Unique Business Cards: 15 Ideas to Bring You More Business

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Having unique business cards is one of the easiest advertising opportunities to build your reputation and your business – but it’s also often one of the most overlooked marketing medias.

We usually think of business cards as just something to use to hand out our contact information – but it can also be a way to attract more attention, show off your strengths, and be remembered by clients for years to come when done right.

Most of us start in real estate with “company issued business cards” – every agent in the office has the same card design and very few ever stray away from the first design they have since they first joined the company. Many times when at agent tours I’ll see a basket of cards left by those visiting (usually enticed to leave it only because of a raffle!) and notice almost all of them are nearly identical.

One obvious benefit of a unique business card is it makes you stand out from the rest of the agents in your area, especially when on listing appointments or when at an open house and your visitors have already toured and met other agents that afternoon.

The other benefit of a unique business card is it may make people hold onto it longer and remember you. The standard paper rectangle business card is relatively easy to lose – especially in an industry where you’re often exchanging business cards. We might have the good intentions of keeping a business card, but they often get stuck in the dashboard of a car or wallet, or maybe even accidentally washed if left in a pocket.

So if you’ve been looking for a relatively inexpensive and passive way to market yourself, we’ve put together a few ideas for unique business cards below:

Ideas for Unique Business Cards

1. Go Plastic: Plastic is more durable than paper. Sure, they may be more expensive to print out, but you also might get more return out of them, since they not only show that you’re a serious professional, but they’re less likely to be lost or dissolved in the washing machine.

2. Add Coupons: What if your business card was good for a $1 off a cup of coffee each time they visit the local coffee shop, or a free cookie when they visited the local grocery store bakery? People would be thinking of you quite a bit and you can bet they won’t be throwing your card out anytime soon! Team up with whatever small business you can think of that your customers may appreciate and make sure its a win-win for the both of you.

3. Consider a Different Shape: Who says business cards need to be rectangles? Try circles, squares, triangles, or even making your rectangle go vertical. It will add to the “oh!” factor when you give it to someone.

4. Try Something Sticky: Some people have had good success with sticker cards – so it could be worth ordering a small batch of them or even printing them from home and see how they work for you. You can then start thinking of creative places to start sticking them to be seen!

5. Include Useful Information: One real estate agent I knew had monthly mortgage payment rate charts on the back of her card. You could also list info like utility company numbers or conversion charts or anything else you think is appropriate. Think of something your clients might need as a resource and your card would be a convenient little guide in their wallet.

6. Consider How You Present Business Cards: Are you fumbling in your pocket or purse hoping not to find a smashed or torn business card to hand to a potential client? The way you present your business cards can also make a difference. A friend of mine kept his business cards in a mini briefcase business card holder that always made people smile and say “hey, that’s neat!”

7. Consider Folded Cards: Sometimes the traditional business card doesn’t give enough room. Folded business cards are an option that can make your card separate from the rest and create interest in opening it up. You could also try a “pop-up” card – for example one unique card I saw was a house with a front door that you opened.

8. Don’t Be Afraid of Text: While you don’t want an over cluttered business card, there are exceptions when you create interesting text on the card. Maybe you’ve got an interesting short story to share that would make others be tempted to read what it actually says.

9. Bring People to Your Website: Chances are just listing a website address is not enough to make people actually visit – perhaps you could list on the back “Top 3 Blog Posts” or “5 Reasons to Visit MySite.com”.

10. Don’t Be Afraid of Color: So many business cards are the usual drab and boring white – so don’t be afraid to be daring and go for a bold color or to use different paper types and weights.

12. Think Magnetic: My dentist does this and I love it: he gives all of his customers a magnetic business card. I keep it right on my fridge and I never have to worry about where his number went the next time I need him. Of course, I would call him anyway, but it’s nice to not think about having to look it up online or dragging out the phone book!

13. Market Your Listings: If you don’t mind ordering small batches of business cards at a time, adding your listings can be a great way to add a little more exposure to your listings and give your sellers an extra incentive to list with you. It also shows everyone you meet that you’re an active and dedicated agent.

14. Remember Your Niche: If you specialize in certain real estate niches, having a card that emphasizes that may make you seem like the authority to turn to. Examples would be a “green” real estate agent using recycled paper cards, an agent specializing in farms or horse properties having a picture of a horse and/or farm on his or her card, or a vacation rental agent showing scenes of the beach.

15. Have a Unique Tag Line: Few agents have tag lines on their cards, but most of them that do have the usual tired and cliched ones such as: “I Don’t List Your Home, I Sell It” or “The kindest compliment is a referral” type of stuff. One that I saw that made me laugh was “Because there’s more to it than money and a hand shake” – but surely you can come up with something better than that!

The possibilities are endless when coming up with unique business card ideas. Your creativity doesn’t have to be limited to just this list! There are many other things you can do when designing your business cards – illustrations, embossing, 3-D, and using unique fronts can all help with getting your card noticed better.

How unique is your business card? Do you have any other ideas for making your business cards unique and get noticed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!