This guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Audrey Clarke, owner of Professionals Now, LLC in Tampa, FL.

Are you a new business owner? Are you trying to determine how to get the word out about your business but understand you have a lot of competition?  How do you make your business card or your business stand out from the rest?You send a business card but you do it with a twist.  We recently added a new service to our business.  We had business cards printed and then we went door to door to businesses we believed could use our services.  What we left them was our business card and a small bag of candy attached.

We went to the local craft store and purchased thin mesh sheets. We also purchased gold cord.  We cut the mesh, filled it with candy, and then put the gold cord around it in a knot. We punched a hole in our business cards (make sure you do not cover any pertinent information) and then strung it through our cards so the candy and the business card become one. It might take you a few times to get it right, but the candy was a big hit. When we dropped them off, it usually started a conversation and some asked us to bring in another business card. So this gets your card seen a bit more than the rest.

You obtain one of their business cards and find out who is the person that handles your service.  Make sure you put that information on the back of the card for your follow-up call.  We waited a few days and then called back to speak with the correct person.  We referenced our company and the fact that we left a business card and a bag of candy.  We just wanted to make sure they received the card and wondered if there was any service they needed today.

Try it and let us know how it works.  Happy Marketing!

Audrey Clarke is the manager of her own media relations, public information and process serving company, Professionals Now, LLC, located in Tampa, FL.  To learn more about Audrey and all of our Small Business Perspective authors, click here.