When it comes to your business, you want to do everything you can to give yourself that “edge” you need to stay ahead of the competition. Having great visibility is one of those things. There is, of course, the obvious things to do: advertise, practice good business to reap the benefits of word of mouth, hand out your business card to everyone you meet, talk to people about what you do.... the list goes on forever. The only problem with these ideas is that everyone is using them. You want something different and the custom trading cards you can make with “Your Trading Card Maker” (www.customtradingcardmaker.com) can give you that edge.

With “Your Trading Card Maker”, the possibilities are endless with the front space for the picture and the back ready for you to fill in whatever information you want your clients and future clients to know. Here are some ideas to help you get your creative juices flowing on how it could help boost your business's visibility:

Hospitality

Eateries can use custom trading cards to feature daily specials, take out menus and specialty foods.

Hotels can promote high-end rooms with custom trading cards including great photos and highlights of the special amenities.

Real Estate

Make trading cards to showcase your listings. Have them available in your office and at open houses. The front will show a great picture of the property and the back has plenty of space for property's specs.

If you fix up properties, use the trading cards to display the before and after shots of the house. Use the text space on the back to document the changes and highlight special features.

Use a custom trading card as a frequent shopper card.

If you sell specialty items, use the custom trading cards to market one-of-a-kind items.

Offer a personalized trading card to everyone who stops in during special events. (Hobby stores can use photos of the customers using the hobby items; motorcycle dealers can use a special edition cycle in the pictures; and, children's stores can have the kids pose with their favorite characters.)

Use the cards to show the different kinds of work you do. Instead of handing out a business card that just has your name and number, give out a custom trading card that highlights more details about the type of work your potential clients are looking for.

General Ideas Great for Any Business

Make the trading cards magnetic so your customers can keep them handy and remember your business when they are in the market for your goods or services.

Get together with other businesses in your town or neighborhood and create collection of trading cards to deliver to new residents when they move in to the area: include cards that give information about the area such as parks and recreation, local government offices, area churches and businesses that will be of interest to them such as banks, auto mechanics and specialty stores.