Business cards are a powerful, inexpensive marketing tool, but you’re probably not using them to their potential.
If your business cards are in a box on your shelf–WRONG ANSWER!
Of course, you should give your cards out when you meet with a client or prospective client. Give them to people you meet at networking events, in line at the post office, or just about anywhere you can strike up a conversation with someone. Those are the obvious times to present your card.
Here are a few ways to use business cards which you may not have considered.
Look for displays of business cards at local merchants, your printer, private mail services, etc. Ask about adding your card. It may be a free service for their customers, and expose your business to other customers.
Put your cards on bulletin boards at the grocery store and other locations frequented by your potential customers.
Give a supply of cards to people who can make referrals to you. Make it easy for them and they will send customers your way.
Drop a card into every piece of outgoing mail. You never know when the envelope will be opened by someone looking for what you offer.
If you think the cards you are using are too expensive to spread around, you’ve got the wrong idea of what business cards are for. But you could get a less expensive card printed just for mass distribution.
Consider having cards printed up for special purposes. For example, I had a box of cards printed for one of my books. The focus is on the book, not on me. I put the cards out lots of places, and got calls and sales as a result. It sounds silly, but the first sale from doing so more than paid for the whole box of cards!
Don’t be afraid to spread your cards around. Remember that each exposure to you, your name, your business, your products, etc. brings you closer to a sale. Use business cards to reach a wider audience.
