When you’re working with a small budget, it’s important to find the best deals for all your purchases. It’s no different when it comes to purchasing business cards. There’s no doubt you’ve seen business card promotions offering business cards with free shipping. Since shipping can add several more dollars to the total cost of your order, you probably think that’s a great offer.

But, guess what...

The truth is: The key to affordable business cards is not free shipping!

The best way to drive down the cost of business cards is to avoid those cheap, cookie cutter business cards that are offered with free shipping. Instead, focus on getting effective business cards that will make a real impact on people you hand them to. After all, your business cards are worth nothing if they don’t help you get or keep customers.

Buying more effective business cards, rather than cheap ones, will help drive down your cost per customer. Which of the following scenarios sounds better to you?

Scenario A: Spend $10 on low-grade business cards that don’t communicate your company’s value and get maybe one customer who spends $50.

Or...

Scenario B: Spend $25 on high-quality business cards that send a clear message about what your business represents and get the interest of 5 customers who eventually spend $250 total.

Scenario B is the obvious choice, right? You can see the key to getting more affordable business cards isn’t really about the amount you’re spending upfront or how much you pay for shipping, but rather the response they trigger in your potential customers. So, now the question is “How do I get affordable business cards that get positive responses from potential customers?” Here are a few tips to do just that:

Affordable Business Cards Have Powerful Images

In the past, business cards were made with white paper and black text that stated your name and contact information. Today, business cards should play a bigger role in your company’s branding. They should have a look and feel that resonates with the rest of your branding and they should aim to make a great first impression on your potential customers.

One of the most effective ways to ensure your business card has an emotional impact on people is by adding powerful images. The image could be your logo but it can also be a different image that aims to strike an emotional response in people. It’s okay to think outside the box in order to offer a unique business card.

Here’s an example: You’re selling homeowner’s insurance and the other salespeople in your industry have standard business cards with their company’s color scheme, logo, and contact information. You see the same card all the time and so do the customers. Instead of relying on those cards, you opt to get your own business cards that have a more unique approach. Instead of the two company colors, you add an image of a happy family, with a husband, a wife, and two children. Now, instead of your potential customers getting the card and thinking about your company, they see the card and think about their family. They want their family to be safe and happy like the people on your business card. You’ve successfully triggered emotions of safety and security in your customer and they’ll now link you and your business to those emotions.

It’s also important to make sure the image shows up well. Pixelated images or poorly placed images will make your business card look sloppy and cheap. Be sure your image is clean and clear enough to be seen on a standard 2” x 3” card and that it’s positioned appropriately on the card. Since business cards aren’t very large, it may take a little cropping and adjusting to get the image just right.

Affordable Business Cards Provide a Clear Call-To-Action

For most people, the main reason to use business cards is to get your contact information into the hands of potential customers. But, that doesn’t have to be the goal for everybody. You could want your business card recipients to follow you on Facebook or to visit a webpage with product information. Although it’s typically best to provide your phone number and email address, it can be really powerful to provide a unique call-to-action instead.

Similar to other marketing materials, the goal of your business cards is to get attention and elicit a response in the recipients. The more unique your business cards are, the more likely you’ll be to get attention and a response. If you’re focusing on increasing your social media presence, why not make that a prominent call-to-action on your business card? If you’re pushing a new product then why not drive people to the product page online? Of course, if you choose this route, it’s important to make sure you can deliver when people get to your social media page or product page. If you send them to Facebook and you haven’t been active for a month then you’re not going to be happy with the results.

If you don’t have a Facebook, new product, or other campaign going then it’s okay stick with the basics. It’s okay for the goal of business cards to be brand recognition or to serve as a reminder that you’re here for your customers. If that is the case, go ahead with the traditional elements of a business card: The business name, your name, your contact information (phone number, email address, etc.). You can still make your business cards unique with effective graphics and other qualities of the cards.

Affordable Business Cards Are Made With Good Quality Paper

That statement probably won’t be true if you get your business cards based on the shipping costs. If you can get better quality paper, you’ll realize savings in two ways: First, your potential customers will notice the difference between cheap paper and high-quality paper. Don’t worry–that doesn’t mean you have to order business cards made of gold, it simply means you should get business cards that feel durable in people’s hands.

Second: Better quality business cards last longer. Let’s say you don’t go through your business cards as quickly as you’d imagined. With better paper quality, you won’t worry about the appearance changing and the need to order more. Likewise, if your customers hold onto your cards for a while, a higher quality card will hold up longer.

Tip for buying affordable, good quality business cards: You may be surprised to learn that good paper stock doesn’t have to be expensive. To get the best quality paper at the lowest price, choose one of your printing company’s house stocks. House stocks are ordered in bulk by your printer and they can offer the largest discounts on those papers.

Free Shipping Doesn’t Equal Affordable Business Cards

Remember, affordable business cards aren’t defined by their shipping costs or even the purchase price. You’ll pay for that shipping by not getting effective business cards. Whether you want to let people know you’re here for them or you want to drive specific actions, the best way to make buying business cards affordable is to make sure they do their job.

To get help, contact C onquest Graphics at 800-707-9903 and tell us what you’re looking for.