Out of all of the tools that you can use in the physical world to market your business, your business card is by far the least expensive and most powerful one that you should be investing in.  For just pennies each, you can have a marketing piece readily available to give to anyone you might meet.  They’re small, they’re important, and they can be powerful, if you use them correctly!

Business cards are a small space, so you have to carefully balance information without being overwhelming.  Necessary items on every business card include: 

• Name
• Title
• Business Name
• Logo
• Contact information (email, address, phone, website)

Additional information that can be included, if space allows include:

• Motto or tagline for your business
• Description of your business
• Unique Selling Points
• Mission Statement
• Offer or coupon
• Benefits of your company

Let’s examine the pieces, using my business card as an example.

As you can see, you can neatly fit the necessary information and some of the additional information on one side of your card.  In my case,  I was able to combine my logo and business name, as they are one in the same.  I used a different font for my name and tagline to draw attention to those areas, while using a plain, easy-to-read font for the contact information.  It is important to allow for some “white space” so the reader isn’t visually overwhelmed.  This is one of those “less-is-more” cases.

As you will see, I utilize the back of my card, also.  There is a debate to be made for/against this practice.  Some people feel that you should leave the back blank to write a note; however, in this case, I chose to put the back of my card to work for me.  I chose a contrasting color, so it will catch the eye, should someone see the back first.  The light blue lettering isn’t as harsh on the eyes as a white was, but contrasting enough to be easy to read.  By choosing a yellow for the offer, people will immediately be drawn to read my offer.

It’s important to have your cards printed by a quality printer.  I started out printing my own, but soon realized that the cost of looking less than professional was too high.  Cards that you print yourself generally look like you’re cutting corners, which is an image you don’t want to portray to your potential clients.  For this card, I chose a glossy front, which I’ve been really pleased with.  The print really jumps off the page.

Using a local printer is always an option, but they are considerably more expensive than the mail order services.  I have been very happy with VistaPrint.com and continue to use their services on a regular basis.  They are generally running some sort of special, like $3.99 for 250 premium business cards.  The current special is even better!

You will pay extra for color on the back or to upload your logo–or your whole design, which is what I did for the front, but the cost is still very, very inexpensive.  Here’s a tip– after you place the order and pay, the system will give you an option to order additional copies at a reduced price.  For example, if you want to get the 250 cards for $3.99 and you’re thinking about ordering another 250 at the regular price, wait until after the order is placed and they will offer them to you at a significantly reduced price!

Next week, we’ll discuss how to utilize your business cards and put them to work for you!

Until then, I would love to see your business cards and hear about how you use them!  Please leave a comment with a link to your card or write a post and link to it for the Monday Marketing meme!  It’s all about tips and inspiration…join in the fun, won’t you?

So you’ve got a great product, but you’re not getting the traffic that you’d like.  What can you do about that?  It’s a huge dilemma, for sure.

One of the best ideas around is to give something away for free–seriously!  News of something F-R-E-E spreads like wildfire online!  Social networking has made that more prevalent today than ever before.  Let’s think about it…

• In the early days of the Internet…and even up until about 5-6 years ago, you could email news to your friends (those who had email, of course!).
• Then, individuals started having personal websites, but that was really one-way communication…
• Until blogging (can you hear the harps?).  Blogging has helped us to communicate in a way we couldn’t imagine.  It was interactive–and fun to leave comments and communicate with people around the world!  It was a way to express what was inside of you and get feedback from people who you may not even know!  (Not to mention cathartic!)  It was totally addicting, but the idea of blogging for business didn’t really catch on for several years.
• Now, we have Social Media–networking on steroids!  For me, Facebook was the first.  One friend was on Facebook and she convinced me to join.  She was my only friend for quite a while, but eventually, I found old friends, classmates, and distant family to connect with.  I didn’t really “get” Twitter for a long time, but when that lightbulb went on, I was totally hooked!  I could go on and on about social networks, but you get the idea.

So, here’s the plan.  Use all of the above to your advantage! I’m not talking about in a spammy way,  just,  in a networking, get-the-word-out way.

1. Plan on doing a contest or giveaway on your website.  If you’re trying to grow your email list, make signing up a requirement to enter.  You can run the contest however you want–it’s YOUR contest!  You can even team-up with another person (the formal term is “Joint Venture”) and both of you can receive some benefit from the contest/giveaway.  Make sure you’re item is really good and has value–you want people to come back again!
2. Tell your friends on your blog, in email, and on whatever social networking sites you frequent.  People L-O-V-E to tell others about the potential to win something or get something for free!  Many times, your friends will “retweet” or “share” your news with their network of people and your news can grow exponentially!  If you have a few close/influential friends who you feel comfortable asking for retweets, etc. in a personal email, that’s okay, too.
3. Run a good contest.  Send out reminders several times, as deadlines approach for the contest, etc. (example: “Only 2 days left to enter for your chance to win.”)
4. Keep up the momentum.  Offer a discount or consolation prize to those who don’t win the contest/giveaway.  The goodwill of this will leave everyone with a feeling of goodwill toward you and may even bring in future business.

I’m actually at the tail-end of a Joint Venture with Erin from The Mom Buzz for my first contest/giveaway.  I am giving away a completely customized, 1-3 column, widget-ready WordPress theme to one lucky winner!  You can read all the details in my original blog post or on The Mom Buzz.  The great news is, if you are reading this on Monday, August 31, you still have until midnight to enter, as Erin will be drawing the winner on September 1!  Don’t forget to get your special bonus while you’re reading the details!  Just for signing up for my email newsletter list with the special link, you’ll receive a free copy of the e-book, “Let’s Talk Social Media For Small Business” by John Jantsch from Duct Tape Marketing!  How cool is that?  Erin wrote an awesome review of Dramatic Design–be sure to check it out!

I am very excited about this contest and can’t wait to see who will win!  I’ll write another post later, revealing the winner, along with the design that we come up with!

Have you gotten some ideas about a contest that you could run for your business?  I would love to hear about them in the comments!  If you’re playing along with the Monday Marketing meme, be sure to sign up below with your blog post, so we can all get some inspiration from your ideas and give you some encouragement as you market your business purposefully this week!