Business Cards - The most useful and often the least utilized form of marketing. Business cards have long been the best friend of a business man or woman. We have seen them handed out at company meetings and casual meetings. One thing most marketers and business person often seem to forget is business cards aren’t just meant to be handed out. They are meant to be dropped!

Ever since business cards came into existence there has been numerous ways to hand them out. But, as said earlier, most marketers forget to realize that there are other ways which you can use to get indirect exposure towards your business via business cards. In this post we will analyze ten ( 10 ) ways to get exposure to your business, and market your products and services without directly coming in contact with anybody, yet letting them know that you exist.

Before we get into the details make sure you always have a handful of cards in your pocket, no matter where you go. Even if you are going to the grocery store make sure to grab a couple. Will talk more about this particular situation when we get deeper into the post. Let’s get started,

1. Bus Stop - You might have your own car and everything but once in a while it pays to ride a bus when it comes to marketing. Why? Well, what do you do when you are at a bus stop? You wait for the bus. You can first use that location and time to talk with other people and network. Second and most importantly you can market your business indirectly using your business card. How? Simply drop one on the chair and a couple outside the booth. You ask what this will do? Most people won’t ignore a business card that’s staring at them waiting to be picked. Trust me, they will pick it up and most probably hold on to it. Getting business from them depends whether or not your business caters to their need but you surely made aware to one potential customer that you exist.

2. Bus - Now that you have left your business card at the bus stop, the next unusual place to leave your business card is when you are on the bus. How many people ride a bus to and from work at a major metropolitan city? Hundreds and thousands! Use it to your advantage to promote your business. When you are ready to board off the bus, simple drop one on the seat you were sitting on. No body wants to sit on something that’s laying on a seat. Somebody will for sure pick it up and take a look at it. There! You just left another businesses card and promoted your business and all it took was reaching into your pocket and dropping one out.

3. Hair Salon - If you are like me this might not be the place you usually visit. I say that because I am going bald and I shave my head which eliminates the need to visit a hair salon. But if you do go to get your hair cut, well it’s your lucky day and another shot at marketing your business. When you are at a barber shop or hair salon just leave one on the counter after you are done. Sure! You can hand one out to the barber or at the counter, but you want more than just them knowing. You want their customer who might also be interested in your products and services. So go ahead drop one right out while you are in there.
4. Convenience Store - We all use convenience store, whether its a quick stop to fill gas, relief ourselves or grab something to quick munch on. A convenience store is another one of those places that’s never empty, most of the times. There are hundreds of people walking in and out everyday. If you can convert 25% of convenience store customers to atleast peek at your business card, that is a huge success and an achievement. Some places to leave your business card while you are in there would be - the newspaper rack, the counter ( drop one before walking out ), once you are done grabbing the snickers leave one on the shelve. You get the idea. The key is to find spots that are mostly accessed by customers in a convenience store.
5. Restaurants - I am not talking about McDonald’s here, I am talking about a restaurant where you go sit, look at a menu and wait for your food to arrive. Sometimes paying 20-50 dollars a meal can really be a good investment when it comes to promoting your business. Once you are done eating at a restaurant leave one on the table you were eating at. Who will see this? Just the waiter because they will most probably clean the table once you leave. Well, you marketed to one person. What about others who might come to a restaurant, the restaurant’s customer? This is what you should do in addition to leaving one on the table you ate - leave couple while on your way out on empty tables that are already cleaned and waiting for a customer. They are already cleaned so when a new customer arrives they will most probably peek at your business card, thus giving your business some exposure. The hungry customer might have a short attention span, but hey atleast he/she knows you exist.
6. Airport - When it comes to marketing via ” leave your business card approach, “ airports are the best place on earth to promote your business. There are just hundreds of places in an airport that you can simply drop your card and let others know about you and or your business. Some places you can quick drop a business card off your pocket while in an airport - the waiting area ( seat , aisle, etc ), the airport bathroom ( why not ), food court, magazine racks, etc. Spots and places you can leave your business card are just countless. Go ahead and find a spot, I am sure you will find more than you can think of. Just drop one somewhere and get indirectly in touch with your to be customers.
7. Department/Grocery Store - Without a visit to a department store or grocery store every so often, our lives cannot exist,literally. There isn’t anybody who doesn’t visit a grocery store or a department store for that matter. I wouldn’t really recommend leaving your cards on shelves in a department/grocery store but one place most people won’t miss your business card is the cart. Yes, the cart you put your groceries in. Just drop one on your way out. The next person that will grab the cart will most certainly give it a look which will give you or your business an instant exposure. Most businesses leave their flyers and such in carts and promote them, you might as well do the same with your business card.
8. Bar - While at a bar if you are still not drunk enough to forget your business, leave one at the counter right before you leave. The next person will most likely give it a look and if they are drunk enough they might just slip one in their pocket. And of course your product and services are so strong that someone doesn’t have to be drunk to keep one of your business cards. They will grab and hold on to it anyway. That’s marketing at it’s best - when you can promote your business where people go to forget their own business.
9. Open Houses - I love open houses. First you get a chance to peek into someone’s house with their permission and second, you have the opportunity to sell your own service while someone is selling their house. Talk about maximizing opportunities. When you are at a open house, peeking into somebody else’s property errr…. looking to buy a house, drop one next to the realtor’s business card. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, simply drop one somewhere on the floor while inside the house. Living room, kitchen, bedroom, your call. Make a choice.
10. Rental Properties - Whatever it is that you are renting, be it a car, a house or an apartment, when you are done with it leave a couple in there. If it is a rental car, be sure to drop one in the glove box, the back seat and may be one on the dashboard. You might be using it for a business purpose or pleasure, whatever it is, business cards are most likely to fall out and stored somewhere while driving around. When it comes to a rental house or an apartment, the possibilities are endless. You lived there for so long so it makes sense that you forgot a couple business cards while you were leaving. Like I said the possibilities and spots while leaving a rental house is endless. In a closet, bedroom, kitchen …. see, you have opportunities everywhere.

I am pretty sure you have your own ways of ” sneaky marketing. “ Please share some of your tips on how we can forget our business cards somewhere knowingly and get in touch with our potential customers. The comment section is yours to share some business card marketing tips with us.

Ohh wow, I just found a business card for an electrician in my basement. I should give them a call when I have electrical issues. Previous tenants must have forgotten one down here while moving .