Business cards are one of the most used and least expensive forms of marketing available to you. In this chapter of The One Grand Smart Marketing Plan, I'll show you how to get the best business cards for the least amount of money.
And, if you have no money, I'll show you how to get business cards for free.
The origins of business cards go back to 1700s at least, when "visiting cards" became the vogue among aristocrats to announce their arrival to a prospective host.
Soon after, European merchants combination social and trade cards and ended up with what we now usually call a "business" card. They were a necessity; with the tangled, twisting streets of London or Paris - and little in the way of a formal address system - prospective customers often needed cards printed with maps to find the merchants' shops.
Though some marketers today preach that business cards aren't worth the paper they're printed on (see here,) most marketers feel that cards can be extremely helpful.
What other way do you know of to put a mini-advertisement in a prospect's hand and have him or her actually keep it for reference?
Get up to 2,100 business cards free
An earlier post I wrote detailed companies that will give you 250-500 business cards for just the price of postage to ship them to you. You can read that article here.
VistaPrint is famous for offering pretty nice cards for free. See here.
Other printers offering free business cards are: Overnight Prints and 1-to-1 Postcards.
I've used these service before and found the results acceptable and, if you're truly cash-strapped, you should do that same.
BUT... the price you pay for free cards is that:
1. They're not top-quality. The paper is thinner and they're only printed on one side. You'll also have to use one of these printers' standard layouts too.
2. And, they carry an ad for the printer on the back. So, people will know that you've taken the cheap way out - not the best business image to project.
Get 500 high-quality business cards for about $30
The best option is to pay for first-class cards but to pay as little as possible. The printers I use are:
VistaPrint's premium option is here.
48-Hour Print's business cards: http://www.48hourprint.com/businesscards/
And my personal favorite: GotPrint http://gotprint.net/gotprint/businesscard.do
The price is so low for what you get that it's amazing.
From GotPrint, for instance, you can order 1,000 cards, four-color on both sides, with protective coating in gloss or matte, on heavyweight stock for $18.55. Even with shipping, the whole thing will cost you about $30.
And, I assure you, people will be impressed by the quality of the card you give them.
Come back next week and we'll show how to get your business stationery for $0!
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