| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Never Be Caught Cardless Again: Five Tips to Help You Remember Business Cards
Sorry, I Don't Seem to Have a Business Card With Me... Those could be the "famous last words" of the forgetful entrepreneur. If you habitually find yourself without a business card, you're habitually losing money; or at least the chance of making money. Your business card, more than any other marketing weapon in your arsenal, is what prospects and colleagues rely upon to remind them why they should do business with you. Forgetting a business card is a marketing mistake of significant proportions. We're so inundated with advertising messages that most of us learn to tune them out. Yet every time you're asked for a business card, and sheepishly reply that you don't have one with you, you're missing an honest-to-goodness invitation to market to someone. Worse, leaving your business card behind when you may need it is a social faux pas as well. Being asked for a business card is a compliment. Not having one with you at that critical moment is subtly offensive. It puts both you and the person requesting the card in an embarrassing situation. And it nonverbally tells your prospect that you're not quite the business person they thought. You're not really serious about your business, or too careless and forgetful to be entrusted with theirs. If you're determined not to be caught "cardless" at a critical meeting again, here are some tips to help you remember: Develop a strategy for using business cards to actively promote your business It may be as simple as deciding to give 5 or 10 cards away every day. It may mean printing labels describing your current promotion, sticking them to the back of your cards, and pinning them to bulletin boards. Whatever! The point is that if you consciously figure out a way to use your business cards to bring in business, you're much less likely to forget them. Invest in new cards If you haven't ordered business cards within the past two years, there's a good chance that the information or photo is out of date by now. And if your last order was for 1000 cards and there are still 990 cards left, ask yourself why you haven't been passing them out. If it's because you dislike the cards, pitch them and get business cards you're proud of! Draft and practice a business card presentation Unless you're comfortable and confident when handing out your card, you won't do it. Besides, the words and actions that accompany your business card when you give it to someone can really cement a positive first impression. Invest in a quality business card case, one that you're proud to show off and to use Business card cases can be conversation starters in and of themselves, since there are so many unusual, classic and artistic choices available. I suggest investing in a few cases; a more professional, elegant case for formal business occasions and a flashy or fun holder for social situations. Tuck a few business cards everywhere Your car's glove compartment. Your briefcase. Your gym bag. Your wife's purse. Next to the front door on the table where you keep your keys. Your desk drawer. Your secretary's desk. The pocket of your coat. Your suitcase. Never leave home without them! About The Author Recent advances in online technology allow you design business cards online in your web browser. No special downloads, no hidden costs, easy WYSIWYG design. Choose from thousands of photographic quality backgrounds. Browse one of the web's largest collection of business card networking articles and learn how to make your cards a powerful marketing weapon.
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
What the Newspaper Ad Person Won't Tell You Newspapers are considered the PRIMARY advertising medium by 99.4% of all retailers. Your Eye Catching Publicity Flyer Your website is done, your business cards have been delivered, and your brochure has received accolades. In the promoting department you have everything you need, right? Well, there is one item you lack and by having this item in your arsenal it can be a dealmaker for you. Juice - Scam of the Decade or Opportunity of the Century If you are an ardent web surfer and MLMer like I am, then I am sure you would have seen the sales pitch "Give away free broadband and earn £27 GBP each time". Depending on which side of the fence you are, this product is either God's gift to freebies enthusiasts, MLMers and all paying ISP subscribers or it is the biggest scam yet, bar none. Using Ad Agencies and Designers Advertising and promoting your business is expensive, so it's important to get the most from your advertising budget. That means understanding how to get the most from your ad agency or graphic designer. Yellow Page Advertisers: Your Calls are Going to Decrease - Heres the Remedy Response rates to Yellow Page advertising are decliningThere's no getting around it, traditional Yellow Pages are in trouble. Fewer people use them every year. Double Your Sales Potential With Double-sided Business Cards Swapping business cards is one of the most basic and common forms of networking in the business world. With something that is so common practice, people often hand out cards blindly while not really thinking about what the card does AFTER you hand it out. Online Classifieds Choosing a Classified Website and creating your advertisements.The internet has opened a vast number of doors for people to market their products and services. Avoid Being Vague We are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily?on television and the radio, on the internet, in magazines and newspapers, on billboards and other signs, and even at the bottoms and on the backs of receipts. The world is, indeed, a very noisy place. Persistant Advertising Will Do No Harm! From my experience, I've been on many discussion groups and have spoken to many other like minded people. The one topic that always seems to arise is how to get massive sales right away. Placemat Ad Advertising Starting a placemat ad business can create more business for you; free advertising and income all while helping other local small businesses advertise their business all at a reasonable price.This is an idea not new by any means, but it can prove to be very profitable to you if done right. Electronic Reader Board Electronic reader boards are the most efficient way to convey the information. Therefore these nowadays are widely accepted all over the world. 10 Ways To Improve Your Print Ads 1) Include a coupon in your large ads. This can increase response from 25 to 100 percent. The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU a Underemployed, Unemployed, or Industrial Age IndividualAllow me to educate you on the issue of job security and paint you a picture of what the aftermath can be if you remain comfortable at your regular job. Job security is an old-fashioned term that claims the longer an employee worked for a particular company, the more precious that person became. Driving Customers to You - Your Car as a Marketing Vehicle You can turn your vehicle into a rolling advertisement. Costs start at just a few dollars, and you can put your business name, slogan, phone number and web site URL in front of thousands of potential customers while you are driving along the freeway, stuck in traffic or even while you are parked. Prove It! - Give Your Marketing and Advertising More Credibility Your marketing and advertising won't be effective if your potential customers don't believe the claims you make. So how can you prove your that you can do what you say you can?Tone it down. 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. Cable Ads 5 Bucks! Cable has grown from 13 houses connected together in 1948 to coverage of nearly 70% of all households in the U.S. Secrets And Top-Tips Of Mail Order Advertising Good Advertising creates more production, thus greater consumption, faster turnover and lower sales price per unit. To a great extent it determines the success or failure of the mail order operator! When working up an advertising program remember that what is genuinely desirable to you may or may not appeal to the majority of your prospects! Different types of merchandise or services demand completely different advertising media. Information To Include On Your Business Card The logo and graphic elements that you include on your business card are quite important, but having the right text and contact information on the card is equally important. Here are our tips about the elements to include:Your name - Consider whether you want to include your middle name or initial, degrees or professional credentials that are unique to your field. Top Design and Marketing Tips from a Branding Expert This month, we wanted to share some general tips relating to your graphic design that we've come up with over the past year:Always include an address on your business card, even if you are operating a small business out of your home - it greatly increases your credibility and makes you look much more established! If you're concerned about privacy, a Post Office box is a great way to go. When signing up for a Post Office box, consider using a "Mailboxes" store instead of the Post Office - you'll get a street address instead of the typical "P.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
