Aug
Some Dirt on Standard Business Cards
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »When it comes to ye olde standard business cards, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Such as those far-out little mini-CDs! These “cards” are generally rectangular, except with the two shorter sides being round (almost quarter-circular, in fact) to facilitate spinning in a drive. One side is preprinted to look just like any normal business card, with the company name and so forth. The CD itself, of course, is chock full of information (ideally, anyway) promoting the company and its products and/or services. Quite a neat way to get notice, isn’t it! Just what will they think of next??
Whatever the next “it-thing” is going to be, standard business cards have become so…well, standardized that even you will wind up trying something — anything — to stand out! And distributing some catchy mini-CDs for a business card is a great way to not just make an impression, but leave one — a lasting one!
Of course, gimmicky cards are not new. People have always resisted, if that’s the word, standard business cards. One of the most notable fields in all of business to do so is the real estate industry. In contradistinction to just about everyone else in business, real estate folks routinely include their pictures on their business cards. Yeah! It is usually considered unprofessional to include personal photos of anything with anything in business, from résumés to business cards, but when it comes to realty people, they absolutely indulge in it.
For good reason. For research into consumer psychology has proven that people purchase homes based on unquantifiable emotional factors. Naturally, if an agent or broker selling property can help prospective clients feel “right at home,” as the saying goes, that would be a good thing. Including a picture of oneself, therefore, is a preemptive tactic that aims to disarm the potential client — or ward him or her off entirely. No need to waste time with folks who might discount you simply based on your looks, right?
Other industries have opted for non-traditional cards, too, though never as iconoclastic as what real estate types do. But holograms, folding cards, double-sided cards, and more have all been used by those in corporate communications, particularly advertising and marketing. Every other field, such as accounting and human resources, are likely to prefer a more traditional look: the standard one!