As a management recruiter, job seekers frequently ask me if they should carry a business card for job searching purposes. My answer is yes, especially if they are unemployed during their job search. But what should your card say…?
Think of your business card as a tiny direct marketing piece. Direct Mail (“DM”) expert Gary Halbert says that DM advertising is like a small child: It’s totally useless if you give it more than one thing to do at a time. For instance, a DM piece shouldn’t solicit referrals and ask the prospect to call a toll free number for more information. Each DM campaign should have one specific, measurable objective. Simple, right?
You can apply Halbert’s mentality to your business card, as I discovered when I was a guerrilla marketing consultant from 2001-2004. As luck would have it, the day I saw Halbert’s quote was the day I needed to re-order business cards from www.vistaprint.com, which allows people to design and order their business cards online. Inspired by Halbert, I decided to treat my business card as a standalone DM advertising medium. I asked myself “What’s the ONE thing that I want anyone who takes my card to do?”
Answer: Subscribe to my newsletter, because 1.) that keeps my ideas in front of them and 2.) my subscribers tend to pass my newsletter along to their friends. Click here to see the resulting card.
Later I realized that with VistaPrint, cards are so cheap ($20 for 250 cards) that I could print new ones every time I had a new “Special Report” to download — or a new version of my resume, or new links to testimonial letters, or whatever. That way I could distribute cards that showed the report’s unique download link, which was trackable and made my recipient think that he was getting something special. (Click here for an example.) Similarly, I could print cards that offered presentation downloads from a specific trade show, speech, or seminar.
My point is that all good marketing is about TESTING — and this idea can give you a proxy for the effectiveness of certain networking events, speeches, trade shows, and other events where business cards are distributed. As a job seeker, you must remember that YOU are the product that you are marketing.
Technorati tags: direct mail business cards Gary Halbert VistaPrint
Harry,
A subject close to my heart and one I wrote about recently for the Ideas Bank section of my website. I also believe that your business card is a valueable business tool and marketing opportunity – in fact apart fror my website it is my only marketing collateral.
It tells people what I do, how I do it and has a call to action, hopefull all presented from my ideal clients perspective. To see my card and read more about business cards and their value here’s a link to some info http://www.onestepfurther.co.uk/welcome_to_the_ideas_bank/the_value_of_a_great_business_card.phtml
Bev
To be honest, Harry…I have about 1,000 of my own business cards in a box in a closet somewhere, and I’ve never thought they were of much use (or given their lack of use much thought).
Thanks for a fresh perspective on the value of a better card.
One of my favorites is John Moore’s from Brand Autopsy, it’s in the shape of a toe tag, with a string on it
My favorite card was a “creative license” from a local ad agency that looked exactly like a driver’s license. Not sure where they got it, but it was very effective. I’ve still got it around here somewhere …
Links for Thursday, 08-10-06
Exxon, Penguins and Faux Consumer Generated Media
http:/…
Great advice here — thanks. Does my card need to change and I’ll do so this week:-)
Another option is having two-sided cards with English on one side and a translation on the other. There are amny sites online that do this, but for business card translation I went with a company was called LunaConcepts.com, service was quick and professional. It’s a nice service and could really make a difference if your desired job is an international one.
I used http://www.printsmadeeasy.com and put my own picture on the background. The card came out great, better than I could have expected.
Great idea…I’ve never thought about order small quantities and changing them all the time.
Business Cards should be looked at like mini billboards. One common mistake that alot of people make is putting their business name at the top of their card! EG. If you fix broken TV’s…rather then put “John’s TV Repairs” at the top, you would be better off putting “Your TV Fixed in 2 Days or You Don’t Pay!”
Putting an eye-catching headline is key…just like when you read a newspaper, you look for the headline that interests you and read the article…a business card is the same.
Here is a ‘clever’ way to make money with your business cards… http://www.businesscarddisplays.info
Dean
I use Coastal Impressions for all my printing. They do design, mailings, and web design.
Its fantastic idea. But what information it should have on their card for seraching job. like
Name:
Major Experties
job looking for
A well thought business card is one guy’s ticket to a successful job employment. Great post! =)