The Importance of Your Business Card

What are you trying to say with you business card?

We have talked about collecting other people's business cards and also about how they are often tough to differentiate from one another. These are things you should avoid for your own business card. It is easier to get into a conversation when you have a business card that speaks for itself. My card, BizMechanix, is so different, almost everyone remarks on how good the card looks. I have even had comments about it being the most professional and great looking card they have ever come across. You should make sure that yours is the same. Spend time with a graphic designer, and then also take time to buy good paper stock for printing. You are more likely to get notices and gain business if your card is extremely professional.

Do not use the homemade variety, the serrated edges are a sure give-away that you do not value your card. Remember that you card is the first thing people will see on their desk after the event. It is also your card that they will take note of when entering new names into their contact management system. Take the time and make the effort to create something unique, tasteful, and colorful. You do not have to go over board with it - just make it well worth it. I would rather have an excellent business card than a new car to drive. Most people will not see my car inside the event, but they will see my business card. Do not make it gaudy, just noticeable.

All the pieces have come together and attending the event has been a success. You have made the most out of your attendance and practiced the necessary skills. Now it is time to close in on the potential business. The first thing to do is to sort your contacts in order of importance and potential size of the deal. Choose the most important possibility, analyze the potential and then follow up.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://BlueprintBooks.com/

In The News:


CBC.ca

GM says Super Bowl ads too expensive and bows out
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Detroit automaker said Friday that it won't be advertising on the Feb. 3 spectacle because of a steep price hike demanded by CBS, the network broadcasting the game. "We understand the reach the Super Bowl provides, but with the significant increase ...
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Christian Science Monitor

Advertisers and Facebook face an uphill battle. But it could be worth it.
Christian Science Monitor
General Motors' decision to invest significantly less advertising dollars in Facebook inspired some to suggest that the world's most popular social network needs to grow up. By Megan Riesz / May 18, 2012 Facebook increased the size of its initial ...
Is Advertising on Facebook Worth the Expense?TIME
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Oakfield marketing students dive into advertising
Fond du Lac Reporter
Marketing students at Oakfield High School delved into the world of "Mad Men" recently by creating an advertising campaign for a local business. Fondy Sports Park teamed up with the high school's marketing department to give students a realistic ...


CIO Today

Does Advertising on Facebook Pay?
CIO Today
By Peter Svensson And Tom Krisher GM's advertising spending is a tiny fraction of Facebook's total 2011 advertising revenue of $3.15 billion. But the automaker's decision to cease advertising on the social network could be symptomatic of Facebook's ...
Facebook Advertising Shows 'A Lot Of Potential But It's Not A Slam-Dunk'Huffington Post
Advertisers weigh in on the value of Facebook adsExaminer.com
Why I Lost My Faith In Facebook AdvertisingForbes
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USA TODAY

GM Says Facebook Ads Don't Pay Off
Wall Street Journal
By SHARON TERLEP, SUZANNE VRANICA and SHAYNDI RAICE General Motors plans to stop advertising on Facebook after the company's marketing executives determined their paid ads had little impact on consumers. Sharon Terlep has details on The News Hub.
Facebook's biggest problem is that it's a media companyWashington Post
Do Facebook ads work? IPO, GM spotlight issueUSA TODAY
Facebook sparks divide: GM, Ford advertising strategies divergeDetroit Free Press
Chicago Tribune -Forbes -WebProNews
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Dragas Mortgage Company Selects JASE Group LLC as Advertising Agency of Record
PR.com (press release)
JASE Group LLC (jasegroup.com) will serve as the Inbound Marketing & Creative Advertising agency of record for Dragas Mortgage Company (dragasmortgage.com) of Virginia Beach, VA. Virginia Beach, VA, May 20, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Dragas Mortgage Company ...


AIADMK spent crores of public wealth on their advertising: Karunanidhi
Daily News & Analysis
Place: Chennai | Agency: PTI DMK President M Karunanidhi on Sunday flayed the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu for its advertising campaign listing its "achievements" on completing one year in office, saying it had spent a "huge amount" of ...

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Presidential TV advertising onslaught begins, but is Pennsylvania really a ...
The Republic
The advertising onslaught of the fall presidential election has begun in Pennsylvania and a handful of other states that may be up for grabs between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. Republicans and Democrats both ...

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Successful Merger Creates New Integrated Advertising Agency for Automotive Dealers
PR.com (press release)
New Jersey based automotive wholesaler, Vincent Grace, gained a substantial partner this week, RDI Inc, an automotive advertising & marketing firm. Teterboro, NJ, May 20, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Dealers nationwide will be presented a direct mail marketing ...


Speedway green flags advertising
Post-Tribune
With Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka and Shell Oil Co. signs hung on the walls of turns three and four, Speedway CEO Jeff Belskus is predicting double-digit percentage increases in Indianapolis 500 advertising and sponsorship revenue.

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