Standard Business Cards Changing with the Times
Concerning ye olde standard business cards, the 21st Century has a lot of surprises in store. For instance, some people have taken to handing out little mini-CDs! These “cards” are generally rectangular, except with the two shorter sides being round (almost quarter-circular, in fact) to facilitate spinning in a drive. 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 the next “it-thing” is going 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. In real estate, people have always embellished their cards. Unlike the rest of the business world, people in real estate often have their photos on their business cards. Honest! It is usually considered unprofessional to include personal photos of anything with anything in business, from résumés to business cards, but when it comes to realty people, they absolutely indulge in it.
For good reason. 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. Including a picture of oneself, therefore, is a preemptive tactic that aims to disarm the potential client — or ward him or her off entirely. After all, why waste time with a non-prospect right from the get-go?
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!