Many people think business cards are a waste of money. But if you use it the way I tell you do, you will prove them wrong!
Business cards are quite something. If you want your business card to do your marketing for you, you need to take the card to a new level of usability. But let's stop to think about the following:
This happens so many times.
You meet someone in a business meeting or a conference. You hear their 30-second elevator pitch about their company or organization. Then they give you their business card.
Look at the card. Looks nice. It's got an interesting company logo, and has the contact info of the person. You put it in your pocket or purse, right?
Later, you usually forget about the whole thing.
This probably happens all the time.
If you were the one who had given me the card, would you have wanted me to forget about you and your business? Like it all never happened?
No, you wouldn't. How do you keep people from forgetting about you? The business card that you've been handing out is your secret. Whatever you have written on the card has to give the person an insatiable desire to act on his new-found knowledge.
You need to write something on it that will really PULL the person to go do something- make a call, look on a website, make an order, ask further questions, etc.
It's not enough to just put your name, company and other contact info on it. If you're depending on people to get all excited over your bland cookie-cutter elevator speech, you have no hope.
Especially in this day and age of media overload no one is going to recall you or your card.
Here's what you can do. Start putting interesting paragraphs or short blurbs on the back of your card.
Here are some examples:
Imagine an accountant handing you a card that had this on the back of it:
"Doing taxes is a waste of time! Go online to www.dontwastetimeontaxes.com and discover taxes made EASY just for you!"
If you were busy worrying about your taxes, you'd definitely be compelled to go look at the site.
Or someone from a charitable organization gave you a card which said:
"Every year 4,285 people die from (terrible disease) in Canada. Are you next? Call 416-XXX-0000. See if you have it or not. The call will only take 1 minute 19 seconds of your time. It's worth your life."
Quite memorable, isn't it?
And here's a third (and final example)
Someone from a car dealer gives you his card:
"Do you know what your car is REALLY worth? Call me at 647-000-0000 and I'll tell you. The answer may shock you!!"
How's that? Arouses your curiosity, doesn't it?
Here's the true test of a really interesting card: even if the person doesn't need your product or services now, their curiosity is still burning hot enough to just take a peek. Or make that call.
And maybe they'll recommend you to someone who does need your product or service.
And your customer list just grows. What's more, here's another powerful strategy to maximize your business cards... and easy to do:
Aside from your regular business cards, prepare a second stack of business cards.
This second card is basically the equivalent of a short but powerful ad. Give a three-liner (like the examples above) that people won't forget. Include a contact number (or website or email address). Don't put anything else on. Let the message be the focus.
When you go to a conference, give out only that second card. Not your regular one. The new card is your marketing machine to get people aroused with curiosity and compelled to contact you or look at your website.
That card is your "walking ad" since it is easy to carry around, file, and find, give out, or whatever you want to do with it, as opposed to a brochure or flyer.
Once they've contacted you, and bought something from you or used your services, then they are considered part of your "circle" of customers.
Only then you give your regular business card.
That second business card serves the purpose of being an ad. Which is what you REALLY need under certain situations, such as conferences. So the space on the card is really being put to work for you.
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