Guerilla Marketing : Source code on the Business Card
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Whenever I'm down at the news agent, I ensure I slip my business card into any Magazine that a small business owner might be interested in (Time, BRW, MyBusiness) and I do the same at a bookstore I visit whenever I'm there.
I would do the same for libraries, but I figure that it would be a waste.
This has actually been the most cost effective (and profitable) thing I've done and have generated a good amount of business out of it as it literally gets my business card into the hands of people who might find use for my services.
A friend of mine has observed that using blank business cards generate a far higher callback rate for him than preprinted cards. (Of course he writes his number etc on the blank card as he hands them out.)
What industry is your friend in out of interest? I think that how ones business card is presented says a lot about that person, for example a person who is into design might seem strange having a plain standard white boring business card.
Similarly a person who has a typically white collar job (accountant etc) would do well with a more classic or professional look card than something with vivid colour.
Just looking through my business card file now, I don't remember half of who these people are, but when I come across a fantastic card I have that instant recognition of who the person is, the card acts as a visual cue.
Completely unrelated, but have a look at some of these if you've never seen this, it's a photoset of fantastic business cards on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dailypoetics/sets/7205759410438...
Might also work for getting dates. Though you probably should not use a business card.
That depends on the woman I guess as there are no doubt some women out there that would or wouldn't date a man depending on his job title (and the implied financial status that goes with it)
EDIT - actually still looking through my file I came across one of my uncle's business cards I got my hands on several years ago. His company is not glamorous one by any stretch of the imagination (his factory makes custom wooden crates/boxes for shipping) but his card instantly stands out. It is actually made out of a thin sheet of pine which was then printed onto and I think that it is not only appropriate given his customer base, but it's the kind of card that you remember and I don't think too many people end up throwing them away.
Bouncing off that for a second though, one of the more interesting ideas I saw were business cards for a second hand store.
What they essentially did was get other people's business cards and literally cross out the contact information and replace it with their own.
Sorry about that.
Also, recall the quote by Jacques Cousteau in Rushmore, written in the book's cover...
nc = new NetConnection(); // New Connection
mic = Microphone.get(); // Configure Microphone
b:4>@[n;&0n=n:+/_sqr 50{c+(-/xx;2/x)}/c:+,/(-1.5+2(!w)%w),/:\:-1+2(!w)%w:200;:;4];`mic 6:"P4\n",(5:2#w),"\n",_ci 2_sv'-1 8#,/+(2#w)#b