| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Why Would Anyone Want Your Business Card?
Do you remember how proud you were the first time you saw your name in print? Most entrepreneurs feel that same flush of pride when they gaze on their new business cards. That small piece of paper represents years of planning and effort and hard work and dreams. The thrill of seeing "your name in print" on a business card is hard to beat. Unfortunately, other people couldn't care less. Your business card, the one you're so proud of, is just another advertisement ? another piece of clutter to file. It's no more or less important than any of the many business cards that cross a prospect's desk at any given point in time. So how do you make sure that your card is one of the few that attracts attention, gets kept, filed, and actually used when your prospect needs your product or service? It pays to think about the reasons people keep cards to begin with. Often, it's not for the reason you expect. Understanding this critical concept can dramatically affect the design and ultimate effectiveness of your card. Let's say that you install and maintain swimming pools. You meet Nancy Newcomer and have a great conversation about landscaping around in-ground pools. You're eager to conclude the conversation by giving her your business card because she certainly displays a lot of interest in your service. She's a "hot prospect" for sure! Not necessarily. Nancy could just as easily be asking because her neighbor has a pool, or because her mom had a bad experience when they installed their pool, or because she's always liked to swim and loves plants too, or because she collects business cards and doesn't have one with a pool on it, or because she's new in town and you're the only friendly person she met today. In fact, according to Dr. Lynella Grant, author of "The Business Card Book", there are eight reasons that someone may decide to keep your business card. 1. As a link to a potential customer or client Let's say you're in network marketing, and John Johnson mentions that his wife used to be in MLM, too. She liked the business model but just wasn't happy with the company. Odds are you'll keep John's card because it's a means of contacting John's wife about your own business opportunity. 2. As a link to a resource or a supplier If you're in the construction business and meet someone who sells hard-to-find lighting and fixtures, you'll probably keep their business card. 3. As a link to a colleague Many business people keep business cards of colleagues and competitors. Perhaps you refer business to each other during busy periods, or work together as members of an industry association. 4. For social, non-business reasons Maybe you couldn't care less that Kelly sells car insurance. She's awfully cute, though... 5. For referring business - it may be passed on to someone else If your neighbor has had a hard time finding someone who washes windows, and you meet someone who's just started a residential window washing service, you'll probably accept their business card and pass it on to your neighbor. 6. To update information they already have Maybe they have an old card of yours with your old phone number on it, or without your website address. 7. "Just in case" Some people have a hard time parting with anything because they might need it someday. 8. Finally, a business card may be kept because of something likable, unusual or useful about the person or their card I kept the business card of a police officer named "Sarah Justice" just because I think she's got a great name for her line of work (it's called an "aptronym"). Other people keep business cards that contain useful information such as amortization schedules or lists of emergency phone numbers. Keep these reasons in mind when designing your card. Make it clear what you do and who you do it for. Your card may be passed on to someone else, or the recipient may be trying to remember you later after a long day of meeting people at a convention. More strategies:
Stuck with boring or generic company-designed cards? Create your own online and choose from thousands of business card templates for a truly unique design. About The Author Diana Ratliff of GreatFX Business Cards helps business people get great business results through effective business card marketing. You can get more free articles and order business cards online at the company website, http://www.greatfxbusinesscards.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you've probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.It's pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational. Measure the Response of Your Advertising Campaigns by Using Promotional Products For most companies, gone are the days of spending money just for the pleasure of seeing their name on TV or the Internet.Most companies today are forced to insist on results. Advertising In The Local Press There are three main reasons why I would hesitate when deciding to advertise in the local press:? Everyone else is doing it? Nobody buys a paper for the adverts? The odds are it won't workJust because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean it's a good thing, or more importantly - that it actually works! However it seems the natural thing to do - you need to raise your profile, make the local community aware of your company, so you why not advertise in the local paper? Well, because?Nobody buys a paper for the adverts. In fact, do most people buy a local paper these days? As many local papers are free, their only income is through selling advertising space. The Online Equivalent of an Effective Newspaper Advertisement is FREE Ask anybody who has been in business for a long enough and they will tell you how newspaper advertisements have for decades helped to build countless small businesses.The advantages of a newspaper advertisement are many, but what has attracted small business entrepreneurs for decades is the speed at which a struggling entrepreneur (short of funds as many starting small businesses always are, and looking for customers fast) is able to get a very quick response. Good Design Makes Good Sense Organized your pencils and pens lately? Sorted your clothes into a logical system in your drawers? Then you already understand the basic elements of good design: it's practical, it's systematic, and it makes life easier.In the same way, marketing materials that use good design make business easier for your customers. Boost Headline Believability With Specifics Don't use vague generalities in your headlines. Be as specific as possible. A Lunchtime Lesson on Print Advertising I promise you'll be able to finish this article before you finish the first half of your PBJ. Are you sitting down? Good. How To Write More Powerful Brochures, Leaflets, And Catalogues Probably the most interesting thing about brochures and leaflets is that they're seldom read in what we've come to know as the right order - as you would read a book. Rather in the same way that many people read magazines in dentists' waiting rooms, they will flick through brochures and leaflets and stop to take a longer look at bits that grab their attention. Direct Mail Catalogs & Brochures: Write Captions That Sell Many prospects skim through catalogs and brochures, glancing at the photos and reading the accompanying captions only when a particular image arouses their interest. That's when you have their attention. The Inside Secrets Of Free Publicity For Your Business Product publicity is the "secret pathway" to business success everyone wants. In simple terms, product publicity is a kind of advertising that costs you nothing, yet brings in the orders for you. Get Free Radio Advertisement Here's a neat trick to get lots of radio advertisement time, TOTALLY FREE! Imagine.. 50 Surefire Business Card Tips Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards:Your business card must communicate more than just your contact information. Make the Right Advertising Decisions Advertising is a powerful and somewhat frustrating marketing tool. It enables us to launch new products and services, increase sales, and increase awareness. Should You Advertise on TV? When people discover my background in advertising, the questions flow. One of the most frequent questions is "Should I advertise on TV?"I can't answer that questions until I ask a number of questions first. Become a Storyteller Not an Advertiser and Watch Your Traffic Increase When you read the newspaper, do you read advertisements as closely as you read news stories? Do you believe advertising as readily as you believe news stories? I don't and neither do most people I know.Because we have advertising shoved at us from every angle we tend to ignore it, but we pay attention to news or public interest stories. Giorgio Armani: A Persuasive Campaign Lets examine the use of Giorgio Armani Company's advertisements for a persuasive campaign. My reasoning is because the company is separated into several different divisions, while each tries to sell their product, the advertisements must maintain an overall company image. Do I Need Raised Letter or Full Color Business Cards? If you've been searching around for business cards that will best represent the image you want to portray for your business, then you've no doubt encountered many options. The Big Two, as I like to think of them, are "Raised Letter" and "Full Color. The Not-So-Hidden Persuaders: The Power of The Media Upon Us All In 1957, a perspicacious young journalist from Pennsylvania named Vance Packard wrote a book called The Hidden Persuaders. It was meant to explain to the public at large why they buy the products they do and to warn them about the psychological aspects of consumer appeal that lie beneath the levels of consciousness. Print Your Marketing Postcards For A Penny, Address Them For Free, and Automate the Whole Process This article will show you how to cut your printing costs to a penny and have your postcards addressed for free without doing it all yourself, reducing the time you invest in your mailing to almost nothing.So, you have a list of hot prospects in hand; you need a way to get your marketing message in front of them with the hope that a reasonable percentage will call you. Change, or Reinforce? Do you know about the distinction - and it's a useful one - between communication that tries to reinforce and communication that tries to get change?If you follow politics you'll already be familiar with this idea: Incumbents send messages that reinforce existing voter behavior, while challengers call for changes.Any thoughtful marketing communication (and political communication is marketing communication) will be strongly influenced by this distinction, which affects not only the content, but also the presentation, and perhaps even the medium.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
