Take a look at a typical business card and the similarities leap out so strikingly that they all seem to be following the same rules. Of course you have your name on there, and your business name. Same for your address and contact information: phone, cell, fax, and email. But so does everyone else. In fact, for the majority of business cards, the only discernable difference is the company logo. Blogger and public speaker Ethan Demme had a unique take on the modern business card. "Rounded edges," he points out with pride. His logic is that after a conference, when an attendee is thumbing through their stack of recently acquired deck of business cards, the break will naturally land on his. But he didn't stop there. Ethan borrowed heavily from one of his primary marketing tools: Facebook. He copied not only the color scheme of the popular social networking site, but also the font and general spacing. At first glance, Ethan's business card looks a great deal like a cropped and rounded version of his social networking profile. The look, like the rounded corners, was done with a purpose. Ethan's clients and prospects frequently use Facebook, and visually associating himself with the site helps to create a connection long after Ethan has finished his pitch and flown to the next convention.



Ethan is not alone in his quest to make the business card more effective through creativity, nor is he the most adventurous. Reflections Dental Care has an impression of teeth on their cards. Matilda Jane, a boutique clothing company, has a floral print on their card with a red zig-zagging string stitched in. NGAP, the National Greyhound Adoption Program, opted for dog tags, complete with beaded chain loop. While these designs might seem extreme (and in all likelihood not very wallet-friendly), they represent a very important function of the modern business card ? break the mold with something truly memorable that represents you and your business. After all, your business card is a marketing tool and it should be selling your business.

Drilling down a little bit, what do you have on your business card? The usual contact stats? Ethan, obviously, has his Facebook contact information. Do you twitter? MySpace? What about the website that you've worked so hard on? Much like the appearance of your business card, the content should also be representative of your business. What's more, your contact details should say how you want to interact with your clients - online, on the phone, or in person. Though it's a bit harder to accomplish than the physical design, the actual copy on your card should be unique and representative, effectively transforming your business card to fit your own personal requirements.

All of this creativity is for naught if your business cards stay in a box next to your desk. Much like the design and content of your business card, leveraging your cards creatively can pay dividends. In fact, this is one area where your business card can still trump your website. After all, your website is bound to a computer screen, but your business card exists in the real world, where your customers are. DUI attorney Steven Breit puts his business cards exactly where his clients will find them - in bars. Granted, his business cards break from tradition, they're not cards at all, but rather matchbooks and coasters, but they perform all of the same functions as a business card. It doesn't take much time or effort to toss a copy of your business card in with a mail order, but if you want your customer to keep the card, putting a coupon on the back side for future orders, or even a promo code, can help spur repeat business. And then there is the business-card-as-magnet. This novel approach has been used by people ranging from local shops to American Express - and the results are rather striking. Suddenly the business card you so frequently hand out leaves the Rolodex and winds up on a fridge where the client, their family, and their guests see it on a daily basis. The rule of thumb should be making your business card valuable to your customer, and then placing that valuable item where it's likely to be seen.

Take a look at your business card again. How unique is it? How well does it represent your business? Are you using your business card as a marketing tool, or merely a formality tacked on to either end of a business activity? The logic of the business card is a sound one - a means of communicating information about your business - but the concept of the business card is entering a new age: an age of individual empowerment. After all, the business card is a pitch that your customer can walk away with, a handshake that they can put in a wallet, pocket, or purse. Do yourself a favor, and put your business card to work; don't let it simply be an afterthought.