They are designed to be handed out, so they are ideal for trade shows, recruitment fairs or networking events, for example.

The goal is to present yourself in an original and clear way in professional meetings, so dig out your CV, bring it up to date and then just take the most important elements to put on your card:

Your professional skills and career path, your qualities and any specialist skills, and equally important – your contact details! Add your telephone number, email address, LinkedIn profiles etc.

Take care over the layout of your card in order to make it easy to read and choose a design that is in keeping with your industry and professional image. Is it a good idea to add your photo? Well, one advantage is that the photo can act almost like a logo. It can help your interlocutor remember you after the event. Just make sure you choose a good photo that gives the right impression!

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1. Design an original business card that will give a positive impression of you;

2. Make sure you get a business email address that will add to your credibility;

3. Don’t forget non-digital correspondence, and design headed paper and compliments cards that match your business cards. For a really impeccable image, order your return address and address labels, customised envelopes and folders at the same time. Rubber stamps and date stamps will also help save you time when you are processing your mail.

4. Avoid forgotten appointments by investing in appointment cards, or encourage your customers to come back by giving them loyalty cards.

5. For your employees: customised notepads, sticky notes (and their holder) and notebooks that have your logo, slogan and contact details will be really practical at the office, and will also complement your professional image.

6. These products, just like pens and other engraved items can also be used as promotional products to hand out to your customers, partners and suppliers.

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• An offer of a gift or reduction is often very effective in providing a hook for prospective customers. For example, when a customer makes a purchase, you could give him or her a flyer with vouchers or coupons, that encourage them to come back in the future.

• If you hand out money-off vouchers, encourage customers to take one for a friend and recommend your products or services.

• Devise a strategy for your advertising campaign. If you want to promote sales or new products and services, you’ll need to decide whether you want a targeted campaign. If not, you will need to distribute many more flyers to achieve a decent return.

• Think about the timing of your campaign. Promotions or reductions just before seasonal celebrations can incite people to come to you for bargains. It can be very difficult to get the right moment, however, so flyer campaigns should be repeated at various points throughout the year.

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With increased competition the role of marketing for SMEs is becoming more and more important.
Firstly, you need to define your message. This demands a logical and methodical process, and detailed answers to the following questions:

1. Who is your customer? You can’t please everyone, so you need to draw up the portrait of your typical customer. Those who are most attracted to your products and services, or need them the most, should make up your target market.

2. Why do your clients need your product? Your product or service should fulfil the needs of your customers, so think about how it achieves this and how much your customers will pay for the product.

Basically, marketing consists of defining the value of your products and services. You then need to find how you want to communicate this message to the general public in order to attract new consumers.

The list of media is long (brochures, websites, email marketing… etc.), but the answers to the above questions will help you decide which products are best adapted to your marketing needs.

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The limited space encourages the use of slogans, or an extremely concise and therefore more powerful message. The size of a banner means that it increases the visibility of the message itself.

A well-designed banner can also be more memorable than other forms of publicity.

They are practical and effective in different contexts:

1. To promote festivals and collective events. Colourful, customised banners can help contribute to the decoration of a place or event, while publicising it at the same time. They can add to the festive atmosphere, too.

2. To show support for sports teams or associations. It is easy to demonstrate solidarity when you have support messages printed onto banners.

3. Banners can also prove really useful for the promotion of charity events and to communicate important messages.

4. To publicise a company. It’s an ideal way to promote a message or slogan, either inside or outside. Banners can raise the profile of a company, but can also be effective in the promotion of special events:
• Sales or promotions
• Open Days
• New service or product launches
• Change of address
• Sponsoring an event

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But have you thought of creating a web site that would allow you to promote your activity and encourage your clients to be loyal?

Here are a few reasons why you should:

• You can provide information about your expertise and qualifications.

• Any of your satisfied clients would surely be happy to provide testimonials that you can post on your web site as advertising.

• You could add articles to keep your clients informed. You could either write them yourself if you have the time, or ask your clients to contribute!

• You could use the site to communicate your lesson timetable and any special events.

• You could also keep your clients informed of separate events that are linked to your specialism and that could be of interest to your clients.

• You could give tips and advice for health and well-being.

• You could even recommend books or associated products – you could even sell them yourself via your website.

• An informative and user-friendly web site is an excellent way to promote your services as a trainer and a professional. It is a practical and personal tool that has the potential to create loyalty amongst your clients, as well as providing a window for prospective clients looking for classes in your area.

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Every culture has its own way of approaching this everyday part of business life, with some attributing more formality or importance to the proceedings than others:

• In Japan, a card should be accepted with both hands. You should also bow deeply at the same time.

• In China, you need to hold the card with both hands, this time to offer it. It is also considered offensive to write on the giver’s card in their presence. This is one to watch out for, as in the UK it can be considered normal to write notes on someone’s card to help with post-event contact.

• In the UK and US, there are no longer any specific ceremonies attached to the exchange of cards, and they are, for the most part, considered to be marketing or networking tools.

There are also differences in the kind of information provided on the cards, and their physical aspect:

• Golden font for the Chinese, as the colour is thought to bring good luck. You need to include your name, job title and contact details, but also the year the company was started.

• The Japanese place a great deal of importance on the position of a person, and also on the quality of the card.

• Qualifications and diplomas should be included on cards in India.

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An exchange of business cards can take place in many different contexts, professional or even personal, with the main goal of creating business relationships and enabling them to continue, subsequent to an initial meeting.

Often, in the world of business, cards are exchanged at the beginning of a meeting. Rather sneakily, this can act as a reminder of someone’s name and therefore help to avoid any uncomfortable situations!

They can also help to start conversations. If you are handed a card by someone, you can base any questions on information found on the card: the industry or activity, the company logo or details, for example.

Cards are usually handed out in person. Distributing cards on an empty table before a meeting may runs the risk of being seen in an unfavourable light, as could handing out lots of cards to lots of people all at once.

Usually, good manners dictate that whoever receives a card should show interest in it and read it before putting it away.

It is important for a business card to look good, but don’t forget to think about the way in which you hand them out!

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Always have business cards available in your establishment. You only need the essential information to create them, so you should never be without.

For a bit of a change, you could create loyalty cards instead of classic business cards, and encourage your customers to come back. For example, you could offer a free beverage for every five or ten purchased drinks.

Organise themed nights or mid-week events, and offer reductions to encourage people to go out even when it’s not the weekend. When you have found a theme or idea and settled on a date, then get your posters and flyers printed and do some serious promoting!

Stick up the posters well before the event and hand out the flyers like they’re going out of fashion! If you want to attract the attention of the public, you’ll need to find an original idea or offer drinks at attractive prices. You can also purchase flyers or postcards with reduction coupons…

Create a website. You can upload photos of your events, and promote upcoming ones etc. Don’t forget to add a map and to give details of opening times etc.

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Vistaprint’s SiteBuilder will help you to achieve the layout and design you want, but here a few extra tips…

• First, choose a website that matches your existing marketing tools i.e. business cards.
• Go for colours already associated with your corporate colours. If you want to promote special offers or sales, bright colours can help to attract attention.
• Your website is an opportunity to provide more information for your clients, however, don’t write too many long paragraphs. Use lists, bullet points, and be concise.
• Use a slightly larger font for the important messages that are there to hook the reader.
• Promotional offers need to jump out at the reader immediately, so make sure they are noticeable without ruining the look of your website.
• You can add photos, but make sure you only choose pictures that are of a very high quality in terms of resolution, composition and subject matter. They must complement your text, or they should not be used.
• Explain to your customers how to contact you. Ensure your contact details are easy to spot, and give them an extra helping hand by including a map so they can find you!

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