When prospects see the inside of a house after you've shown it, their eyes need to go straight to yours out of all the business cards sitting on the table.

When you hand someone a business card in the grocery store, it needs to make them want to frame it and hang it above their bed (ok, over exaggeration but you get the point).

There's really only so much you can think of when it comes to business card marketing ideas. It's hard to look different sometimes but there are enough options to make it work.

Let me show you...

Let's start with the color. Most Realtors and agents use a white background for their card, right? One option is to just switch up the color. Go orange or yellow, or purple, or neon green. Make it standout. Don't mix those all together and look like the "hippie agent" though (unless that's your brand), but put some color into it. Don't be afraid to be different. Just make sure it lines up with your brand that you're trying to convey to prospects.

Another simple business card marketing idea is that the font style can be changed too. Make sure the font color goes with your card background but play with the style. DaFont.com has some great, free ideas of all kinds of font styles. Play with some of those and see what looks best for you and your brand.

Your profile picture could use a face lift too. No, I'm not saying you're ugly. You're beautiful just the way you are. What I mean is you should try taking a different picture of yourself.

How about a picture of you with a client? You with your dog? You sitting on top of a roof? You leaning on a giant key that's the size of "Andre the Giant"? Get creative and think outside the box. Put a picture on there that prospects are going to remember!

What do you have on the backside of your card right now? Is it blank? Do you have some tacky phrase about "the best compliment I can receive is a referral from a friend...."? I actually hate seeing that one. That's NOT business card marketing in a unique way; that's just silly.

When I'm showing a house, I always look at the backside of the agent's cards that have shown the house before me. I see that phrase on there all the time. It's almost worse than leaving it blank. Who's going to refer someone to you just because you say you'd appreciate it? Unless you've built a relationship with that prospect, it's meaningless. If this is you I'm talking about, I'm sorry. But please consider changing that up.

Ok, enough ranting. Back to this business card marketing lesson...

Instead of a tacky phrase or a blank backside, how about offering a "FREE Report" about something if they go to your site and fill out their name and email in your opt-in box?

You could offer...

• "FREE 7-Day e-Course on How to Sell Your Home in 21 Days or Less"
• "FREE 10-Minute Interview with Your Town's Funniest Realtor"
• "9 Ways to Avoid Selling Below Your Listing Price"
• "3 Tips on How to Sell Your Home for $30,000 More"

Give prospects a reason to go further with your business card. That's the whole point of this business card marketing technique. Make them want to know more about you. Don't let them think you're the same as the other 2 million agents out there.

Now for my favorite way to enhance your business card marketing. This is awesome and I barely see any Realtors or agents doing this. It'll make you look like Donald Trump... plastic and metal! Let me explain more...

What is your card printed on right now? Some kind of paper, I know, but what kind? Does it feel like you took some copy paper as thin as single-ply toilet paper and slapped your name and phone number on it? Or does it feel like the typical semi-durable card stock that we always see?

Do you think your card would stand out more if it was made out of a thin sheet of metal? Or plastic? No, I'm not kidding.

What if the card had your logo on it only it was cut into the business card instead of printed on it? You can actually do this stuff with business cards now.

Yes, it's a bit more expensive but it's a marketing piece. It says something about your brand and image. Don't spend $5 per card but feel free to splurge a little more than the home-made Staples business card kit you bought Thursday morning.

While this business card topic is a common one, you can see there are all kinds of variations you can implement to stand out from the crowd. And when you literally have a million other agents out there to compete with, you need to stand out!

Follow the guidelines and ideas and I gave you and put your own twist on it. Take some time to think and come up with something unique and creative. Think about all the prospects that receive and see your card. Don't you want to maximize those marketing pieces to their fullest potential? With these ideas, you'll be on your way.
 

About the Author:

Josh F. Sanders is a Real Estate Broker and the Founder of Shiloh Street University in Seattle, WA, an online marketing school designed specifically for Realtors and agents.

The university's purpose is to "Create Wealthy Agents through World-Class Marketing" by providing step-by-step video marketing tutorials, lessons, advice, tips, articles, recommended marketing vendors and much more.

Josh started studying marketing and real estate at the age of 17 and has been in the mortgage and real estate business since he was 21 years old. He realized he had that "entrepreneurial spirit" when he was selling baseball cards on his front lawn in the 2nd grade.

In early 2010, Josh decided to launch his first real estate brokerage, Shiloh Street, in Kirkland, WA. He also created Shiloh Street University, to fill the marketing need that many Realtors and agents have holding them back from being successful in closing more transactions.