Business cards are not meant to merely convey the information printed on the cards but they should also reflect one’s personality and status. A badly designed business card printed on poor quality board is bound to create a bad impression in the minds of the customers.
A business card is a portable business tool and its purpose is also to help sell the company’s products and services. The longer the prospective customers retain the card, the greater the chances of their establishing contact. The one assured way to make the intending buyers to hold onto one’s business card is by adding value.
Experts opine that the reverse side of the business card is the right place for value addition. If there is plenty of information then one can possibly double the height of the card or fold it over to create more space. But the important thing to bear in mind is that the information printed must be relevant and useful to the customers. A business card with too much irrelevant information and congested printing will appear uncouth and may even be resented by the clients.
Successful marketing professionals uniformly suggest that adding sales-oriented text to a business card, apart from contact information, truly pays off. A few of the probable add-on business text may be:
- We Value Customers
- In this business for more than ten years
- Need a Price Discount – Bring this Card
- Centrally located next to New Globe Cinema
- Open round the clock
- All credit cards accepted
The key here is to provide the prospective customers with exactly the type of information they most likely need. It will be a good idea to make a list of the company’s products/services and the benefits that come with it. Another sure way to add value to one’s card is to offer it to customers placed inside an aesthetically designed business card holder. This will admittedly be a costly add-on but will positively fetch the expected results.
There is the proven marketing strategy to offer free services, attractive gifts, or special discounts to existing customers who refer new customers. The reverse side of the card can be used to print detail about the scheme.
It is said that anything one does to personalize the card adds to its value. For instance, the business cards can bear one’s signature, personal phone number, and even their residential address. Some even go to the extent of stating ‘bring this card along for a discount.’ Some add a unique streak of color or print an amusing icon on the card and this technique invariably makes the customer enter into a dialogue and that will provide an outstanding opportunity to further explain about the company’s products and services.
Finally, adding value to business cards does not merely constitute in printing the right marketing information but also in the manner it is physically presented to the customer. It is suggested that one should use both hands and politely hand over the business card face up to the customer. This will go a long way in showing the customer that your business card is something valuable and to be treated with care.