Do you have a business card for yourself? Your blog?
I made a card up for myself for my “Along Came Sampson” website.
The card was made up with this picture on it.
The front of the card says, “DO YOU KNOW SAMPSON” and it lists his website address along with my name. On the back of the card, I have my e-mail address, my cell phone number and this blog address.
I had these cards made up when I was focused on my children’s book, “Along Came Sampson.” I still have the website, but I really don’t do much with it, instead my focus has changed and I now work pretty diligently on this blog.
The reason I bring all this up is, today when I was at the grocery store I stopped at the Deli. I ordered some all beef bologna and the man who was taking my order asked how thick I wanted it. I told him the thickness and indicated it was for the dogs.
“Oh, what kind of dog do you have?”
“They’re labs.”
His eyes lit up, “You don’t happen to be a breeder do you?”
Turns out he’s been looking for a lab for months, he’s looked at the lab rescue sites but has been put off because the dogs are from out of state and he wants to meet the dog before he adopts it.
I get that. So I said, “Here’s my card, I know the woman who does placements for Labs 4 Rescue and I know they have dogs in CT. There are also options of fostering to adopt.”
Turns out he’d never thought of that.
Now, if I hadn’t had my card I could still have given him my information, but I would have had to write it on the back of a receipt or something. This way he has my name, number, e-mail addy and blog address all in one place.
If you don’t have a card for your blog, Vista Print does a really nice job and you can get 250 cards for $10 which includes shipping. I don’t think that’s a bad deal at all. In fact, I’m thinking of ordering myself some more cards with the focus on this blog. I’m not really sure whether I will keep the Along Came Sampson website or not.
If you don’t have cards for your blog, do you think you could benefit from having cards? If you do have cards, do you use them and have you found them to be beneficial?
Book update, still the same.
I actually just got my cards fro VistaPrint today! I got them mostly or blog promotion, so that when I get to talking to people at the park the store etc. I can give them a card and to give out to vendors at trade shows etc. in hopes of scheduling new reviews/giveaways/advertising etc. They are pretty basic (and the spacing is a little whacked, looks like VP maybe trimmed them wrong??) Just our logo, our blog name & tagline, with our web address & email under it. Definitely helpful, I think.
The first time I ordered I spelled wordpress, worpress. I called them up and they fixed the cards and didn’t charge me anything! If you don’t like the cards, call customer service and see if they can fix them!
So you actually go to tradeshows? That is something I never thought of doing! I think more than likely I will have to upgrade to the paid account so I can do some product reviews, giveaways and advertising.
Good for you!! Let me know how they work.
I do use business cards for my dogs and website, I print my own though. They have come in very useful; jsut recently I was loading the pups back in the van after our trip in to Pet Smart when a gentleman pulled up and said “I saw your pups and had to turn around and come back to inquire about them” I exchanged some general info, the breed, temperament, etc. I gave him my card so he could find out more info on the breed and contact me if he was interested. I was glad I had them on me and I have given many out this way, just by chance. Business cards are very useful 🙂
I am getting some because I’m going to lobby at the state legislature for Humane Day in March. I hope my blog will carry some clout and get a little attention from the lawmakers (well, from their assistants). Sad that’s what gets their attention, but it’s the truth.
Absolutely I go to tradeshows! It’s a great way to discover some new products and talk to the people who represent them.
Designing a card has been on my to-do list for months. Someday…lol.
Vista Print also gives away lots of freebies. My daughter (who is only 14!) got a ton of stuff free of charge.
I’ve thought about business cards. I suppose I’ll get around to it one of these days. Good for you Jodi, for spreading the word about fostering. More people need to do it.
Thanks for the reminder Jodi. I had wanted to do this for a while, and keep forgetting. I also want to get a “Donna and the Dogs Blog” car magnet of some sort made up for the back of my car. I do want to drive traffic to the blog, and it’s a simple way to do so.
Great idea Jodi. The only problem is my lack of pockets. I will mention this to the tall person.
I love Vistaprint, and I do have cards from them. They feature the picture of Lamar in this post http://peacefuldog.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-training-session-meditation.html. We use them to promote our training and grooming services, and also just to show off Lamar’s gorgeous face.
I have business cards and some other printed materials for my blog. I also ordered my stuff from VistaPrint and have been very happy with the service and quality. Since I photograph dogs that I encounter while I’m out and about, I get a lot of curious looks. And sometimes an owner is with the dog I want to photograph – the cards are a good way to break the ice, quickly explain who I am, what I’m doing, and ask permission to photograph their dog. My card also notes that they can email me if they’d like a copy of the photo I took of their dog. I’ve heard other people say that they will leave their cards in restaurants when they pay their bill, post them to public bulletin boards, and hand them out at relevant events – those all sound like good ideas for someone who wants to promote their blog.
Hey Jodi…I definitely think cards are a terrific idea. I made some for my blog via Vista. I have purposely not put my contact numbers on it because clients will call me night & day :-). However, I have put on my blog site and it has been great to give my clients to and serves its purpose: educating the public. I will be making another set soon and intend to include a 2D barcode so when people scan on their mobile, it takes them straight to my website.
That’s a fabulous idea!! How do you put a 2D barcode on it?
Just search google for a 2D barcode creator, there are a few websites that will do this.. after you create your barcode, download it to your desktop then upload it to your business card creation:) its fancy isn’t it!