Small Cards, Big Ideas: Alternative Uses for Business Cards

Aggressive business card marketing isn't about handing your business cards out to everyone you see.

The card itself must have a new use, an innovative design, or something other than the usual contact information printed on it. To make your little card stand out, try these other ideas.

Print something other than a business card on biz card-sized cardstock.

You may have seen loyalty cards for "buy 10 get one free" offers; why not print one of your own? Print a frequent buyer card or other promotional offer on your card. The whole card can be a coupon for a free consultation, a discount, or a free gift with purchase. Remember include an expiration date on them! Then hand them out to all your customers.

Print a short survey on a card.

Offer an incentive for people to return the card to you with the survey answered--they can get a free gift or a discount just for answering a few simple questions. Then give them a new card with your contact information on it.

Other things you might print on this size cardstock include:

• Hangtags
• Nametags
• Tickets to an event; or
• Tiny greeting cards you might attach to a gift basket or other gift.

It's always nice to handwrite a personal note when using them as greeting cards. A quick "thank you" or "best wishes" goes a long way. Or, announce a special event and enclose the cards with all your outgoing correspondence.

Make your business card a referral card for your organization or club.

That will make it easy to invite a prospect to your next meeting or to introduce the organization to them. On the front, print a form to fill in the date, time and location. On the back, include a brief overview of the club. Let members hand them out to potential recruits.

Turn them into appointment cards.

On one side, you can print your name, address, phone, fax and email plus your business name and logo. On the other side, leave room to fill in the date and time of your customer's next appointment. They will keep it in their wallet or planner and always have your information at their fingertips. You could also print a map of your location on the back or directions on how to reach your store or office.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that a little card can have a big impact on your marketing if you employ some creativity.

Do your business cards work as hard as you do to gain new contacts? If not, you need cards that will grab attention and spur curiousity.

Choose from thousands of free business card templates and have professional cards delivered to your doorstep in days.

©2004-2005 GreatFX Business Cards. All right reserved.

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Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:50:53 GMT GOP Officials Hope for Stability From McCain - New York Times Voice of America GOP Officials Hope for Stability From McCain New York Times - 1 hour ago By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ELISABETH BUMILLER Republican leaders across the country said Saturday that they were worried that Senator John McCain was heading for defeat unless he brought stability to his presidential candidacy and settled on a clear message ... Antiwar Protestor Disrupts McCain Iowa Rally Washington Post Obama needs 75 percent turnout in Philadelphia, says Rendell CNN Political Ticker The Weekly Standard - Summit Daily News - USA Today - WNCT all 1,087 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:23:47 GMT YouTube to play full TV episodes with ads - Afterdawn.com Vancouver Sun YouTube to play full TV episodes with ads Afterdawn.com - 2 hours ago Google has announced that it will begin offering full-length TV episodes through its YouTube platform beginning this week, thanks to a content deal with CBS. YouTube to Offer TV Shows With Ads Strewn Through New York Times YouTube beams up Star Trek for long-form video, prominent new ads CNET News Wall Street Journal - eFluxMedia - Silicon Alley Insider - Bizjournals.com all 109 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:13:12 GMT Got $700 Billion? Sweat the Details - New York Times Telegraph.co.uk Got $700 Billion? Sweat the Details New York Times - 3 hours ago The bailout plan gives Henry M. Paulson Jr., the Treasury secretary, three broad choices in buying assets. By ALAN S. BLINDER THE House of Representatives was against the bailout bill before it was for it. US firms up plan to buy into banks to stem crisis Reuters Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' Bloomberg Los Angeles Times - Washington Post - The Miami Herald - International Herald Tribune all 2,358 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:39:07 GMT World is united to tackle financial crisis, IMF says - MarketWatch BBC News World is united to tackle financial crisis, IMF says MarketWatch - 2 hours ago By Rex Nutting WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Financial policymakers from 180 nations around the world are united in their resolve to tackle the financial crisis, Youssef Boutros-Ghali, head of the International Monetary Fund's policy committee, ... G7 nations face going cap in hand to China guardian.co.uk Finance officials comments at IMF meetings Reuters AFP - BBC News - Bloomberg - New York Times all 579 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:23:46 GMT Nobel Peace Prize winner wants jobs for the young - International Herald Tribune Times Online Nobel Peace Prize winner wants jobs for the young International Herald Tribune - 10 hours ago AP HELSINKI, Finland: Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari said Saturday that finding jobs for more than 1 billion young people in the Middle East and Asia will be a major challenge to peacebuilding in the next decade. Video: Ex-Finland President Wins Nobel Peace Prize AssociatedPress Nobel Finn Wall Street Journal Voice of America - Times Online - Burlington Hawk Eye all 1,453 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:12:07 GMT Gay Marriage Is Ruled Legal in Connecticut - New York Times Boston Globe Gay Marriage Is Ruled Legal in Connecticut New York Times - 5 hours ago In Hartford, Crystal Pretzman of Willimantic, Conn., celebrated the State Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Video: Connecticut Court Allows Gay Marriage AssociatedPress Marriage ruling not the end of debate in Conn. The Associated Press Newsday - Washington Post - Reuters - NECN all 1,711 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:13:08 GMT US space tourist set for blast-off - Reuters Canada.com US space tourist set for blast-off Reuters - 40 minutes ago By Maria Golovnina BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - US video game magnate Richard Garriott will blast off into space aboard a Russian spaceship on Sunday watched by his father, a NASA astronaut who went into space at the height of the Cold War. US space tourist set for launch BBC News Russian space chief reassures US partners The Associated Press Times Online - USA Today - Spaceflight Now - RedOrbit all 287 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:10:50 GMT RSS feeds Increase Online Traffic

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