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Thirty Innovative Ways to Use Business Cards
© 2002 Linda Elizabeth Alexander
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On The Back:
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Print a team's sports schedule on the back. Fans will keep them handy
and keep your name in front of them. -
Print a special discount offer or coupon on the back. People will keep
it because they intend to use the coupon.
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If you do seminars, print key principals on the back. Your attendees
will refer to them later and think of you.
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Hand write on the back your "unlisted" 800 number. This adds value to
your card, making people keep it longer because they don't want to lose
the special number.
Ad Specialties:
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Make the business card the ad specialty: Print your company information
on letter openers, CD openers, magnets, pens, highlighters, keychains,
mousepads, mugs, luggage tags, and other items that people will keep
because they are useful.
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Attach a business card to an ad specialty: For example, give business
card holders as a thank you gift and place your business card in as the
first one. Or, have your card designed as a Rolodex card.
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If you routinely give out seasonal gifts or specialties, attach your
business card. Examples: candy canes at Christmas, heart shaped containers
filled with candy for Valentine's Day, or even a sandwich bag of candy
with a card stapled to it.
Unique Places to Put Them:
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Tuck them into the product before delivery: If you are a florist, cut a
hole in it and tie a ribbon around the flowers and through the business
card. If you sell gift baskets, Tuck one inside the basket before
delivering it to your customer. The same goes for Mary Kay or Avon
Cosmetics - place your card in the bag. You've seen how some restaurants staple a menu to their bags for takeout;
if you use bags, staple your card to the outside of the bag.
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Send a business card in every piece of correspondence - letters,
invoices, even your electric bill. Sooner or later, those cards will be
used.
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If you are crafty, incorporate them into your designs: embellish them
with rubber stamps, or blend them with other art projects. You can also
mount them to greeting cards you create and send to customers and
prospects.
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When mailing out information: Take a number 10 envelope, facing you
and upside down. Fold the envelope in thirds. When you turn it around,
there is a little pocket to tuck your card in. Include it in the mailing.
Using a colored envelope makes the presentation even more dramatic.
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Scan your card in and use it as a graphic for when you exchange.
Business Cards Links with other websites. The other site can use your
graphic as the link.
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Place your business cards in library books as if you used them as
bookmarks. Visit bookstores place them in books related to your business.
Keeping Them Handy:
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Use them as bookmarks so you'll always have some readily available if
you meet someone at school, in the library, on the bus, or at the park
where you like to read.
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Have your spouse, family, and friends carry some of your cards with
them in case they meet someone who might be interested in your product or
service.
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Wear them! Use them as nametags at meetings and conferences instead of
the "Hello, my name is ..." type of tags.
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Keep a stack of cards everywhere you might need them - in your car,
your jacket pocket, your briefcase, your purse or wallet, in your planner,
at home, anywhere you can think of. Then you'll always have some on hand
when you meet a prospect.
When to Use Them:
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Give them out during your personal meetings when you meet someone new:
at your church, your children's soccer games, at lunch with your friends
when someone brings a guest. To be more polite, you could have a personal
"calling card" printed up with your information to use in these
situations.
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If you do seminars, have your participants exchange cards with each
other. Have them write a compliment about the person on the back before
they hand them out. Everyone will have a wealth of contacts; they will
remember each other and it will also give participants a boost of
confidence.
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Ask neighborhood businesses if you may display your cards near their
registers.
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Tack them to bulletin boards at supermarkets, restaurants, retail
stores and the library - anyplace that has a bulletin board.
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Give out two business card at a time - one for your prospect or
client, and one for her/him to give away.
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Place some on the table when you leave a restaurant.
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Agree to mail the cards of other business people in the mailings you
do, if they will do the same for you. Your networking circle will grow as
your cards are passed around.
How Not to Use Business Cards:
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Don't give them to a member of the opposite sex in the hopes that s/he
will call you. I have a friend who was told this wouldn't work. He did an
experiment for six months to prove it, and his friend was right! Sadly,
not one woman called him. Although he does have a girlfriend now!
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Some people don't give out business cards when they meet a prospective
client. Instead, they send a follow-up note later with their card
enclosed.
Other Types of Business Cards to Have:
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Folding business cards are an excellent way to maximize your message.
These types of cards are twice the size of a standard business card, yet
fold in half to the standard size.
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Email Signature. Put your contact information into a signature file
for email, along with a link to your website (be sure to include the
"http" in order to make it "clickable.")
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Vcard. These are electronic business cards that recipients can click
on and automatically add to their address books. Do a web search for "vcard"
to find software that supports this technology. Then use it in all your
emails!
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One consulting company, which works with designers of products for
people with disabilities, prints their cards in Braille. It reminds their
clients how they can help them comply with disability laws. It also gets
people asking for information.
About the Author:
Linda Elizabeth Alexander is a business writer and
marketing consultant specializing in web content and sales copy. Be heard
and understood! Subscribe to Write to the Point, a FREE ezine for business
people who want to learn how to write better:
http://www.write2thepointcom.com
The opinions expressed
in this column are those of the author. All answers are intended to be
general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas or
circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting an
appropriate expert, such as an attorney or accountant.
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