My absolute favorite free business marketing tool is my business cards.  Not only are they cheap and easy to use, but they’re like a multi-function knife.  They’re great for appointments and they are perfect for leaving a note with a client.

Apart for the obvious contact information on your business cards and being a great general marketing too, business cards are great for special event as well.  I have known a few different people who will have special business cards printed for a special occasion such as a business event and conference such as Search Engine Strategies.  These special business cards are usually printed with a special offer, picture of the owner (makes it easy for people to remember you when they meet 200 people), or something that differentiates them from all of the similar companies.

I’ve seen business cards with special URL’s that tell prospects where to go for a special deal.  I’ve received a business card from iStockPhoto that gave me 5 credits ($5) and even business cards made out of metal that came apart into a set of lock picks.  Granted these lock picks weren’t very sturdy, but they made that person very memorable.

If you’re going to be printing a special set of business cards for a conference I would recommend using free business cards.  250 should be plenty and just incase you don’t use them all, I would caution against making them too specific for a certain event.  If you’re sure you’ll give out all 250 free business cards, then plaster the conference logo on them and make sure there is some incentive to check out your website or company that the prospect can’t get anywhere else!

Random Posts