Ordinary Locations with a Twist
1. When you place your business card on a bulletin board, bring some extra thumb tacks with you. If you create an arrow from the tacks, pointing to your business card, it is sure to get extra attention.

2. Make a small “free” sign to place beside a stack of your business cards.

3. Turn your business card into a drink coaster.

4. Print magnets that look identical to your business card and stick them on everything metal you can find. Encourage people to take one by leaving several together in each location.

5. Tack up several of your business cards on a bulletin board in a fun shape. A display made up of the same card draws a lot of attention.

6. Place a fish bowl and sign next to a stack of your business cards. Your sign should encourage others to leave their business cards in the bowl for you to draw from. The winner should get an acceptable price from you, like a free service or product.

7. Print your business card onto a pen and leave them everywhere. People love a free pen.

Odd Locations
1. Place your business card in books in the library. This is especially effective if you choose books related to your line of business.

2. Everytime you stop at the ATM, leave a business card on the ledge for the next visitor to see and perhaps take home with them. Only do this if your target audience could be using the ATM.

3. Leave a business card with every tip you leave. It might be more effective if you are a generous tipper.

4. “Drop” a business card on your plane or bus seat.

5. Tape your business card to the inside of bathroom stalls.

6. Public places like the beach, laundry mat, library, and hospital may work if your target audience frequents these locations.

7. Leave a card behind you in your shopping cart or basket. Perhaps leave them in several carts nearby or in cart corals.

These ideas should get you started and also inspire you to come up with your own similar ideas. Just remember to design an attractive business card that includes a clear explanation of what you do, who you are, and how to get ahold of you.

This post is sponsored by Printplace.com, the leading online provider of business cards, postcard printing, catalogs and brochure printing services.

The Many Benefits
Maximize exposure by combining offline and online marketing
This is ultimately the greatest benefit. Your message will reach a much wider and diverse audience. You have the capability to place your brand in front of web viewers along with a general audience.

Create credibility through a combined marketing strategy.
When your brand is seen both online and offline, your credibility will be increased. There is something validating about holding a brochure printing piece in your hand and finding the same logo online.

Measure your return on investment.
Sending your potential customers to your website can give you a better handle on your response rate. You can also keep track of how many visitors actually make a purchase much better on your website.

How to Make It Successful
Keep your brand consistent both online and offline.
Whenever you advertise – whether it be online banner ads, brochure printing, blogging, or business cards – make it cohesive. You should be using the same color scheme, image styles, font, and logo to build a strong brand.

Diversify your marketing to different types of ads.
Take full advantage of online marketing, since much of it is free. Blogging and social networking won’t cost you anything but time. Google Adsense and banner ads are great ways to place your ads on websites where your targeted audience will frequent. Brochure printing, posters, and direct mail will add another dimension to your marketing strategy.

Send your potential customers to and from your printed materials.
Begin by placing your URL on all of your printed materials. Business cards, posters, and brochure printing designs should include your web address right along with your contact information. You can also give web exclusive offers and place them on your printed materials. Another idea is to send your web customers looking for printed flyers and brochures. Hint at special printed coupons or printable coupons on your website or blog.

Get your whole team on board with the big picture.
You can only be successful at combining online and offline marketing if your whole team understands the big picture. If necessary, shift your job descriptions so that your marketing team can use their strengths to combine marketing methods.

When your marketing campaign is in full swing, you will see the benefits of integrating the two types of marketing clearly. Use the new and the old ways of marketing to your advantage and you will have a growing customer base very soon.

Show Appreciation
If you have a client who buys a big ticket item from you, show your appreciation with a thank you note. Everyone likes to be appreciated. You can even cut costs through postcard printing in the form of a thank you note; 4″x6″ postcards are cheaper to mail than regular mail.

Keep in Touch
Regularly contact your customers. Send out greeting cards around the holidays. Mail birthday cards to clients. Give customers seasonal coupons sent with postcard printing pieces. If your business deals with just a few clients, take them out for coffee or invite them to a cocktail party at your house.

Have Rewards Programs
Encourage customers to do business with you by giving out loyal customer cards. Punch out a hole each time they make a purchase, and offer something for free, or a discount when the card is full.

Offer Package Deals
Get a paying customer to spend more by offering package deals. Make the package price less than the sum of each individual product. For instance, sell a wireless mouse and surge protector with a laptop. Offer humidity blocker and shine serum at a reduced price with the purchase of shampoo and conditioner. Customers will appreciate the discount on things they would need anyway, but perhaps had not thought of yet.

Survey Customers
Send out surveys to your customers asking what they like and do not like about your business. Be sure to follow up with some suggestions. When customers see that you listen, it gives them a feeling of involvement, which increases loyalty.

Send Out Announcements
Remind customers of your business on a regular basis by sending out announcements periodically. With postcard printing, let customers know when you have a new product line or when you are having a sale. Mail copies of good reviews in the newspaper.

Refer Customers to Each Other
If a customer tells you about her business, take interest and ask for her card. Then if you find another customer who needs that type of service, you can refer him. Both customers will appreciate the help.

Postcard printing, greeting cards, great deals, and customer appreciation are all ways to keep your customers loyal. Constantly remind your customers of your great service and sincerity and your business will continue to gain and keep customers for a long time to come.

 
 
In Full Color
Black and white cards just do not cut it anymore. Business cards need to be interesting enough to distract customers from a world that never stops. And honestly, full color business card printing does not cost a great deal more than black and white printing. The extra cost, if any, is well worth it. Keep in mind a business card in the garbage is worth nothing to you.
 
Simple and Clean
Too much clutter will make looking at your business card painful. Send your message in an instant by slimming down on your content. You must include a title line, logo, and adequate contact information. Beyond that, any extra message or tag line can be printed on the back of your business card for a minimal cost.
 
Tell What You Do
Potential customers should be able to pick up your card and know instantly what you offer. If you are an exterminator, make it obvious. Your business card is not doing anyone any good if its readers do not know what the card is for. If your business name does not make it clear what you do, include a line that describes your business or graphics that make your services clear. For instance, images of a dying bug will send the message pretty quickly that you are an exterminator.
 
Avoid Distracting Extras
One mistake that some businesses make with business card printing is to include foil. This is expensive and shows no sign of improving the effectiveness of your business cards. Oddly shaped business cards also used to be popular but have turned out to be more of a nuisance than anything. They do not file well and may end up in the trash. Lastly, do NOT try to print your cards yourself. If will take longer and may even cost you more than hiring a business card printing company. And the results are sub par.
 
Full color, well-designed business cards will do an amazing thing for your business. They will market your business without much effort on your part. Invest just enough in your cards to make them look professional, and the results will be worth it.

Summer is a great time to connect with people and attract new customers to your business. The sunshine improves every one’s mood, and people are outside and accessible. Take advantage of the summer time to promote your business by trying a few of the fun summer promotional ideas below.

Sponsor a Swim Team
Even small towns have swim teams for children that compete at regional swim meets. You can check at your local swimming pool to find out who is in charge, and ask to sponsor the team. You could purchase their swim gear and have your business name printed on their swim caps. Not only will this help get your business name out there, it will show people that you are involved in the community.

Leave Brochures at Hotels
When you go on vacation, you can leave business brochures at your hotels. You can also leave them at the different restaurants you eat at. Just be sure that your printed brochure has all of your contact info, including a web address, email address, and Facebook or Twitter info.

Hand out Business Cards at the Park
When you take your kids to the park, you can start up conversations with other parents and give them your business card. You can even get your kids to help; just make sure they’re within eyesight. Keep the conversations light and short, and make sure your business cards are memorable so that people remember you after they leave the park. You can also put up some printed posters as long as you deal with permits, of course.

Hand out Materials at the Swimming Pool
You can also hand out business cards, fliers, or your brochure printing piece when you take your kids to the swimming pool. Try to limit conversations to a minimum unless someone seems genuinely interested at talking at the moment. You don’t want to lose a valuable customer by interrupting their relaxing suntan session with a lengthy explanation that they could read for themselves in your brochure printing.
 
Pass out Fliers at the Rodeo Parade
Most towns have a rodeo in the summer. Find out when yours is and get fliers ready to hand out. Then on the day of the parade, dress up in a western outfit and pass fliers out to people watching the parade. You can also go to the actual rodeo and hand out fliers.

Have a Booth at a Fireworks Show
On the 4th of July, set up a table at your local fireworks show and give away free popsicles. Be sure to hang a large sign with your business name on it; you can also pass out fliers or brochure printing materials to the people who stop by to give them something to read while they are waiting for the show to begin.
 
Use these ideas as they are or use them as a drawing board for your own creative marketing efforts. Just be sure to take advantage of the good summer weather and have fun while making a personal connection with customers.

Advertising is important in creating your brand presence, but a strong brand is more than a name and a logo: it must generate an emotional bond with the customer to keep them coming back. It must be memorable enough to gain the attention of potential customers and differentiate it from other brands. What is it about your brand that is special? Why should a customer choose your brand over others? Your advertisements should build and then communicate these things to the customer. A strong brand should seem relevant to the lifestyle of the customer to keep them coming back even after they have made an initial purchase.

A strong brand presence is crucial to maintaining customer loyalty. In some markets, like clothing and footwear, many customers are really buying the brand, not the product. Two sets of shoes may be of equal quality, but a customer may feel inclined to buy the more expensive, name-brand product because they value the brand name and the sense of status it gives them to own it. Such brands are great examples of how a strong brand presence benefits the company: the brand itself is worth money to the customer, and they are willing to pay more just to be associated with it. What makes such brands stand out? They don’t just sell products, they sell an image of a certain lifestyle or status, and that is why they are so attractive to customers. 

Some do this by adding a sense of luxury to the product. Even with products like pet food, some brands advertise themselves as “gourmet food” and advertise by showing pets eating from fancy bowls while the owner lives a life of leisure. They are not just selling cat food; they are selling cat food as a status symbol. The owner gains status by buying such food because they feel they can afford to buy the best in everything; they are buying the feeling that even their pets deserve the best in everything. The important thing is not what the customer associates with your product, but rather, that the customer associates it with an idea or emotion that is larger and more relevant than the product itself.

A strong advertising campaign is important. Your company can print business cards, print posters, place advertisements online and in newspapers and magazines, but all of this may be for nothing if your brand doesn’t really connect with the customer and make them feel that your brand is better than competing brands. Logos should be memorable and well-presented, advertisements should give enough information to generate interest, and websites should be easy to navigate and visually appealing. Additionally, you need to have a clear mission statement with your product. How will the product improve the life of the customer? What associations does the customer make about the product? Your company’s ideals can be further presented with a memorable slogan. When you advertise or print business cards, a short slogan can help to create a brand identity in the mind of a customer even when space is limited, and making your company memorable is crucial to establish brand presence and to maintain customer loyalty.

1. What Strengths Do You Have?
Think of all of the benefits you bring to your clients and your own working environment. Are you hard-working? Do you work overtime to get a project done on time? Maybe you are able to notice the nit-picky details in a project. Write down as many strengths as you can think of – you may even need to keep an ongoing list for a couple of days.

2. What Weaknesses Do You Bring to the Table?
No, it’s not fun to expose your flaws, but it’s a necessary part of knowing yourself. An honest brand has faced its weaknesses and continually strives to improve in those areas. Maybe you are a procrastinator, often leaving work to the last minute and as a result create something that’s less than you are capable of. Or you may have poor communication skills, often resulting in confusion as to what clients expect of you.

A Personal Example
I sat down and asked myself these same questions. Here’s what I came up with:

• Strengths – I am hard-working and dedicated. I pay great attention to details, so my editing skills are top-notch. My work is enjoyable to me. I have built up lots of experience and have an impressive portfolio. I have the education to back the experience. I have high standards for excellence. I am open and honest with clients, yet am able to maintain a proper level of professionalism.
• Weaknesses – I often take too long to complete my work because of my perfectionism and sometimes miss deadlines because of this. I tend to underestimate my abilities. I hate talking on the phone to clients and avoid it at all costs.

Incorporating Character into Your Brand
Now that you know your strengths and weaknesses, it’s time to take a look at your packaging and promotional materials. Put your personality into your brand and package and promote accordingly.

Packaging
Take me for example; because of my level of expertise and education, I can charge middle to high end costs, depending on the type of project. I can also guarantee high quality results because of my perfectionism, but I definitely shouldn’t put the focus on meeting deadlines, since I have a tendency to miss them. This is where honesty comes into play. I can assure clients that they’ll get a high quality product but it may be several hours late, such as ready in the middle of the night, rather than by the close of the business day. My packaging materials, such as my logo, business cards, and stationery printing, should reflect this detail-oriented, quality offer, as well as my honesty and openness.

Promotion
As with packaging, promoting my own business should take into account the top benefits I offer to clients. In addition, being aware of my flaws when promoting my brand will help me better prepare for any controversy that may arise. For instance, if I plan a marketing campaign advertising excellent customer service, I’d better be willing to choke down my fear of phone conversations. Another flaw that could affect the promotion of my brand is my underestimation of my abilities. If I’m not careful, this could seep into my brand and clients may begin view me as low end, when I’m actually very good at what I do. Therefore, I have to pay special attention to incorporating a confident tone in my promotional materials.

A brand that has character is one that will be more impressive and memorable. Rethink the message that you are sending to insure that your clients know exactly where you stand. A well-developed brand is the key to loyal customers and long-term growth, so any time you spend on strengthening the character of your brand will be well worth it.

The role that a business card can play, however, is often misunderstood.  Most people see their business cards as simply a means to tell customers and potential customers how to contact them.  To be sure, business cards are wonderful at tell people how they can get in touch with you.  But if that is the only purpose your cards are serving, then you are missing out. 

One of the most important tasks that you have is to promote your brand.  Your brand is, essentially, the image that you present to the world.  Every piece of marketing material that you use should promote that brand, and that image.  And that includes your business cards. 

More Than Your Name and Number

Of course, there is some essential information that every business card you hand out must contain.  These include the obvious things that we mentioned earlier:

• Your name
• Your business name
• Phone number
• Website URL
• Email Address

But you can, and should, include much more than that on your business cards.  Think of how much more effective they could be if you threw some of these things in as well:

• Your business logo (promotes your brand)
• Your business slogan (promotes your brand)
• Your primary advantage over your competition (promotes your brand and diminishes the brand of your competitors)

Use a Professional Design
By “professional design”, I don’t mean that you need to hire a consultant for hundreds of dollars.  But you should invest some time and money in your next business card printing to ensure that it projects the image that you want to send.  In essence, to ensure that your brand is effectively promoted. 
Most commercial printers will help you design your business cards for little or no charge if you use them to print the finished product.  Take advantage of this benefit and add a professional touch to your cards.

Do Not Overdo It
All of these things that we have talked about are good to include on your business cards.  But be careful not to overwhelm your potential clients with information and images.  A good business card can include your contact info, slogan, logo, and a professional design and still look simple and straightforward.  But if your business cards look too “busy”, or complicated, then people will ignore them.  They will go into a folder or a trash can and never be seen again.  Experiment with ways to include all of the essentials but still maintain a simple appearance.

Every single thing that represents your business, from custom brochures to posters to your business cards, needs to promote your brand.  Your brand is the lifeblood of your business.  If you are not using your business cards as a brand promotion, then you are hemorrhaging.