A great way to make your business stand out from the rest and create a lasting memory in the minds of your prospects is through business cards. However, most of the time, traditional cards are just not good enough. There is a need to come up with unique business cards that clients will keep holding on to for several months. You will need to think out of the box. For this reason, we have put together ten alternative ways to use cards and increase your chances of hearing back from your prospects and gain more business.
Appointment card
You have probably seen doctors, dentists, hairdressers, and even architects using their business cards as appointment reminders on several occasions. You can as well incorporate this idea into your business. Create an appointment card at the backside of your business card to remind clients and potential business partners about meetings and ensure they have all your contact information at the same time. Consider handing out the cards during sales or display them at other business premises to improve brand awareness.
Business Loyalty cards
Customers fancy the idea of loyalty cards. Business cards are the perfect size for customers to carry around, and they do not mind receiving a stamp or punch whenever they purchase something from your business. Customers will always strive to ensure their cards are repeatedly punched or stamped so they can ultimately receive a free product or service. Using your personal cards as loyalty cards is an excellent way of making sure that you get repeat customers and gain more business eventually.
Edible cards
Who does not love food? Making edible business cards is an instant way of creating a positive impression on your clients as well as potential business partners. You can get creative in various ways when it comes to edible cards. For example, you could get your business information printed out on a cookie, a chocolate bar, sweets, or even biscuits. However, one problem with edible cards is that once they are eaten, they are entirely gone. A great way to counteract this problem is to include labels and packaging onto which you can add your business contact information.
After enjoying the edible business card, they can always keep the packaging and contact you in the future for more business. Think of edible cards as appreciation gifts to your customers. It is also a great idea to attach the edible cards to your paper cards and hand them out during events or trade shows to boost your brand awareness and create more business.
Adding links to your business’ social media platforms
If you have recently launched a social media campaign, combining links to your social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and instagram at the back of your business card will undoubtedly work for you. Clients will start following you on social media platforms and even help to drive more visitors and increase your brand awareness and sales. Adding social media information on your business card also gives your customers and potential partners alternative means of contacting you. You could also come up with a custom hashtag to make it easier for them to share both images of your products and business.
Give away promotion and discount codes
Another brilliant idea to gain more business is to use the back of your cards for printing promotions and discounts that you have. You can give such cards to your customers every time they make a purchase. As customers continue to enjoy your products and services, they can always redeem discounts and coupons as an incentive for them to keep purchasing more.
Functional Business cards
You can design Functional cards that your potential clients and business partners can use in the future. Useful cards give your prospects a reason to remember your business and reach out to you. A great example is a bottle opener business card. You can use metal or even wood to make them. Your clients can then keep them in their wallets or handbags as a reminder of your products, services, and contact information.
Another great idea would be to create wooden coasters that are aesthetically appealing. Print all the information you need on the coaster to keep reminding customers of your business. When you are creating functional cards, always remember to come up with something that your business can solve. For instance, if you are a hairstylist, you could try making a comb business card as a clear depiction of what you do and shows your gratitude to your clients.
Referral cards
Referral cards are a great way to keep bringing in more clients to your business. Turning your business card into referral cards is a sure way of ensuring your connections keep getting deeper. Come up with fantastic designs and include all the relevant information on the business referral card. At the back of your cards, print out the incentives that your business has like discounts, prizes, or even thank you gifts for making purchases. Hand these referral cards to already existing clients so they can give them to their colleagues, friends, and family members. When a person makes their initial purchase, you can give them with a discount or a prize to encourage them to keep coming. You can as well give a discount or reward to the person who referred them.
USB business cards
When you go to events and trade shows, you need to make sure that you connect with as many prospects as possible. They need to go home with all your business information for them to contact you quickly. USB business cards pretty much look like conventional cards but come with inbuilt USB drives that prospects can use to store information. They can continue using these USBs when they go home. Always remember to give them a strong in-person pitch to provide them with a reason to check out more information on the USB card as they use them.
Toy cards
Using toys as business cards can appear as a bit too much but will surely go a long way in making you stand out. For instance, a Swedish photographer known as Jens Lennartsson developed his action figure to give away to his prospects rather than the traditional cards. This is quite an epic way to promote your business. He included information about his camera equipment, features, and even notes. However, if you are continually going for business events and trade shows, this may be a bit too costly for you. A cheaper alternative to this would be to get Lego figures and use them as unique business cards. Custom make the Lego character to include your business information. You could also create mini game cards with a fun video game such as Tetris to capture the attention of your customers. Always remember to keep the lego cards as well as mini-game ones in line with your brand.
Incorporate testimonials from other customers
Testimonials help to build your reputation among prospects, consequently helping you to gain more business. You can print a few testimonials from clients at the back of your business card. Alternatively, you may include a link you your website’s online testimonial page for prospects to read testimonials. It is also a good idea to provide a list of high profile clients on your portfolio that you have worked with previously to strengthen your credibility.