Market with business cards (12 clever ways)

One of the most cost-effective ways to market your product or service is …

A time-tested, simple business card

And if you design your  business card with clever marketing strategies, you could turn this simple tool into a sales and marketing machine.

Before we get into specifics to put on your business card, it's important to have at least a high level goal for what you want to accomplish.

• Are you looking to tell people you run into what big brand you work for?
• Are you looking to be a person of curiosity offering little information on your card?
• Or do you want to make sales?

There is a huge difference.

And if you want to make sales, you are at the right place.

In reality, this little card could open many new opportunities for you.

Let’s get started.

Here’s 12 clever ways you can turn your business card into a marketing machine:

1. Put your face on the card in line with your brand (smiling, serious, speaking in front of a group, dressed as a professional, etc).
2. Use the back of the card -- most people waste this space as its the ideal place for a sales message.
3. List the top 3 benefits people will receive as a result of doing business with you
4. Use the word FREE on your card -- Free gift, Free consultation, Free sample, Free product, Free session, etc.
5. Put a call to action (CTA) on the card with a great offer.
6. Put testimonials on the back.
7. Design it as a formal tool to build referrals.
8. Drive people to your website with a specific offer: $10 off your first order with code: bizcard10.
9. Promote your book with a book cover and title -- direct people to Amazon.
10. Make your card a folded-business card and put more information on it, with more benefits, more testimonials, and add a coupon or a free offer.
11. Turn your business card into a coupon valid for a great offer in your store (online or brick-n-mortar).
12. If you use a lot of cards, send all traffic to a dedicated landing page so you can measure Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

How Do I Market My Business with Business Cards?

One of the biggest mistakes people make when designing their business card is they forget the purpose of the card.

Remember, a business card is not about you.

Yes, you heard that right.

If you are in business, whether you work for someone else or for yourself, it’s about the customer.

And if you treat your business card like the marketing tool it is, go back to the definition of marketing:

1. To gain a customer
2. To keep a customer

With that, your business card needs to communicate your value so potential customers know the value you offer, how to buy, and how to get in touch with you.

In that order.

Think of each business card as a key to future doors of opportunities.

With a few minor adjustments outside of the norm, your business card can become a wonderful tool that will generate new sales and customers for you.

Most people simply hand out cards when they meet new people. Others have very unique ways of passing out their business cards such as in press kits, product fulfillment boxes and trade shows.

Regardless, there are 100’s of ways to pass out cards.

Passing out cards is not the goal here. Maybe in future tutorials.

The goal here is to help you gain a new opportunity, make a new sale or gain a new customer AFTER you have given your card out.

Business cards are extremely versatile and can be used in so many different ways.

The days of just handing out are long gone.  Done right, you really can turn your card into a little sales-making machine.

Constantly search for new ways to get the most out of this low cost marketing tool.

Combine them with clever guerrilla marketing strategies for even more marketing power.  Or send people to a specific landing page on your website from your business card and take your sales and tracking from this source to a whole new level.

What to Include on a Professional Business Card?

A professional business card is an identifier.

Start with the basics.

• Company
• Name
• Title
• Address
• Phone number
• Logo
• Email, and
• Website

Sure, a slogan or a motto is good too if it fits your customer generating strategy.

If you are an independent contractor, you may choose to include a small picture of you or your business.

The key is to connect the information to your business so that your potential customer can quickly capture your value proposition.

How to Make a Quality Business Card That Stands Out

While it's essential to include important information, it's also important to know what you shouldn't put on a business card.

Avoid being boring and forgettable.

If your goal is to gain a customer, avoid the old fashioned, bland IBM corporate style.

Your goal is to sell your benefits.

Avoid color schemes or fonts that make the print hard to read. Use reverse print sparingly, if at all (white font on black background)

If you have doubts, stick to the simple black-on-white design and focus on the single biggest benefit that your company provides and put that on the card.

You can't go wrong and it will last for a long time.

Look at the things that give your business a competitive edge.  Find ways to include that on your business card.