Increase Your Visibility: Marketing Your Business With "Your Trading Card Maker"

Author: Timothy Leary

When it comes to your business, you want to do everything you can to give yourself that "edge" you need to stay ahead of the competition. Having great visibility is one of those things. There is, of course, the obvious things to do: advertise, practice good business to reap the benefits of word of mouth, hand out your business card to everyone you meet, talk to people about what you do…. the list goes on forever. The only problem with these ideas is that everyone is using them. You want something different and the custom trading cards you can make with "Your Trading Card Maker" (www.customtradingcardmaker.com) can give you that edge.

With "Your Trading Card Maker", the possibilities are endless with the front space for the picture and the back ready for you to fill in whatever information you want your clients and future clients to know. Here are some ideas to help you get your creative juices flowing on how it could help boost your business's visibility:

Hospitality

Eateries can use custom trading cards to feature daily specials, take out menus and specialty foods.

Hotels can promote high-end rooms with custom trading cards including great photos and highlights of the special amenities.

Real Estate

Make trading cards to showcase your listings. Have them available in your office and at open houses. The front will show a great picture of the property and the back has plenty of space for property's specs.

If you fix up properties, use the trading cards to display the before and after shots of the house. Use the text space on the back to document the changes and highlight special features.

Retail

Use a custom trading card as a frequent shopper card.

If you sell specialty items, use the custom trading cards to market one-of-a-kind items.

Offer a personalized trading card to everyone who stops in during special events. (Hobby stores can use photos of the customers using the hobby items; motorcycle dealers can use a special edition cycle in the pictures; and, children's stores can have the kids pose with their favorite characters.)

Trades

Use the cards to show the different kinds of work you do. Instead of handing out a business card that just has your name and number, give out a custom trading card that highlights more details about the type of work your potential clients are looking for.

General Ideas Great for Any Business

Make the trading cards magnetic so your customers can keep them handy and remember your business when they are in the market for your goods or services.

Get together with other businesses in your town or neighborhood and create collection of trading cards to deliver to new residents when they move in to the area: include cards that give information about the area such as parks and recreation, local government offices, area churches and businesses that will be of interest to them such as banks, auto mechanics and specialty stores.

About the Author:

Tim Leary is a freelance writer, serial entrepreneur and management consultant. Tim’s specialty is figuring out how to double and triple anyone’s business and have fun doing it. Email at tleary@customtradingcardmaker.com. Visit http://www.customtradingcardmaker.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Increase Your Visibility: Marketing Your Business With "Your Trading Card Maker"

Trading Card Is A Modern Business Advertising Tool

Author: Hema Mahesh

Trading card printing is an eye catching technique for advertising a product or brand. Normally, they come to us as game cards, collectors cards, motivational handouts, and invitation cards for business professionals. World famous athletes take advantage of these trading cards to promote their games, shows and events. Cards are amazing medium to show their quality through pictures and emblems printed in color.

Cards are organized by celebrities for fans. Still photographs from movies are taken out in cards to make promotional campaign. Extraordinary trading cards are printed on solid materials with different coatings to last longer so that collectors can store them. Sports personalities make use of trading cards and distribute them among their crazy fans. Baseball superstars use trading cards for use of their supporters in a great way.

Trading card is also used as wonderful gifts for relatives and friends on different occasions. Most of the people feel delighted to receive them. More particularly, the kids love to have and store them and are mesmerized by the color variation. They feel excited about sporting activities and a custom made trading card about their favorite hero can make them even happier. A trading card should be simple, clear and should be free from crowding of matters.

A picture of a sporting star in one side with small writing at the back would be enough to create due impression on recipients. Cards should have high class printing excellence on it. The description has to be small and simple. The picture should be able to be familiar with customers. It means that the picture should be the most accepted one of the celebrities.

Very recently the metallic printing cards are being appreciated by people for their exclusive metallic spirit. It is done through a special printing process with metallic inks in combination with other chemicals to create an extraordinary colored result. Cards are printed on thick materials for brilliant copies. Trading cards are usually used for sporting events. They are found for cartoon characters, television celebrities or still photographs of famous movies. It is important factor to find a suitable and reliable printing company to do the job efficiently.

About the Author:

Through this article, we try to provide valuable information about Trading Card Printing and its effectiveness. For printing and mailing more business promotional products, you can visit online printing services.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Trading Card Is A Modern Business Advertising Tool

From Playing Card to Business Card

Author: Geo' W Smith

Without the development of the printing press in 1445 the Renaissance may never have happened, and Johann Gutenberg the inventor certainly did not know he was sowing the seeds of the business card entrepreneur's bonanza we have today. What civilisation gained from Gutenberg's invention is incalculable.

Visting Cards

Visiting cards (also known as calling cards) first appeared in China in the 15th century, and the earliest European form of visiting cards appeared in France in the 17th century during the reign of Louis XIV - "Le Roi Soleil". They were normal playing cards on which visitors wrote their signatures, promissory notes and other messages. The cards were just a little smaller than the size of a man's hand. As time went by, these visiting cards further developed into greeting and other cards.

The business card evolved from the Visiting card over time, but through it's evolution it's purpose remains the same.

Trade Cards

Trade cards, another early form of the Business card, existed in England around the same time. Trade cards were used as a form of advertising and sometimes contained a map directing potential customers to merchant stores, as there was no form of street numbering system at the time.

Other printing materials, such as newspapers, has not yet caught on as a vehicle for business marketing, so the earliest Trade cards were printed and issued using a letterpress method. However, copperplate engraving became the most popular method of producing the cards by the 18th century, and up to the 19th century, Trade cards were printed using a single colour (monotone). But as businesses thrived throughout the Industrial Revolution, so did the production and distribution of Trade cards.

Lithography

Around 1830, lithography using several colours became an established method in Europe and was the primary method for printing cards. As printing techniques became increasingly advanced, Trade cards became more elaborate, with pictures and full colour designs. Since colour images were not widely available, these cards became collector's items, and as the hobby elevated, many tobacco companies put the sporting celebrities on one side and photos with text about their products on the reverse. This was the start of the modern day trading cards. Meanwhile, Visiting Cards arrived in Europe around the middle of the 1800's.

Calling Cards arrived

Visiting Cards, or "Calling Cards" as they became known, were essential to the 19th century middle classes. The initial letters on personal Visiting "Calling Cards" denote French words:

p. f. - congratulations (pour feliciter) p. r. - expressing one's thanks (pour remercier) - even if one is presented with flowers

p. c. - mourning expression (pour condolence) p. f. N. A - Happy New Year (pour feliciter Nouvel An) p. p. c. - meaning to take leave (pour prendre conge) p. p. - if you want to be introduced to anybody, send your visiting card (pour presenter)

Soon, the Business card evolved from a fusion of traditional trade cards and visiting cards. A distinction between "business" and "visiting" cards quickly developed with the ornate Visiting card serving social obligations only, whilst Business cards on the other hand, were used solely for promoting business. It was considered to be in very poor taste to use a Business card when making a social call.

These days, the modern business card is used primarily for the purpose of promoting a business, but it also serves as a calling card.

First Salesman's Business card

Whilst Visiting Cards were at first the domain of the upper classes, and trade cards were made to advertise and promote particular firms, the salesman who did the footwork calling on prospective clients needed a means to exchange information in a simple, concise manner. To fill this void the Business card was introduced with address or telephone contact information in fancy printing and graphics.

Today, the salesman's Business card takes on many forms, including custom die cut shapes and sizes, with glossy coatings and top quality photo graphics.

Business Card Printers Turn to Plastic

Known for their durability, plastic business cards were manufactured using a variety of plastic substrates, including but not limited to: Polystyrene, Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate, Polyester and synthetic Papers.

20th century advances in printing technologies and synthetic materials made it possible to print liquid inks onto plastics. In addition to the wide range of commercial applications of this technology.

Today in the 21st century the more adventurous entrepreneur Business card printer has developed an array of sophisticated products. These include Silk art board, single and double sided Business cards, quality labels, complimentary slips, letterheads for all industries in superior quality papers, and laminated single and double sided Postcards for all occasions. All of which can be designed on line and uploaded to your personal computer. A boon to the busy firm requiring special needs.

For the rest of the world, the exchange of business cards has become common even for social introductions. Even today, some people still carry "personal" Business cards which contain only personal contact information and have no relation to their employer or business.

About the Author:
Written for Goodprint Ltd, providors of instant online business cards and matching stationery via their website http://www.goodprint.co.uk.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - From Playing Card to Business Card