While there was a time when it seemed like every person couldn’t hand out their business cards fast enough and everyone had a collection of various cards gathering dust in their wallets, it seems that the popularity of business cards is finally starting to wane. While the explosion of business cards a decade ago was at times overwhelming and oversaturated, by no means are business cards dead today. In fact, there are many situations, settings, and cultures where business cards are still relevant. The way society uses business cards now, however, has slightly evolved in the past ten years.
Businesses are choosing quality over quantity of transactions.
A decade ago, entrepreneurs may have handed out their business cards to every person they met in hopes that a few of them would convert. After years of trying this method, it’s apparent that a one-dimensional card isn’t the only factor that potential clients or network partners use to determine whether or not they will work with you. Today, a personal connection is often made before a business card is ever passed off. People who have experienced a positive interaction with someone are more likely to keep the card than those who haven’t.
Creative designs are helping businesses stand out.
Business cards used to be quite basic. After collecting a myriad of similar looking white cards, they all start to blend together to a potential client. To stand out, businesses are now getting creative with the design and look of their business cards. Not only is color a big deal now, but different shapes, interactive cards, and even see-through cards are more popular now than ever before. Unexpected and creative touches to a business card help clients remember the giver and can help promote a brand even further. Especially unique cards may even get shared dozens of times on social media, furthering brand promotion.
Information shared is evolving.
Most business cards contain basic contact information such as phone number and email, along with the name of the person, the name of the business, and the website. However, with the rise of social networking, professional social media accounts are a must-list for modern business cards. People are more likely to find a company on a social media channel than keep a business card anyway, so many businesses are using their cards to bridge this gap instead. Professional headshots and calls to action are also commonly included on business cards today, as they are still widely used in a business’ marketing plan.
Touched on above, handing out business cards to everyone and anyone is no longer considered an effective strategy. Businesses are now focusing on creating personal connections before passing off their contact information to a potential client or network partner. Instead of having a business card be the beginning, middle, and end of an interaction with someone, they are saved for the good-byes after a conversation has been had if the person wants to keep in touch. A decade ago, business cards held little value because everyone got one. Now, business cards are mainly given to people most likely to keep them and use them.
Business cards are still viewed as the most professional hand-off of contact information, and it can be embarrassing to a business owner when they are caught without one when asked. Even with digital sharing of information, business cards are still the quickest and easiest way to exchange information, especially with certain audiences and in certain settings.
Business cards are used within rather than outside of a company.
In large companies, employees are often given their own set of business cards. This can be helpful for promoting the business when they are off the clock. However, they are also helpful for a quick exchange of information with co-workers in other departments. Increasingly, it is becoming common for employees to utilize their business cards this way, especially if they are somewhere away from their computer or phone.
The way business cards were used in the past is certainly dead, and we are probably better off because of it. However, today’s adaptive business cards are still very much useful, especially when a unique element is incorporated into the design or they are given to the right people. If business cards aren’t working for a business, it may be time to update them!
You just bought a box of 10,000 business cards (because that’s what all business owners do, right?), but now what are you supposed to do with them? Some entrepreneurs feel awkward handing out their business card at networking events, while others are naturals at it. Are you supposed to give your business card out to everyone you meet, or should you target certain audiences? If you aren’t sure how business cards can be implemented into your marketing strategy, take a look at four unique ideas below to help you get started.
Partner with Related Services
The easiest marketing is when someone else does it for you, right? If you have worked with partner companies in the past, and they aren’t direct competition, it may be worth contacting them about displaying your cards for customers in need. For instance, a web design company can display cards for an online marketing company, and vice versa. If you’ve already built a trusted relationship with the company, they will naturally promote your business anyway. Give them a stack of cards to make it easier!
Include Special Offers or Discounts
When designing your business cards, think about who you will primarily be handing them to. Will they be new prospects, repeat customers, potential network partners, or perhaps all three? You may consider including a promotion or special discount on a percentage of the cards for potential customers so they are more likely to keep your card for future reference. People love saving money and finding a deal. Give them a reason to hang on to your card rather than toss it in the trash.
If you want your discount to be flexible based on seasons or holidays, you can include a basic discount code (such as the name of your business) that customers can enter and you can change depending on what you want the discount to reflect. If the discount always stays the same, such as 10% off for every new customer, then the clarity can help customers remember exactly what they are keeping the card for. Punch cards or referral discounts can also be applied to the back of a business card, and be all the more reason for a customer to hang on to the card.
Include Landing Page Link
As part of your marketing strategy, you may have already created a landing page that is designed specifically to draw new customers into your brand and lead them to conversion pages. Instead of listing the basic home page of your website on your business cards, why not perform double-duty and list the landing page instead? As long as the landing page has a readable URL and easy for customers to type in (especially think about mobile users!), then this can be a great way to integrate in-person and online marketing strategies.
Get Creative with Placements
Not every business owner has time to attend a dozen networking events, conferences, or trade shows every year. Instead, they may have to find other creative ways to get their business cards in the hands of target prospects. Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities in every day life to strategically place a business card.
Community boards at coffee shops and grocery stores are easy and free ways to market a business. You can also head to a local bookstore or library and stick your business card in a few industry-related books (as long as the people in charge are cool with it). Or, you can hide a few of your business cards around town and make a scavenger-hunt type game out of it where the customer gets a discount if they find all of them.
There are tons of creative ways to get your business card out there rather than spending hours talking to strangers at an event. The four ideas listed above are a few of the more unique ones to get the creative juices flowing. Business owners can also utilize friends and family, friends, neighbors, past clients, and co-workers to pass out cards, or include their cards in a mail marketing campaign. While in-person connections are always the most effective when it comes to a business card exchange strategy, it doesn’t mean you can’t get your information out there even when you can’t be physically present!
Nearly every modern business utilizes business cards to promote themselves, yet they are often tossed in the trash by their recipients by the end of the week. While business cards continue as a staple in the business world (and it’s nice to have one available when a client asks), businesses need to adapt their cards to fit ever-shifting trends and stand out amongst the competition. Otherwise, the expense and hassle of creating a business card is a total waste.
What inspires a client to keep your card in their wallet rather than toss it when they get home? For one, your business card must be eye-catching. You can achieve this through fonts, brand-colors, phrases, imagery, or even the shape of the card itself. Of course, the most important goal of a business card is to convey useful information to the client, such as name, email, website, and professional social media pages. If you aren’t sure where to begin in your business card design brainstorming session, take a look at the top seven on-trend business card designs of the future below to spark an idea or two.
Minimalistic
A business should convey some information on their business card, but overstuffing and overwhelming a card can be overkill. A customer doesn’t need to know details about specific products or services on a business card. They do need to know your website to find that information, however. Keep it short, sweet, and simple when it comes to how many lines of text you decide to include on your cards.
Along with the amount of words on the card, minimalistic amounts of color, fonts, and images are also on-trend right now. A single-color background with just the business name or logo on the front can help a card look clean, fresh, and professional. You can play around with foiled lettering or different textures to make it unique and un-boring. The important business information can be listed on the back without cluttering up the simple and bold advertisement on the front.
Transparent
Another interesting design idea that has been recently floating around is that of transparent business cards. A specific brand color or pattern can be applied to the transparent paper, but the uniqueness of the see-through design can help it stand out amongst competitors. Of course, transparent cards don’t work with every type of business, especially since transparency conveys a certain message. For instance, a data privacy company may not want see-through associated with its name. However, it may fit the theme of a window company. The takeaway is that businesses are no longer limited to traditional cardstock for business card backgrounds, and they can experiment with different types of material.
Out-of-the-Rectangle
Businesses are no longer limited to the traditional rectangle shape for business cards either. To stand out, some businesses are experimenting with different shapes and sizes for their business cards. Of course, business cards should still serve the practical purpose of storing until future need and easily fit inside a wallet or card carrier.
Interactive
Depending on the type of business, interactive cards can be a fun way to hold the attention of a client or future client. Cards that fold into different objects or have hidden pull-and-slide messages are unique and fun for clients to fidget with when they are familiarizing themselves with your contact information. If anything, these types of cards will definitely be remembered for their distinctive designs.
Social
Just like other types of marketing, business cards should display professional social media accounts as a way for customers to connect with a business. Even if they don’t use the services or products right away, they may want to connect digitally before tossing a card. If a business spends a lot of time marketing and/or selling on social media, this is essential information to include.
Humorous
Humor is a universal language, and it can stand out and intrigue just as much as a color scheme, font, or design. Humor, puns, and sarcasm especially resonate with younger target audiences. Whether it’s through clever imagery or a play on words, many businesses are now incorporating humor into their business card designs to help make a lasting impression with their clients.
Multi-Purpose
A business card can serve two or more functions if you get creative. Instead of handing out multiple cards for different purposes to potential clients, why not just hand them one? If you offer 10% off to new clients, you can include this deal on the card. Or, if there’s a page on your website specifically created for potential clients, you can put this URL on the card in place of the standard homepage. You can even turn a business card into a “frequent customer” card and offer a free product or service for every 10 punches on the back. Businesses are consolidating some of this information onto one card that increases the chances that a customer will keep it longer than a day or a week.
When it comes to reaching an audience, posters are one of the most fruitful and surefire means of capturing someone’s attention. All you need to make a powerful visual impression is a tactful design and clean layout that is memorable but does not cost a fortune. No matter what your business objectives, custom posters are an effective means of promoting your cause while simultaneously imparting a little aesthetic flair. If that idea sounds enticing, here are some more reasons why economically priced custom posters are a must.
Posters Are Cost Effective
Whether your goal is to market a business or decorate your home, posters are extremely cost-effective. Compared to print ads, posters will save you a lot of money and, in the case of marketing your business, could potentially result in more exposure.
Compared to print ads, posters are a decidedly more economic solution. Typical print ads can range anywhere from $500 to over $15,000, which is much more expensive than an ostentatiously large poster with high-quality graphics. On top of that, keep in mind that a print ad will restrict your audience to those who read or subscribe to those particular publications. On the other hand, a cleverly placed poster will incur no such restrictions.
First Impressions Are Everything
While posters are certainly convenient for your budget, they are also an excellent means of generating positive first impressions from prospective customers. This is why high-quality materials and extensive color options are so important. Fortunately, quality is easy to find at Super Cheap Signs. In addition to providing photo-quality, large format printing, they offer the option to customize your entire poster. You can even upload custom designs for inclusion wherever you see fit. Whether you want to create something completely new or riff on an old idea, their team of experts is ready to help you every step of the way.
Posters Are Flexible
One of the most convenient aspects of posters is their seemingly endless range of possible shapes and sizes. So whether your goal is to create hundreds of smaller promotional posters for a particular ad campaign, or several larger posters for branding purposes, the inherently flexible capabilities therein should give you peace of mind in knowing that your options are wide open. Additionally, posters are convenient because they can be customized to suit your audience’s desires and expectations. For example, you can incorporate a QR or coupon codes to engage tech-savvy consumers. Beyond that, posters give you plenty of room to play around with customized sizes.
Posters Promote Visibility
Posters are a marketing savant’s dream because they can be hung just about anywhere. From coffee shops to bookstores to banks, posters can add some needed depth to just about any setting. When hanging your posters, try to think as strategically as possible. You will want to ensure they are spread out in locations where people’s eyes frequent, as opposed to cluttered together in a corner somewhere. However, be sure to check with your local laws and regulations prior to hanging anything, as there may be some rule particular to your location that escapes the scope of this article.
Posters Are a Great Way to Gain Exposure
This may seem obvious, but the mere act of hanging a poster in a walkway or public location means that someone is bound to see it. As mentioned, this directly contrasts with print ads, which are only available to a specific subsection of the population. Additionally, placing a poster in a high traffic area is a great way to capture engagement and attract prospective customers. If you are planning to use your posters for a prolonged period of time, you could even opt to frame or laminate them to ensure their longevity.
Posters and Marketing
Even in today’s increasingly digital world, posters still remain one of the most intuitive ways to market a business. Expounding on the reasons listed above, posters are:
Affordable
Versatile
Portable
Flexible
Engaging
Using posters for marketing purposes is an economical way to amplify your brand’s visibility and gives you a strategic leg up on the competition, especially if they are ignoring posters in favor of social media advertising (though this is still important in its own way). In terms of affordability, posters are economic enough to suit just about any budget. Even if you just need to test some ideas, purchasing some custom posters in bulk and running an A/B test for font colors, sizes, designs, and image content is a cost-effective solution.
As far as portability is concerned, posters are very easy to install and transfer from location to location. Even better, some posters can be used repeatedly no matter the timeframe. This also speaks to their versatility, which makes it easy to reconfigure in accordance with the needs of your target audience.
When it comes to capturing engagement, a seasoned marketer could have a field day with just about any poster format. Combining psychological techniques, branding techniques, color theory, and tactful language is a surefire way to engage your target audience and drive engagement. To this extent, posters are available in an astonishing range of sizes, all of which can be customized to fit your aesthetic inclinations.
Finally, posters can be strategically placed just about anywhere you can think of, including indoors and outdoors. This makes them an ideal means of driving traffic. In fact, several recent studies show that calculated poster placement can drive targeted engagement of specific products. So be sure to do your research and place your posters as strategically as possible.
Around the Clock Marketing
Unlike commercials or print ads, most posters are visible 24 hours per day (though this obviously varies in accordance with where they are located). Consequently, they are not limited by budgetary or spending constraints. This means that people will always have a chance to familiarize themselves with your businesses. How’s that for around the clock marketing?
Science Has Spoken
One of the biggest hurdles in advertising and marketing is getting an idea to stick in someone’s mind. However, before an idea can be incepted, you need to make sure your subject is paying attention. A 2013 study published by the Health Information and Libraries Journal discovered that posters are the primary means of relaying information in academic and public health industries. Further, it shows that posters can effectively condition attitudes and influence behaviors. This insight has been incorporated into the medical and dental industries to great success.
The aforementioned success isn’t just applicable to health industries. Posters have been used to successfully convey and instill information across a variety of professions. As an entrepreneur, you likely do not have a lot of time on your hands but have critical information that you need to convey. In this situation, many people would opt for a slideshow presentation or a PowerPoint.
However, that basically just gives your employees and colleagues a break from their daily tasks and in no way ensures they are retaining any of the information presented. Instead, research shows that whipping up and displaying a custom poster that succinctly conveys the information is a much better means of promoting active learning. Additionally, an effective poster will inspire viewers to ask questions. In the context of a meeting or presentation, this will likely result in a meaningful discussion that will illuminate everyone’s understanding of a particular topic. Needless to say, this is much more effective than the passive experience facilitated by slide shows, PowerPoints, and worst of all: presentations with no visual aids whatsoever.
Super Cheap Signs Is Your Best Source for Custom Posters
Taking the above information even further, while the information conveyed in slideshows and Power Points vanishes from sight the second the next slide occupies the screen, posters remain present until you physically move them. When combined with high-quality material, such as the Postermax paper used by Super Cheap Signs, posters appear authoritative and are likely to inspire positive comments.
If you are on the market for economically priced custom posters, Super Cheap Signs has everything you need. In addition to providing a wide variety of templates, they also offer complete customization, which is a great way to convey more specific messages. Even better, they accept custom images, meaning you can incorporate your own art and custom graphics into your poster. They also offer discounts if you choose to order in bulk quantities, which ultimately saves you time, effort, and money.
All of their posters are made with high-quality Postermax paper, feature one-sided print, and are strong enough for any indoor use. They also offer an array of poster and sign accessories, including wireframes, stakes, spin handles, flyer boxes, suction cups, and more. No matter the application, the seasoned professionals comprising their team are more than ready to assist with all of your poster-related needs.
When it comes to advertising your business, it literally pays to maintain mobility. Sure, there are few things as effective as a well-placed sign or banner—however, there is one medium of advertising that is able to go where those mediums cannot: vinyl stickers.
Custom stickers are one of the most cost-effective means of promoting any business or cause. Simply place them on a vehicle in a well-chosen spot and you will have people all over town registering your brand in no time. Still not convinced? Read on to learn about some of the other advantages of vinyl stickers.
The Benefits Of Vinyl Stickers
When it comes to advertising and promotion, vinyl stickers have some clear benefits as opposed to other approaches. For one, vinyl stickers are much more durable than stickers constructed from paper. Additionally, they are resistant to tearing, fading, and degradation—properties which make them ideal for outdoor applications and public displays.
The benefits of vinyl stickers are directly correlated with the beneficial properties of the vinyl itself. These include:
Affordable and durable material
Environmentally friendly
Easily removable with no harmful residue
Moisture and humidity resistant
Available in matte
Vibrant images on a mobile platform
Potential Uses For Vinyl Stickers
The potential uses for vinyl stickers are virtually limitless. Whether you use them to advertise specific aspects of your product or as a warning label, vinyl stickers are a cost-effective means of conveying your message. This versatility is amplified by their inherent ability to be customized with specific lettering, colors, shapes, and messages that provide pertinent information to your target audience.
Using Vinyl Stickers For Mobile Advertising
Mobile advertising is one of the most practical uses for vinyl stickers. With some clever placement and a little luck, vinyl stickers could open your business up to an entirely new customer base. This is especially advantageous if your stickers include your contact information such as an email address or phone number. Even if you opt not to include contact information, a colorful, eye-catching logo is sure to garner some attention and amplify your visibility. Pairing with a seasoned signage company like Super Cheap Signs is an excellent idea, as they have everything required to create quality vinyl stickers that are adherent to a variety of shapes and sizes. So if you have specific questions, do not hesitate to get in contact with a member of their team.
Vinyl Stickers Cheap To Produce In Large Quantities
When it comes to mass appeal, one of the most advantageous aspects of bumper stickers is their inexpensive cost when produced in large quantities. Thanks to advancements in technology, printing is now largely automated, which has substantially driven down costs across the board. So before you spend an arm and a leg on that gigantic billboard, ask yourself if that is really a better way to achieve brand recognition than having thousands of instances of your logo all over town.
Using Vinyl Stickers Means Easy Distribution
To put it succinctly, people love putting stickers on things. Whether for artistic or psychological reasons, something about affixing stickers to things is resolutely appealing. As far as advertising is concerned, stickers essentially automate the entire process. As a quick tour of any social media profile will demonstrate, people will not hesitate to show others what brands they associate themselves with. Vinyl stickers ensure that you are able to use this proclivity to your advantage.
Don’t Just Introduce Your Brand, Reinforce Its Identity
Any seasoned entrepreneur will tell you that building a reputable brand identity is no easy task. From finding the perfect logo to developing a comprehensive message and strategy, conveying the best aspects of your brand requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Fortunately, once you have successfully developed your brand, you can use vinyl stickers to drive your message home. No matter whether you give them away for free or sell them, you are conveying that your brand has value. In the long run, this will facilitate closer relations between your brand and your target audience. What’s more, you will get free advertising when any of these people affix the sticker to their vehicle and drive around.
When it comes to today’s advertising landscape, few things are more important than establishing a trusted brand identity. This is why it is so important to have customers sporting your logo. When their friends see that they trust your brand enough to put your logo on their vehicle, they are more likely to trust your company. Needless to say, this gives you a clear advantage when it comes to growing your business and expanding your customer base.
Never Underestimate The Power Of Word-Of-Mouth
With the rising popularity of social media, many people seem to think that successful marketing must take a decisively digital direction in order to maintain relevance. Fortunately, these people are wrong. Several recent studies have demonstrated that most of the world—over 85%, in fact—trust word-of-mouth recommendations from their friends and acquaintances. To this extent, most word-of-mouth conversations take place on-site and offline. Rather than appealing to one side or the other, stickers occupy the middle ground by encouraging people to discuss your brand both online and offline.
Stickers Are A Great Way To Reach People Who Do Not Like Advertising
Given the influx of advertising these past few decades, it is not surprising that most people are becoming resistant to traditional methods. Consequently, this has forced advertising and marketing professionals to adopt more connection centric approaches. In this regard, stickers are extremely effective thanks to their ability to be displayed without seeming like an outright advertisement. In this context, a sticker is mobilized more like an endorsement or recommendation than an advertisement.
Stickers Can Be Used For Inexpensive Branding
Although giving away stickers for free certainly comes with its own advantages, they can also be used to brand your products and related packaging or signage. Rather than solely relying on your audience to put your message out into the world, you can ensure that some of that ground is covered before your product even hits the shelves.
Use Stickers To Compound Your Marketing
While increasing your brand exposure is certainly something you should remain focused on, you can also use stickers to strengthen your marketing efforts. For one, stickers make great giveaway prizes. All the better if they contain pertinent information or some kind of message on the reverse side. Additionally, you should always be sending stickers if you operate by direct mail. That’s because stickers have been shown to increase the open rates of direct packages. Even better, stickers serve as a crucial linchpin in cooperative campaigns by keeping costs down and garnering more impressions.
Stickers Can Help You Develop Future Marketing Efforts
As you have likely learned from this article, a lot of time and effort should go into creating the perfect sticker design. The nature of this process affords ample time to develop a comprehensive understanding of your brand’s message and how to convey it. In turn, this knowledge will inform future marketing efforts, including future logo designs, business card ideas, website ideas and features, press releases, and more. So when you are engaging in this process, pay close attention to what you learn. Specifically, understand who you want to communicate with, how to find them, what their interests are and how you can appropriately address them, and how you can clearly and succinctly convey your message in the most effective but least intrusive way possible.
Can’t I Just Make Stickers Myself?
Many people have purchased expensive printing machines and attempted to make their own vinyl stickers only to find out that the process is much more arduous than it seems on the surface. Problems typically tend to arise when die-cutting, coloring, or applying adhesive, and can prove to be rather time-consuming in the event that anything goes wrong. This is why many professionals opt to order their stickers from seasoned signage companies like Super Cheap Signs, who use powerful machines and software to produce a variety of custom images with expedient turnaround times.
The professionals at Super Cheap Signs understand that marketing is all about developing and maintaining relationships. It is about forming a symbiotic relationship with people who will ultimately benefit from your services and support you in the process. As far as these relationships are concerned, stickers signify trust and understanding. Consequently, equipping the right people with your stickers could potentially spread brand awareness much faster than any expensive advertising campaign, and lend your brand an air of authenticity in the process.
In addition to providing a comprehensive array of fonts, shapes, and colors, stickers from Super Cheap Signs can be completely customized using their convenient website. Beyond that, their impeccable team of seasoned professionals is ready to help with any questions or concerns you may have along the way. The process is so smooth you’ll wonder why you ever thought about doing it yourself in the first place.
