A business card is a staple for … business … and since affiliate marketing is a type of business I’m sure you’ve wondered whether it’s worthwhile to invest in a stack of them.
I say … why not?
It couldn’t hurt, right? Having one certainly gives you the base benefits such as getting your name into the pocket of interested parties but it can also be used as part of your affiliate marketing.
Let’s now examine some of the best practices, examples, providers, and ideas you could work into business cards.
Basics: The Business Card Best Practices
What makes for a great business card? Most of the time it’s about keeping it simple though there are always a few tweaks that may be worthwhile depending on you, your target, and industry.
- How To Design The Best Business Card
- Best Practices for Business Cards in the Digital Age
- Business Cards that Work for You: Tips and Best Practices
Inspiration: Business Cards Designs
If you feel that a basic design is too simplistic for your taste then have a look at some of these lists which have compiled some truly clever, unique, and effective business cards (for your inspiration).
- Business Card Examples via Pinterest
- 30 Of The Most Creative Business Cards Ever
- 100 (Really) Creative Business Cards
Ordering: The Popular Providers
Where do you go once you’re ready to order a few business cards? You can find someone local but your best bet may be through one of the many providers online.
Ideas: Business Cards + Affiliate Marketing Ideas
Now let’s get into some of the good stuff – some tricks for using your business card as part of your affiliate marketing … as in … not just trying to get someone to call but to engage and participate in a conversion funnel.
- Lead Funnel – Instead of a generic URL consider a custom one which points a person to a landing page that’s tailored to the type of person you’re handing it to. Another idea would be to create a new URL based on the event you’re attending. The continuity between the event/person and the landing page should make things automatically *click* once they hit the page (which may prompt a higher conversion rate).
- Affiliate Link – What if you were to do a presentation and instead of pushing people to your site you just went ahead and pushed them to a product/service page via an affiliate link? You could, in theory, talk about a product/service use a short URL on the card using your link.
- LinkedIn – A portfolio page is good and all but in the digital age it’s really becoming all about LinkedIn. There you have a greater ability to connecting with people since it’s a social site versus one that’s static. Add in that social element and you have a better chance of connecting (you may not make a sale right then and there but at least they’ll stick around and maybe one day come around).
