It's been said that the average person gets exposed to more than 150 advertisements a day. At the rate offers and sales are hawked and hurled at us these days; it's no surprise that we have become experts at tuning out promotional static. The question is: how do you use pocket-sized promotion to your advantage in the advertisement saturated world we live in?
Let me counter that question with another question. Do you know why some plastic business cards are kept while others find their way into the recycle bin? If you know what motivates someone to keep a promotional item, even one as small as a business card, you can design your card with retention in mind.
Plastic Printers will teach you how to get the most out of pocket-sized promotion and help you redesign your approach to effective networking.
It's a Psychological Thing
Cards come with three goals built in:
- Attract attention
- Get filed as a reference point
- Use as needed
Achieving these goals dramatically affects the design and overall effectiveness of your cards.
The first step to meeting the goals above is understanding why people keep business cards in the first place. According to current psychological research there are eight motivations to keeping a piece of someone else's self-promotion on file.
They are:
Motivation #1: Lead potential. Networking can either be a total bust or a field full of potential. The direction of the pendulum changes from event to event. If you meet someone who seems like a prospective client or customer, chances are high that you'll hold onto their card and follow-up with them later.
Motivation #2: A link to a valuable supplier. Depending on the industry you are in, you may need specialized services or supplies along the way. If you happen to meet a supplier of the specialized goods or services, that’s a valuable connection to keep and foster.
Motivation #3: Collaboration or cross-promotion with a colleague. Business growth is not the only reason to practice a little shameless self-promotion. You can also help other companies out. Sometimes this is as simple as referring clients to a specialized service or alternate option during the busy season. Other times; it can serve purposes outside of day-to-day operations. This connection might be an in road to getting involved on various boards or local business associations.
Motivation #4: Your life off the clock. This isn't talked about a lot, but sometimes there are people who you make more than just a professional connection with. Keeping a business card for social purposes is a convenient way to stay in contact and hang out in a social setting.
Motivation #5: Acting as a go-between. We don't all travel in the same social circles. Sometimes the reason we take a business card is because it has significance for someone else that we know from a different circle. For instance, if you know someone who has been looking all over town for reasonably priced pinking services and you happen to meet a painter at a networking event, you would most likely take their card and give it to the interested party so that they can connect with each other.
Motivation #6: Updating contact information. Maybe a colleague recently moved to a new location or change their phone number or went through a brand redesign. Whatever the reason; sometimes we need to exchange an old piece of pocket-sized promotion for a new one.
Motivation #7: Save it for a rainy day. Sometimes we hold onto a business card simply out of possibility. As in, you never know when you might need to use a service, purchase a product, or track down some useful information. Keeping the cards that you receive, whether you use them or not, always gives you the option of making a connection you didn't know you needed.
Motivation #8: Something unique caught the eye. This is the most interesting motivating factor on the list because it gives you an intriguing piece of design information. Sometimes we keep things because we find them likable or interesting. If you can incorporate something that hooks the recipient with your business card, you will see a marked increase in converted leads and business growth.
Plastic printers has always made a splash with our cards because they are printed on plastic. It's not something People see every day, but we've taken it several steps further. You can now incorporate design elements into your plastic business card like:
- Frosted or clear backgrounds
- Die-cut cards
- Visual accent pieces
- Double-sided printing
- Pop-out cards
Feel free to ask our staff for more tips to help make your cards memorable and retainable.
