Getting people to keep your business cards
Getting people to keep your business cards
For all entrepreneur a business card is more than a piece of paper. It is their image and normally years of effort; hard work all going to make their dreams come alive. But for a lot of other people they are just another advertisement, another piece of clutter to file a bit of scrap paper or just plain rubbish. To them, your business card may be nothing more important than any other business card that crosses their desk at any other time. So, as a businessman you will need to make your card attract attention, do something that makes it get kept and actually used.
You will need to sit and think of the reason why people keep business cards in the first place. If you understand this concept it can affect the design and effectiveness of your card. Think of what some of the reasons are why people even keep business cards. For one, they use them as link to a supplier or product. For example let’s say you are in the construction business and you meet someone who sells hard to find equipment. You will probably keep their business card to contact them whenever you need equipment you cant get anywhere else. Second, you may keep them as a contact to a friend or business contact. Or even perhaps from time to time you need to contact your business associates or work with other members of the industry your in. Having their business cards can help make contact that much easier.
You may also keep business cards for non-business reasons such as when socializing and organizing parties its always a handy way to pass on your contact details. Likewise, you may keep business cards for the purpose of referring them to someone else. Like for instance, your neighbour needs someone who washes windows. You will probably pass on the card to him so he could contact them. That’s the business card at work.
But more often people see business cards simply as contact information for a customer or potential customer. With a little planning you can avoid that and make you cards unique and more useful to customers.
There are so many ways you can use a business card to encourage customers to hold on to your business card. Most of these ideas work on giving information that the customer may find useful now or further down the track. By using something different in your card format such a tri-fold format or by adding relevant information on the flip side of the card, you can add value to your business card that makes them worth keeping. For example, you can include on the back of the card a calendar that lists typical upcoming events or public holidays. Let’s say you own a club. You can advertise events such as live bands, karaoke nights or comedy nights at the back of the card that are coming up that year.
Although no matter which way you go or how you design your card make sure that they effectively give all the information that the customers need to know. Always remember that your card may be passed on to someone else or the person may be trying to remember what your product was or even you later after a long day of meeting people. So, make those cards do the sale for you.
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