Standard Business Cards for Smart People
In regards to ye olde standard business cards, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. For instance, some people have taken to handing out little mini-CDs! A cross between cards and discs, they have two semi-circular sides but are otherwise rectangular. One side is preprinted to look just like any normal business card, with the company name and so forth. On the other side, there is (usually) a multimedia presentation touting some product or service. What a way to make an impression, eh! What ever are they going to come up with next??
Whatever it turns out 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!
To be sure, using gimmicks isn’t anything 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. No joke! And no one’s put off by it; the practice isn’t considered unprofessional at all.
And no wonder. 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. Hence the photos on the card — and, for that matter, the house’s very “for sale” sign out front. No need to waste time with folks who might discount you simply based on your looks, right?
As might be imagined, it isn’t only the real estate industry that makes use of unusual card designs. 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!