I was talking to a colleague recently and she explained that she had abandoned business cards—instead she had her contact and marketing information printed on colorful cardstock bookmarks. As a matter of fact, I think she printed them off on her desktop printer, cut them with a paper-cutter, and produced them as she needed them. I thought I might pass on the idea here on the Home Business blog…
When I thought about it, I realized that using bookmarks as promotional materials wasn’t new—we had some good success years ago with a nonprofit organization I worked with printing statistics and success stories on bookmarks which were then included in all sorts of different mailings. Bookmarks are small enough to be included in an envelope, or handed out just as one would a business card. They can also be tucked in catalogs or product packages. The size is actually quite convenient, they are bigger than a business card so more noticeable, but small enough to be flexible to use and distribute and cheap to print.
With two sides and more room, not to mention a function—a book mark can be great for including a photo or artistic image and I’ve even seen bookmarks that had a coupon or discount offer printed on one side. I’ve also seen bookmarks that had calendar dates on one side and the contact information on the other. There really are a great many creative business uses for a bookmark and you may able to differentiate yourself with a little more room and a “different” look than with the ordinary business card.
While the design costs may be higher if you have a bookmark designed by a professional, the printing costs should be reasonable—depending on what sort of paper you choose, multi-color printing, any extra perforation work, etc. Or, if your business is small enough, you may be able to do them yourself like my colleague. You may find that while they cost a little more, the results make it well worth the additional expense.
Also: Do You Really Need Business Cards?
Using Greeting Cards to Promote Your Business