Construction Business Cards – Get Creative

I’ve been in the home improvement industry for a long time, and it never ceases to amaze me how many boring construction business cards I come across in my dealings with other contractors. I’ve seen some real sleepyheads that I think make owners want to take a nap instead of calling the business owner. I just don’t understand how these guys can’t see their cards for what they are, which is basically a waste of time and money.

This is also not to say that a contractor’s business card has to resemble a circus. If there’s so much going on with your card that a potential owner can’t even locate his phone number, then he should cut it down a bit. I guess what I’m saying is that there are ways to present your information in a clean and readable manner while displaying a streak of creativity that will set you apart from the competition.

For example, a siding installation contractor once handed me his card and I quickly realized that it was made of light blue vinyl siding, with the faux wood texture! It seemed like a brilliant idea to me, but he was smart enough not to go overboard with the information. It was basic and simple, but the creativity that went into the material probably helped him get many more projects than he could with just a boring piece of paper.

Another business card I saw recently was surely expensive to produce, but the results were amazing. It had a peel-off label on the front, and on the label was a picture of an old, outdated kitchen with the word “before” printed on it. However, if you removed the tag, it revealed an “after” picture of the same post-remodel kitchen. The contrast between the two images was striking, and I’m sure the card was more effective in attracting new customers who were tired of their dreary looking kitchen.

One tactic I have seen used several times is based on the coupon theory. People love coupons, especially in today’s economic climate, so why not turn your card into a coupon? The front of the card would look like a typical formal card, while the back might have a discount printed on it (with an expiration date, of course). This would increase the chances of owners keeping their card instead of throwing it away, and it would also dramatically increase your lead conversion rate.

Those are just a few ideas for creating a creative and useful business card that works, but if you put your mind to it, you’re sure to come up with many more. Just remember that if your construction business cards are boring, people will intuitively think that your service results will be boring too.