You just bought a box of 10,000 business cards (because that’s what all business owners do, right?), but now what are you supposed to do with them? Some entrepreneurs feel awkward handing out their business card at networking events, while others are naturals at it. Are you supposed to give your business card out to everyone you meet, or should you target certain audiences? If you aren’t sure how business cards can be implemented into your marketing strategy, take a look at four unique ideas below to help you get started.
Partner with Related Services
The easiest marketing is when someone else does it for you, right? If you have worked with partner companies in the past, and they aren’t direct competition, it may be worth contacting them about displaying your cards for customers in need. For instance, a web design company can display cards for an online marketing company, and vice versa. If you’ve already built a trusted relationship with the company, they will naturally promote your business anyway. Give them a stack of cards to make it easier!
Include Special Offers or Discounts
When designing your business cards, think about who you will primarily be handing them to. Will they be new prospects, repeat customers, potential network partners, or perhaps all three? You may consider including a promotion or special discount on a percentage of the cards for potential customers so they are more likely to keep your card for future reference. People love saving money and finding a deal. Give them a reason to hang on to your card rather than toss it in the trash.
If you want your discount to be flexible based on seasons or holidays, you can include a basic discount code (such as the name of your business) that customers can enter and you can change depending on what you want the discount to reflect. If the discount always stays the same, such as 10% off for every new customer, then the clarity can help customers remember exactly what they are keeping the card for. Punch cards or referral discounts can also be applied to the back of a business card, and be all the more reason for a customer to hang on to the card.
Include Landing Page Link
As part of your marketing strategy, you may have already created a landing page that is designed specifically to draw new customers into your brand and lead them to conversion pages. Instead of listing the basic home page of your website on your business cards, why not perform double-duty and list the landing page instead? As long as the landing page has a readable URL and easy for customers to type in (especially think about mobile users!), then this can be a great way to integrate in-person and online marketing strategies.
Get Creative with Placements
Not every business owner has time to attend a dozen networking events, conferences, or trade shows every year. Instead, they may have to find other creative ways to get their business cards in the hands of target prospects. Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities in every day life to strategically place a business card.
Community boards at coffee shops and grocery stores are easy and free ways to market a business. You can also head to a local bookstore or library and stick your business card in a few industry-related books (as long as the people in charge are cool with it). Or, you can hide a few of your business cards around town and make a scavenger-hunt type game out of it where the customer gets a discount if they find all of them.
There are tons of creative ways to get your business card out there rather than spending hours talking to strangers at an event. The four ideas listed above are a few of the more unique ones to get the creative juices flowing. Business owners can also utilize friends and family, friends, neighbors, past clients, and co-workers to pass out cards, or include their cards in a mail marketing campaign. While in-person connections are always the most effective when it comes to a business card exchange strategy, it doesn’t mean you can’t get your information out there even when you can’t be physically present!