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VIP Marketing Vehicle: Business Cards

Guest post by: Mark Mathis

Article Overview: The most used marketing vehicle is the most taken for granted. It's more than a business card. It maybe your only marketing touch with potential customers.

VIP Marketing Vehicle: Business Cards

A Korean businessman stayed with our family a number of years ago. After he settled in his room, he asked if we would join him in the living room to "present" business cards. He reverently, and with two hands, presented his card to me. I was struck by the respect and honor he showed my card. I learned that the card is a representation of the owner, so you don't smash the card in your pocket or throw it aside. The way you treat the card is a glimpse into how you truly feel about the person - and I think that is true even in this country.

I will never forget that card exchange. It was memorable. It was a marketing moment. Your business cards are the one chance to make a great impression. And, usually a first impression.

The most-used - and most taken for granted - marketing vehicle we have is our business card. It has a lot of potential to improve. Especially in this high-tech digital age. Why do we put so little thought into the one piece of sales material that is personally distributed one-on-one with a prospective client or customer?

After you meet someone, will they remember you? Is your card memorable? Will it speak for you after you are gone? At ME&V we go to great lengths to make our business card moment memorable: We put active, sometimes humorous photos on our cards so a bit of the individual's personality comes through. We use a heavier-than-normal card stock to show we are a stable, high-quality organization. And we print on both sides, so it sells even if it is placed upside down. Your card can help you stand up and stand out from all others. Or you can blend in the stack.

Selling moments with business cards:

• When you receive a card, comment on the logo, the typeface, the person's title. You can learn a lot about a company and the person just from the card. Treat the card with respect. It is part of the person.
• Include sales promotions on your card. Or, include what you do. That is perfect for the back side. Have you ever had someone say, "I didn't know you did that?" They didn't know because your card does not list your services.
• Include your mission statement on the back of your card. If you really live it, of course.
• Give the card a tactile quality - something the person can feel and remember about touching you. You can print on wood, metal, cloth and an unending variety of paper stocks; all of which are different than ‘cheap card stock.'
• Tell a story with your card. Make the card valuable to the person who receives it.

When you think of the business card as a selling moment, you will treat it with more respect. Because it's a 2-inch by 3 1/2-inch window into how you view your business.

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Article Tags: business cards, firstimpressions, marketing



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