Using a Folded Business Card to Stand Out

Folded business cards allow you to add value or extend your sales pitch beyond the standard 3.5-inch by 2-inch business card and are a great way to motivate your prospects to keep your cards handy and ultimately make a purchase. The following are a few ideas for using a folded business card to stand out from the crowd:

Grab attention with die cuts

Die cuts can accentuate folded business cards like nothing else by engaging your prospects with something they've never seen before. Try to think outside the box here, because there are many ways to incorporate die cuts into your business card. You could try having one quarter of a half-fold cut away, for instance, thus revealing a teaser of what's inside the card. Other examples might be a realtor's business card with windows cut out; or a pet groomer's card with one slice in one of the card's edges, so that a tail seems to stick up once the card is folded. Using creative die cuts like these can make your card so appealing that prospects won't simply hold on to it - they'll show it to all of their friends and business associates and increase the marketing value of your business card exponentially.

Add value

Use the extra space afforded by a half-fold or tri-fold business card to add value through coupons, a punch card for discounts/gifts when all punches are filled in, a sports schedule or an event calendar. You could also try adding a survey that, when completed, is redeemable for free merchandise or services. In this manner you're able to increase the marketing value of your business card by collecting valuable demographic data to fine-tune your promotional campaigns. Give your target audience something useful they'll use over and over again, and use plenty of space to draw attention to it.

Extend your sales pitch

A folded business card offers many possibilities for extending your sales pitch without taking up any extra space in the rolodex. Here are a few examples:

• Restaurants can add a takeout menu for easy ordering
• Retailers can add a mini-catalog with photos and specifications for their top products
• You can list your services and/or price list inside the card
• Try going big and bold with your extra space; one way to do this would be go put your tagline on the outside of one half of a half-fold business card, your logo on the other, and your contact information and photos in the middle
• Turn the outside of your business card into a billboard-type advertisement
• If your products are small enough, place a sample on the inside of your business card
• Style the outside of your business card to resemble an invitation, then leave it standing up (like a tent) to grab attention

As you can see, folded business cards offer the best opportunity for you to grab your prospects' attention with creative design and motivate them to keep your card - and even show it around for you. As an often-overlooked yet valuable tool in your marketing repertoire, the folded business card is one of the least expensive ways to help your business stand out from the crowd.