How to Make Your ULTIMATE Business Card

By Eric Quander
co-author of 10 Tips to Turning Your Business Card Into Real Money!

The words, "Do you have a card?" is music to a business person's ears. It means that you have done or said something to interest a potential prospect. The task then becomes to convert that interest into a sale of your business, product or service.

The time sent in crafting the ULTIMATE business card is well worth it. A business card is a business owner's best friend, a valuable and essential tool to attracting customers and increasing your bottom line. Unfortunately, too many people have bland, boring business cards that get lost among the sea of standard cards floating about. If you haven't put serious thought into your business card, you are missing out on its ability to be a steady lead generator and stream of revenue. Of course, it’s impossible to know this unless you actually have a card that’s really, really effective. This article will examine four aspects of the ULTIMATE business card:

1. Comparison to Competition
2. Standing Out
3. Creativity
4. Distribution

#1: How Does Your Card Compare to the Competition's?

Try to remember the last trade show, networking event, seminar, convention, social hour or association meeting you attended. Did people respond to your business card? Did they compliment its design, show it to someone else, or quickly shove it into their pocket?
Whatever the response, your card made some type of impression. But only the most creative, unique and memorable business cards make the ULTIMATE impression. Those types of cards get reactions like…

 “Can I have another one? A friend of mine will LOVE this!” exclaims your tablemate.
 “Oooh! I want one too!” begs the person in looking over your shoulder.
 “You know, I’ve never thrown your card away!” says one of your customers.

If you’ve ever heard a compliment along those lines, then you have a business card that's doing its job, attracting attention to your business. I've literally come across thousands of business cards, but have only retained a few. Those that find a permanent place in my file are colorful, informative and funny.

Is your business card that good? Keep that question in the back of your mind as you read on. Now,  why do certain cards stand out more than others?

# 2: Standing Out 


Try this experiment. Collect 30 business cards and spread them out on a table. Get a business associate or better yet, a complete stranger, and ask them to pick-up the card that stands out the most. Did they pick your card?

When I conduct this little experiment, I notice several things:

Color: Most people immediately choose the most colorful card. Red seems to be a particularly appealing color that compels people to pick it up.

 Image: Most people choose cards that have a striking visual image. Typically, those cards with a human face get chosen most. I think it helps the reciepient connect a face with the name of the cardholder or their company. It's also inteeresting to note that cards where an image took up at least one fourth of the total surface captures more attention.

 Vertical vs. Horizontal: Cards printed vertically stand out visually.

 Background: Standard cards typically have a white background. Cards with a black or blue backgrounds REALLY stand out.

This is a valuable experiment in understanding the ULTIMATE business card, and I recommend you try it. You’ll be amazed at what you see.


#3: Creativity

After the experiment, you should have some ideas on how to approach your card. This is the perfect time to brainstorm ways to enhance your card. Come up with as many ideas as possible. Let your creativity run wild! Here’s 6 ideas to make your ULTIMATE business card:

1. Size or Shape – Don't be afraid to break the mold. An ULTIMATE business card can be created in the shape of a square, circle, oval or triangle. Ideally, the shape should make a  connection to the brand, and stand out amidst the endless regression of the same old rectangle.

2. Cartoons – Get a custom cartoon commissioned for the back of your card. Very inexpensive, and royalty free, the cartoon shouls be unique to your business.

3. Coupon – Include a coupon, discount or special offer on the back of your card. This is an effective way of motivating any reciepient to take action and call to inquire about your business, product or service.

4. Material – Use various materials, fabrics and textures that will make your card stand out.

5. Motivation – This idea works especally well if you're a public/motivational speaker. Include a famous quotation, bible verse or movie line that connects to your brand. Its even more effective if you incorporate the quote into your introduction. Not only does it make you memorable, but with the right quote, you just might make someone's day.

6. Double Up – Make your card “double” as something other than a card. For example, when at the next trade show, if your card doube as a nametag, people will stick it on their shirts, providing you with free promotion.

#4: Distribution/Implementation 


Once you’ve come up with the layout for your ULTIMATE business card, there are only two things left to do: get 'em printed and hand ‘em out!

Choose a reputable business card company like theULTIMATEbusnesscardguru.com. Companies such as UBC work closely with you to create a customized design until you get the card that's perfect for you. If you do choose to go with an online company, be careful and avoid those companies that only offer a series of templates with no cusomization.

Your new cards have been delivered, now its time to pass them out.

Tell people you’ve got a new card. Even if they already have your old one, most will gladly acept it. Be sure to point out  your cards newest and most unique attributes. Also, if you printed on both sides of your new card, remember to either tell people about the back of your card; or hand them the card back side up, so they know there’s more to it.

Always keep business card etiquette in mind. Don’t just throw out thousands of your cards to anyone in sight.  Not only is this horrible networking, but also a waste of money. Remember, people throw away business cards from those  with who hey have failed to establish a rapport or make a connection.

After you’ve face lifted your business card from ordinary to ULTIMATE, I promise you will feel great. Your confidence will skyrocket, and most importantly, you will attract more customers and increase your bottom line. With the ULTIMATE business card when someone asks, “Do you have a card?” it will be like music to your ears.

P.S. Borrowed from Scott Ginsberg, author of The Power of Approachability, here's a positive affirmation to keep in mind when passing out your ULTIMATE business card:

“This is my business card. There are many others out there, but none of them are like mine – because there’s nobody else like me. My business card is not a formality. It’s not a piece of paper containing my name and contact information. And it’s not another annoying thing to keep in my pocket. My business card is the most important networking tool that I own. It’s a reflection of my personal brand and a bite-sized morsel of the mission of my business. I LOVE my business card. And I can’t wait until somebody asks me for one. Because when they do, I will find a way to give that person value.”

Call for entries now open!

Ryan Joe
Originally Posted on April 17, 2012


Direct Marketing News is accepting nominations for its first annual “40 under 40 Direct and Digital Marketers.” This feature will run in the August issue of Direct Marketing News.

The Direct Marketing News “40 under 40” feature honors the brightest and most ambitious talented professionals in the direct and digital marketing field. Nominated by their managers and peers and selected by our editors, these superstars are outstanding professionals who have achieved impressive milestones by their 40th birthdays. These talented people will be chosen from all direct and digital marketing disciplines, including social media, search and email to data analysis, CRM and e-commerce. They lead top accounts at major agencies, and spur the creation of new ideas and use of technology.

They have proven their ability to initiate growth for their companies through new products and services, their ability to obtain measurable results for clients and their knack for delivering fresh insight into the marketing challenges in the direct and digital marketing industry.

Entrants must be actively employed in the direct or digital marketing industry and be 40 years of age or younger as of August 1, 2011. View the entry form here.

The deadline is Monday, June 4.

4 Internet Marketing Strategies to Increase Sales

Looking for creative marketing strategies to grow your business? Need tactics that will increase lead flow and increase sales? If you want to use the internet as a source for generating leads, here are four great marketing strategies you can use to boost your sales NOW.

#1 A Superior Product (or Service)

A superior business, product or service is mightier than a superior marketing campaign. This principle has built more fortunes than any other marketing insight, which is why it's the #1 tip. A superior product (or service) gives the best results in marketing and selling because, if it is not in the product, it isn't going to be in the marketing. Your product must strive too be the best available in the market. If your product is not better than the competition's your marketing can't honestly communicate any unique or advantageous qualities to your market. The better your product, the more persuasive your ads can be, and the bigger your marketing success will be. You need a strategy; a unique and powerful message, to win.

One way to position your product as being better than the competition is to make it unique and fill the void that your market wants. This Unique Selling Proposition should motivate prospects to learn more about what you have too offer. Two key questions a business owner must consider are: What makes my product stand out from my competitors and how can I position my product to draw the attention I want?

#2 Words That SELL

The most successful direct marketers know the demographic they are after and how to sell to them. They understand who the customers are, which common needs and goals they possess and the psychology of why they buy. Direct Marketing consultants use this information to optimize their marketing and website to "speak" to their market's desires and give them what they want. This "Message to Market Match" philosophy ignites the marketing strategy and website desig, to generate more leads and sales.

You can use this strategy on your website with "Conversion Rate Optimization" (CRO). CRO is the process of making your website generate more results by being more persuasive, more trustworthy and easier to navigate for your visitors so more of them find what they're looking for and take action. CRO is the fastest and easiest strategy for increasing leads and sales generated from your website. Plus, it's the best way to significantly increase your leads and sales without having to spend a bunch of money on increasing your website traffic.

#3 Free Content, Resources and Tools

Providing free content, resources and interactive tools on your website to attract your target market is a great strategy for increasing your leads and sales. The more interactive your website, the more likely your visitors will experience satisfaction with it and use it as a resource. For example you want to offer a free industry related guide, or discount on a product or service you provide.

Consider adding content, a discussion forum, audio and video files, or even helpful web-based tools for your visitors. These tools can be used to motivate your website visitors to take actions that lead to more conversions. What resources or tools can you create to attract new visitors and to get your message across?

#4 Direct Marketing (DM) Consultant

Hiring a good Direct Marketing (DM) consultant, such as EQ Media Soultions can really boost your business' visibility and profitability. A Direct Marketing consultant's role is to get help create and execute marketing tools and messages that your target market reads. An effective direct marketing campaign will increase your visibility, credibility and sales.

For the best results with direct marketing, go where your market is. In other words, get your message in front of the eyes and into the hands of prospects. For example, the print aspect of your campaign will appear in the websites, online discussion forums, magazines, newspapers, radio and tv shows that your prospects use to get their news and information.

Hiring a direct marketing consultant who knows the right venues in your market is advantageous to you because they'll get your business, product or service noticed more often. Since most media outlets have websites, they'll publish information about your business, product or service online too! It's a good idea to hire a talented direct marketing consultant who knows the Internet and is skilled in getting articles, news and press releases published online. accurate placement of of your promotional copy will boost your visibility, website traffic and sales!

Conclusion:

If you need creative marketing strategies to generate leads and increase sales, use these 4 marketing strategies. Start today by selecting one or two of these strategies and using them to boost your sales now.

For a free consultation contact EQ Media Solutions at 888.239.0913 or by clicking here.

Women Click on More Facebook Ads - eMarketer

Women Click on More Facebook Ads - eMarketer

EQ Media Solutions: 3 Tips to Effective Marketing with Web and Print A...

EQ Media Solutions: 3 Tips to Effective Marketing with Web and Print A...: 3 Tips to Effective Marketing with Web and Print Advertising By Eric Quander We have seen a huge growth in online marketing, social ...

3 Tips to Effective Marketing with Web and Print Advertising

By Eric Quander

We have seen a huge growth in online marketing, social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, and mobile phone marketing), and the importance of effective website design; websites are doing more for us – even traditional printing service companies are using intelligent websites to deliver better products, faster and at much lower costs.

Websites that Work for You
A website should do a lot more than just show people your business. A tool with the ability to work for you 24/7, you should think about what you want your website to do for your business. Would you like to have the ability to process payments? Screen clients, or gather information on your potential customers? A good website does more than just market to potential business; it can be a conduit to stay connected to customers as well as help your bussiness run more systematically. When designing your website, think of it as an application or piece of software, that should be easy to navigate and use by anyone interested in doing business with you. Many companies have greatly reduced the amount spent on traditional marketing methods, and instead have shifted their focus to the cost effectiveness of developing a complete web presence.

Online Print Companies
There will always be a place for printing companies; however, the painful days of manually setting up your logo and brand image are long gone. As mentioned above, many print companies have a complete web presence, which means a huge reduction in service costs and an increase in the speed in which they can connect with clients like you. The best print company sites allow you to arrange all of your needs in one order. By simply logging-on, a customer has the ability to customize their design, choose the best tool that will motivate their demographic to take action (brochure, calendar, postcard, t-shirt), order and pay. Your details and your design are stored in the online application, so you don't have to re-type anything upon any return visit. If you can use a simple word processing application, you can arrange all your printing needs in a matter of minutes with these systemised and easy-to-use websites.

Content Production
Creating written copy, photographs and videos that highlight your business, product or service is one of the best ways to get free advertising online. You can post material on your social media networks and submit to popular sites that appeal to your trageted demographic. You may even try developing an interesting blog or newsletter of your own. The materials you create can be used in other media, such as local news stations, newspapers and magazines, which are always looking for good content. If you know your area, and you know what your market needs to know, share you knowledge and share your authority in your field with good content.

There is a lot that Internet-based communications has done to enhance traditional marketing tools. The internet provides any business owner with the opportunity to attract prospects with the content you can provide. Create content that best represents your business, product or service, and let the web do more work for you.

If you would like to use the internet to attract more prospects and increase your bottom line, but are not quite sure how to start, call EQ Media Solutions at 1-888-239-0913 for a FREE CONSULTATION.