You know the feeling. You dash out the door, jump in the card, headed for a networking meeting. You arrive on time, just barely, and then it hits you. You forgot to stock up on business cards.

It’s too late to go back to your office and retrieve them. You are now going to look like a rank amateur. Not having business cards in  your pocket will subconsciously  cause you to minimize making new connections. The scary part is that you never know the value of just one business card exchange.

There is a simple bit of preventative wedding marketing maintenance to make certain this never happens. When ordering or reordering business cards, buy an extra 1000 and stash them everywhere. You should never be at any networking event without 25-50 cards.

Stash a reserve 25-50 cards in the following places.

We’re talking about a few hundred extra cards, for back up, We’re not talking about your special business card case. This is back up.

You’ll never have that sick feeling, in the pit of your stomach, again.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, business card, purse, wedding marketing, Wedding Marketing Authority, wedding marketing blog

One lesson I’ve learned repeatedly (sometimes I’m a slow learner) is what we think people understand and know about our business does not necessarily synch up with actuality.

As one’s business evolves, we add more products and/or services and, eventually, there is a dilution effect. Our peers no longer understand the focus of our business. The reverse can also be true. People know you for doing great wedding work (for example), but haven’t adjusted to the notion that you service other kinds of events and functions, too. Neither of these states of mind is a good thing.

Forget what you say for a moment. When other people introduce you, what do they say? Do they describe what you, what you do best, and who you do it for, without hesitation, and with clarity?

If not, maybe it’s time to retool your message and restate it, repeatedly, and with clarity.

It has to roll off your tongue. It has to roll off the tongue of your evangelistic advocates, with ease.

Here’s a small, but important project: Write a fresh mission statement. Then, turn it into a 10-second self-introduction. You have to take these two steps before re-educating your industry peers about precisely what you do.

Take the new mission statement, put it on every screen of your website, on the back of your business card, and in the signature block of your email address. Frame it, and put in view, near your desk (for you). Frame it, and hang it on the wall, if you have a waiting room.

An amazing change will happen, over time. As you show clarity and focus about your business, the people you interact with will do the same.

That can only result in good things, particularly qualified, sizzling hot leads and referrals. And that starts when people know where you fit in.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business card, business identity, business image, clarity, focus, perception, Relationship Marketing

Although we exchange business cards, constantly, rarely, are we impressed. We stuff business cards in our pockets and purses and occasionally file them away or transcribe them to our address books or databases.

This in unfortunate, because a business card is often the first visual impression of a business and can really make a difference.

Recently, my friend, Tracey Kumer-Moore, a Las Vegas – based Wedding Planner (Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge) handed out a new business card that blew me away. In fact, everyone who received one was struck by the creativity of it.

Tracey found illustrator, Samantha Wise, on the web (imagine that). She hired Samantha to create an illustrated image. The full illustration now anchors the header of Tracey’s Blog, Diary of a Las Vegas Wedding Concierge.

Tracey opted for a 2-sided business card. There is really no definition as to which is the front and which is the back, but for effect, Tracey hands out the card showing the illustration as the front.

When one flips the card over, you see a little more contact information, with a picture of the ‘real Tracey.’

So ask yourself, when was the last time someone said to you, “What a cool business card!” Just that simple reaction should show that you’ve created a business advantage using some well-placed creativity.

In a phrase, Tracey’s business card rocks!

When was the last time you gave your wedding marketing a boost by redesigning your business card a fresh, and truly unique, look?

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business card, business identity, business image, Marketing Maintenance, visual image, wedding marketing blog