at
your business when they offer your business cards at theirs. This can be
a very effective way to use you business cards and can have great
returns.
5. Ask for an opinion
'Do you mind if I ask you a quick question? I'm looking for opinions on
my new business card'. After asking the question and bringing the topic
up hand them a business card. Make sure that they keep it, even if they
try to hand it back to you tell them that you have thousands printed
already.
Thank the person for their time, and if they ever need the product or
service that you are offer that your contact information is on the
business card. Even if that person may not directly contact your
business, there is always a chance that they may pass your card or
business name onto another party.
Even in the worse case they may go home and tell their friend how a nut
just came and talked at the bus stop and handed them a business card for
his lawn mowing service. That friend may say, 'I've been looking for a
good lawn mower'. 'Here's the business card I got'. And there is a
situation where you may still even get business out of handing your
business card to a stranger and even a disinterested stranger.
By following just one of the above five ideas each day, you can turn
your business card into a great marketing tool, and see an almost
instant increases in business.
About the Author:
http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net Full Color Business Card Design and
Printing Written by John Harley of 'The Business Card Shop'. The
cheapest full color business cards guaranteed!!
back to top
back to
articles
|
