Jacob Cass compiled a list of creative 400 business card designs. Below is one of the many that caught my attention. See the collection here.
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Category Archives: Marketing
3 Marketing Steps you can take right now.
Filed under Marketing
Starting a business can easily become the most resource intensive move you ever made. Running an existing one is another entire set of difficulties. But if you are convinced you’ve got the best idea since the fork-knife, and you found ways to bring your idea to life, then you need to be frugal in your development and expansion. Marketing does not have to be costly and does not always require a “grandiose” plan. Take it one day at the time. If you can spare fifteen minutes every other day, you can get the following accomplished in less than an hour total:
You have a website, right?
A business needs a website. It is that simple. No matter what you do or sell, you need to be represented online. Far too commonly do small business people fail to care for their site. The most common reason I hear is some variation of we are not that kind of business (insert slack-jawed southern accent here). Unfortunately you are that kind of business, not because you chose to be, but because that is the world we live in. Maybe it does not need a Flash intro and music playing in the background, but you need something providing (at the least) information about your products and services as well as your contact info. There are a number of websites such as Weebly and Synthasite out there that will set you up with a free site and even host it for you.
Google is your friend, Google Map is your other friend.
SEO this. SEO that. While optimizing your site requires months of hard work, you can easily add your business to Google Local Business Directory. This could turn out to be the most productive 5 minutes you will spend online today. Whenever users search for products or services related to yours, your business will be included in the results. The more reviews, images and content you have, the higher your business will rank on the results.
If you want to be taken seriously, then act accordingly.
You might be your company’s sole employee, but when you meet with clients consider trying to convey a sense of stability in your enterprise. A business card is more than a piece of paper baring you contact info, it’s your own portable billboard. A well-designed business card send the correct message to your prospects. There are several companies that promote free business card offers. Some even offer it without their ads on the back. Or, of course, you can hire a professional designer to crank out a top-notch design that compliments your brand but it will cost you.
These are 3 steps you can accomplish in 45 minutes or less and that will help you to better position your company and acquire more customers.
Business Card: Evolution.
Filed under Marketing
When did Marketing really begin?
Maybe during the Stone Age, maybe before. We do not know for sure, but when Man began writing it sure became a lot easier. From the time we knew how to write, the hassles associated with information dissemination were lessened. Different mediums like stone tablets, trees, fabrics and papers made knowledge within reach. Even self-expression became easier especially with lots of resources that one could use. And when printing was born, everything became even more convenient and spreading information became exponentially scalable.
One of the earliest form of printed marketing tool was the business card. Popularly known as visiting card in Europe, it was an ordinary playing card that was small enough to fit in one’s pocket. The trade card, successor of the visiting card, was slightly different. Aside from advertising functions, a trade card was also designed to give directions. Before zip codes and addresses, trade cards served as maps. Drawings and landmarks were printed on them. Although different printing methods were already applied at the time of trade cards, it still remained plain and simple because of the monotones used.
Printing made the production of business cards efficient. As various materials became available, different styles and designs emerged. Gone were the boring trade cards with maps. The conventional styles are long gone, yet the traditional guidelines for lay-outing a business card still remains intact. The Logo, company name, position and contact details still appear on cards. Alignment and positioning of details are still of high value. Some business cards are printed on different materials, e.g. sticker papers, magnetic papers and even on plastic cards. But the puropse remains the same.
The dawn of modern age helped a lot in flourishing the business card industry. Creative minds detached from the traditional materials and explored other possibilities. Thus, different production methods, styles and designs surfaced. But more important is the ease of creating and printing business cards using online printing companies.