<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Free business card information, articles and resources]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright Free business card information, articles and resources]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Make your business card so much more..]]></title><description><![CDATA[  In order for your business card not be thrown in the trash, make sure that your business card has another use, an innovative design, or something other than just the usual contact information printed on it.  


  Try printing something different on your business card sized card-stock.  
  Some ideas include:   
  - Make your card into a loyalty card with something like a 'buy 5 get 1 free' offer printed on it.   
  - Make your business card double as a VIP card that can give return customers a 5% discount when they produce the card.   
  - Feature a promotional offer on your business card.   
  - Make your card into a coupon that can be redeemed for a free lesson, a free consultation or a free gift.   
  - Include a short survey on your card allowing customers to leave  valuable feedback. Offer a free gift or discount as an incentive to  complete and return the survey, and on it's return you can supply a new  business card with contact details on it.   
  - Make you business card into a nametag or baggage tag.   
  - Make your business card into a clothing tag, if you are a clothes shop and attach it to clothes that you sell.   
  - Make you business card double as a ticket for an event   
  - Make your business card into a referral card. This can enable  someone to invite a prospect to attend your meeting or club. On the  front, print a form to fill in the date, time and location. On the  back, include a brief overview of the club. Let members hand them out  to potential recruits.   
  - Make your business card double as an appointment card. Print a few  lines and the back of the card and print 'next appointment' at the top  of the card.   
  - Put a calendar on the back of your card. When designing your card,  make you sure that you bear in mind that although the business card may  appear to be a small thing, with a bit of creativity you can create and  turn your business card into a very powerful marketing tool for your  business.   
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:59:47 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/business-card-design/make-your-business-card-so-much-more/</link><guid>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/business-card-design/make-your-business-card-so-much-more/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Never leave home without your business cards.]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Catalogues, resumes, billboards, and most other advertising for your business cannot possibly be carried around with you everywhere. Business cards on the other hand are small, and even up to a dozen of them can be easily and discretely carried.  
  With this being the case, you should make sure that you are never without business cards while you are out. You never know when you will be asked for, or you have the chance, to give out one of your business cards. This is a business opportunity which should not be missed by the fact that you forgot to carry some of your business cards.  

  Make a habit of carrying a few business cards inside of your wallet, or better still invest in a business card holder, this will help give an even better impression when you are handing out your business cards and also help to keep them in pristine condition and help avoid the damage and wear that can result in placing them in pockets or inside your wallet.  
  Have some stored in your car, wallet, shirt pocket, diary, handbag, anywhere to avoid being in the situation of someone asking for your business cards only to have tell them that         you do not have any one you.  
  Every time you step out of the office or home you will be constantly find possible opportunities to hand your cards out.   (For more information on distributing your business cards please read some of our other   business card articles    ). Make sure that you have a card on you to give out.   Never leave home without your business cards.     
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:57:42 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/buinsess-card-tips/without-business-cards/</link><guid>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/buinsess-card-tips/without-business-cards/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What not to do with your business cards.]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Different from most of our articles telling you what to do with your business cards, in this article we will discuss the business card No-No's:   
  Things to avoid doing with your business cards:  
  - Do not use 'free business cards'. There are a few companies around offering FREE business cards (by putting their logo on the back of your card). This is a priceless way for them to promote their company through you and your new business cards. Unfortunately there are very little benefits for you. While you may get free business cards, these business card will more than likely give the impression of cheapness and amateurness - not being able to afford proper business cards. Would you wear a free business suit that had a mcdonald's logo on the back? If no, then don't do the same with your business cards.   
  - Do not use a template. There are a number of online business card shops that offer templates for business cards. Choose a template, enter your contact details, order your business cards. While it may sound easy, you will get a generic business card, that does not use any clever business card marketing techniques and will do nothing 'extra' to promote your business. Be unique and get a custom design done that highlights your business and can be used as an effective marketing tool.   
  - Do not make a magnifying glass a necessity for reading your business card. Not everyone can boost having 20/20 vision. Consider this large percentage of people when you are designing your business card and try to make the text readable by the majority of readers.  
  - Do not use colors that clash. Choose colors wisely. Colors used with other colors can sometimes clash and become an eyesore and difficult to read or look at. Some colors go together and some colors don't. Do your homework and find a color wheel or a color matcher/chooser online to help you find compatible and eye pleasing matching colors.  
  - Do not use some else's business card or a corrected business card. Scribbling your details over your old details or on someone else's business card and then giving to someone could reflect very badly on you and your company. Doing this could give the bad impression of being cheap and not being professional. Make sure you have enough of your own business cards and if you do not have your own, get them!  
  - Do not forget to proof read your business card before printing. Having the wrong information on your business cards can be misleading and can result in lost business. Proofread your business card details before you submit them. Double check, triple check, make sure 100% before printing that the details are correct. This simple thing could save a lot of money if you can avoid needing to reprint 1000's of business cards with the wrong information.  
  - Do not print your business cards larger than standard size. I have seen business cards that are printed larger than normal as the people maybe looking to make their cards stand out and make them more memorable. While this may sound like a good idea, it could result in your card not being able to fit into business card filing systems or easily into wallets. This is best avoided, so stick to standard or smaller sizes.  
  - Do not neglect the material and paper that your cards are printed on. A lot of attention is paid to the design and colors of a business card and the same attention should be paid to the paper and coating. Thin papers give the impression of cheapness and leave them vulnerable to wear and environmental factors. Choosing good paper of at least 250GSM together with either a laminate or some kind of coating will ensure that your cards last a long time and give the right impression.  
  - Do not print your business cards yourself. While not always the case, we see far too many amateurish home printed cards which give nothing but a bad impression to the receiver. Getting your business cards printed professionally is not expensive and the difference in results in most cases will be a world apart.  
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:55:27 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/buinsess-card-tips/what-not-to-do/</link><guid>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/buinsess-card-tips/what-not-to-do/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The smart choice: 4/4 full colour business cards]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Are you using 4/4 color business cards?  
  4/4 color refers to the full photographic (unlimited) colors on both sides of the business card.   
  Color business cards have become very popular in the last few years  as the cost of producing them are coming down. Color business cards  look better, are more effective and give better results than your  standard business cards.  Have you ever swapped business cards with someone only to feel  embarrassed about your business card when you see their flashy well  designed business card. There is no need to be. 4/4 color business  cards are widely available nowadays, and available very cheaply.  
  Imagine a person receives 2 business cards from 2 gift shops. One is a standard with a 3 color logo and contact details on the front of the business card. The other is a 4/4 full color business card with product pictures on the back. If the person was looking to purchase gifts and they were looking through their business cards which one do you think would stand out?  
  Next, imagine a person receives 2 business cards from a computer repairman. One is a standard black and white business card with contact details on the front and services offered on the back. The other is a 4/4 color business card with a photo of himself on the back next to his services offered. Which do you think the person would first contact if they came in need of a computer repairman.  
  With 4/4 color printing there are many things you can do that you cannot do in limited colors or black and white. Looking at just the examples above you will be able to make your business cards stand out more, offer more information about your products including product images, or make your business card more personal (by including your photo on the card people will feel like they have already met you and feel more comfortable in contacting you).  
  4/4 Full color business cards have been shown     to give a 20% better conversion rate than normal business cards and can definitely give a better first impression than your standard 1-3 color business cards. With these statistics it seems hard to debate whether color business cards are necessary for your business. I think for the great majority of businesses, full color business cards come at such a little cost and can give such a great first impression of your company, putting across the impression of your business being modern, stylish, professional and together with product pictures or photographs of people can help make your business much more 'familiar' and trustworthy, providing you with better contact rates from your distributed business cards.   
  So don't waste anytime! Come up with a creative, bright, well designed color business card that represents your business well, and you will surely see the results. Get the leap on your competitors!   
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:52:37 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/business-card-design/full-colour-business-cards/</link><guid>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/business-card-design/full-colour-business-cards/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Use your business cards more effectively: our 5 tips]]></title><description><![CDATA[  When used effectively business cards can be a great marketing tool. In this article we will discuss 5 of the most effective ways that you can use your business cards everyday.   

    1. Be Creative.    
  Be creative in the design of your business cards. Business cards do not just need to be bits of paper with your contact details on them. Be creative and give your business cards a use and purpose. Make them a powerful marketing tool in the promotion of your business.  
  Your aim is to make your business card something that the receiver will want to keep and make use of. This is the difference between a well thought out and designed business card and a piece of paper with your contact details on it that will probably be thrown into the trash.  
  Give the recipient of your business cards a special offer. For example if you are a school/training centre you may offer 'first lesson for free with this card' or if you run a shop maybe you will offer '10% of any purchase over $50'.   
  Whatever your business, there is a creative way to give your business card real value to the receiver. If you can think and implement these new creative ways before your business does, you will have an instant advantage in that area of business, and should definitely see a rise in business if you have promoted you cards correctly.   
    2. The 1 minute rule    
  The 1 minute rule basically says, if you talk to a person for longer than 1 minute they should already have one of your business cards in their hand.  
  This means in conversations you need to find a way to talk about what you do, and be in the position to be able to offer one of your business cards to the person you are talking to in the first minute of conversation. This can be likened to a conversation you may have with someone at the bus stop or on the elevator. The conversation will end in a very short time and you only have a very short time to get your message across, or in this case get your business card to the recipient.  
  The 1 minute rule is basically just practice to get your business card out there as much as you can. Many people go through all the trouble of ordering business cards just to let them sit in a corner of their office. To use business cards effectively you must be giving them out at every opportunity that you have.   
    3. Make them keepers    
  Once you have given your business card to someone what is going to keep it from being thrown in the trash or forgotten about. Unless you are selling necessities it is probably fair to say that most likely they do not need the product/services you are offering at the present moment. Hopefully though in the future will come a time when they are looking for that product/service and that is when your business card still needs to be in the hands of the person.  
  Why does someone want your business card? If you cannot answer that easily, maybe it is time to think about a new business card design.  
  Does your business card have valuable information on it? By valuable I mean a map, discount, calendar, measurements, charts or anything relevant to your industry? If it doesn't, you may want to think about adding a value feature to your business card.   
    4. Leave them everywhere you go    
  During a number of trips around a number of businesses in my local area I have noticed piles of business cards on the counters of various businesses. For example a recent trip to my accountant I noticed they had a few piles of business cards on the counter for mortgage lenders, home loans, etc.   
  This can be likened very much to link swapping that goes on with webmasters looking for business referrals from similar businesses.   
  Every place that you frequent, you should ask if they mind you leaving a stack of you business card there for their customers. You could try this at your doctors office, your dentist, accountant, lawyer, beauty saloon or hairdresser.   
  For similar businesses (e.g. accountant , lawyer or money lender) maybe you can arrange to have a stack of their business cards displayed at your business when they offer your business cards at theirs. This can be a very effective way to use you business cards and can have great returns.   
    5. Ask for an opinion    
  'Do you mind if I ask you a quick question? I'm looking for opinions on my new business card'. After asking the question and bringing the topic up hand them a business card. Make sure that they keep it, even if they try to hand it back to you tell them that you have thousands printed already.  
  Thank the person for their time, and if they ever need the product or service that you are offer that your contact information is on the business card. Even if that person may not directly contact your business, there is always a chance that they may pass your card or business name onto another party.   
  Even in the worse case they may go home and tell their friend how a nut just came and talked at the bus stop and handed them a business card for his lawn mowing service. That friend may say, 'I've been looking for a good lawn mower'. 'Here's the business card I got'. And there is a situation where you may still even get business out of handing your business card to a stranger and even a disinterested stranger.  
  By following just one of the above five ideas each day, you can turn your business card into a great marketing tool, and see an almost instant increases in business.  ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:48:40 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/buinsess-card-tips/effective-business-cards/</link><guid>http://www.thebusinesscardshop.net/resources/buinsess-card-tips/effective-business-cards/</guid></item></channel></rss>
