Why do business cards have to be so boring? Actually, that's the wrong question, business cards don't have to be boring at all. What we mean is why do we all make such boring business cards? If it's a representation of your business, it should be memorable, right? While we're at it, do you give out appointment reminders or send out post cards? Birthday or holiday cards? Do you give your patients any type of insert with their glasses or contacts? Those are ALL opportunities to get creative!
We found some cool ideas for printed material that might get you thinking. Whether it's a clever design, or using a QR code, or putting something useful on the piece that makes the holder hang on to it, there's really no limit to what you can do. Oh, and before you write this off because you think it's going to be too expensive, hear us out. It really doesn't have to be. We found this company called MOO that has a ton of creative options and it's totally affordable. Here are some ideas we loved:
MOO MiniCards - The reason these stand out is that one, they are smaller than regular business cards and that in and of itself is "different", but the big thing is that you can have a different design printed on every card. So say you wanted to do some spin on cool vintage frames on one side, then your business info on the other, it's no problem. Or various color treatments of your logo, or various colors on the back, the list goes on.You wouldn't have to pick one design for the design side, you could choose several and it would have a unique but cohesive look. Here's how a jewelry designer used this same concept:
But, MOO MiniCards don't just have to serve as a business card. You could also use them for branding on the retail side of your eyecare practice. Maybe you punch a hole in them and use them as price tags. Or you could tie them to a frame case when a patient comes in to pick up their glasses. It would be a neat way to include information for your practice, to say thanks, to give an appointment reminder, and maybe something fun or useful in addition like "instructions for cleaning your glasses". (Think all of these on their own MiniCard, hole punched and stacked, then tied around the case.) The sky is the limit with what you could do here. Here's a sample of how these were used like this:
MOO Postcards - We know a lot of practices have switched to electronic methods for patient reminders, but if you are doing a post card for this or even for holidays, MOO has options. We really like these that have the little icons of kitchen gadgets . Those could easily be done using different icons of frames, or even words like "Spectacles Frames Contacts Exams" in different colors. The eye chart (yes, we know everyone uses it) would be sharp in different color schemes like this too... a nice break from the standard black and white.
When was the last time you got a card or mailing from a business and thought "Wow, this is really creative!"? For us, one that comes to mind is a waxing studio in our area that has a really cool card. Basically, it's a folded card with their name on the front and when you open it, you hear the distinctive "riiiiiiip" sound that is all too familiar to anyone that has ever had their eyebrows waxed. The sound is generated by a piece of velcro that holds the card together. Definitely creative and it definitely made an impression! Have you done anything like this to jazz up your business cards and print pieces? Or do you have any ideas that you want to share? We would love to hear your opinions on this stuff, it's so much fun!
For regular tips and tricks, subscribe to the VisionWeb Blog!
