The most common marketing tool that most businesses use is the good old business card. Calling cards have been used for centuries now as a way for people to share contact information and sometimes an encouraging or inspiring word. If you go to a networking meeting with 30 other people, you'll probably come home with a handful of new cards, maybe five or ten - more if you really work the room.
My question...
What do you do with all of them?
Most people do one of a few options.
- Keep it on your desk and look at it until you don't remember why you kept it, then throw it away.
- Put it in a drawer or a box and keep it until you clean your office next spring, then throw it away.
- Scan it into your CRM, forget about it, and throw it away.
- Maybe you'll take some notes on the back and then evaluate whether you need to talk to a person about something they can sell you or something you can sell them.
In any case, the majority of business cards you hand out get thrown away. Your money and the business you might have had - in the trash. For several years, I've worked on the idea that everything I leave with a potential customer can be valuable in its own right, making the card worth holding onto and should include an offer that facilitates taking the next step in their customer journey with your business. This increases your brand recognition, positions you as a helpful expert, and increases the chances a person will contact you so they can access your offer.
This approach isn't just for business cards. It can be applied to anything you put in front of a potential customer, from ads to flyers to PDFs, Ebooks, and social media posts. Anywhere you have a person's attention, make sure to deliver a valuable and memorable experience and give them a specific step to take to make the next level of commitment in the business relationship.
This is the premise of the Fridgeworthy Freebies course here in my shop. Everything we put into another person's hand can be a much more potent way to serve them, and it makes it more likely that they'll remember you and act upon your invitations.
Here's a video I did about making my business cards with Canva.com.
And you are especially invited to join me in the Fridgeworthy Freebies course!