Saturday, November 10, 2007

Success Is In The Cards

Considering our current I2X business cards are missing our company logo and have the wrong e-mail and web address, we thought it was time to bite the bullet and get a new set.

Previously, we used VistaPrint with good results, and so we returned to them again. We purchased free business cards, which actually ended up costing us $10.00 - $5.00 for shipping and $5.00 for using our company logo.

VistaPrint specializes in self service creation of business cards, stationary, and pretty much anything else they can stick your logo on. Having implemented a self service creative system before, I can tell you, it isn't easy. Finding a balance between customization and idiotproofness is tricky. VistaPrint has done it well. We were able to pick a sane template and then tweak the cards from there.

There's almost too much customization, actually, as I think you can end up with pretty nasty looking output. But that's always the challenge.

VistaPrint is also a marketers paradise. Like GoDaddy, every step of the buying process is fraught with additional upsells. VistaPrint is fairly clever about it though. For example, not only do they want to upsell you on buying mailing labels, but they take the input from the business cards and repurpose it for the labels. The result is that you logo and name is plastered on everything they want to sell you. Most marketers I know would be hyperventilating with glee if they had that kind of capability.

Even with the hard selling of additional items, I still think VistaPrint is a winner. They get the job done and do it cheaply.

Here's a business card tip: remember, sometimes the best thing you can do is to leave your business cards at home.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous12:59 PM

    Prepare to be spammed. They are bordering on maniacal. I don't get as much Viagra email as I do mail from their latest deal of the century. Hope you used a throwaway address...

    Darnedest thing is that their quality is pretty good (although their shipping costs are insane too...)

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