Unique Marketing: DollarCards - Tacky or Eye Catching ?

If you're looking for a unique marketing solution for your small business, you may have run into the notion of "drop cards" or a subset of them called "dollar cards." Pictured to the right are various versions of a "dollar card", which is a "drop card" which is meant to get the attention of someone by promising one thing (i.e., "Hey, free money!"), but then pulls a seemingly "bait-and-switch" style advertisement.

Dollar Cards (and drop cards in general) are pretty popular in certain demographics where people don't like having to make actual person-to-person contact to initiate a discussion. For instance, the "network marketing"/"work from home" crowds, love to put clever slogans and catchy URLs on the backs of them, promising the prospect of making "big money from home." Also, some churches and religious groups will adorn them with slogans like "what more valuable than $100? Eternal life," aimed at prompting thought about "higher things".

Some people love them, some people hate them. However, I want to suggest you consider using them in your business, because if employed correctly they can actually be a fun way to generate referrals to your business.

Pros and Cons

There are a number of reasons to use dollar cards.

They are cheap. Quite simply, you can get hundreds or thousands printed for a few $100. That's often times cheaper than the same number of business cards
They do make a strong initial impact. We love money, it's inherent. The look and feel are important, and when folded in half, these really do look like the real thing.
They're less likely to be thrown away. For the same reason they make an initial impact, people are less likely to simply toss them, if only for the unique "kitsch" factor.
Even if discarded, they can catch subsequent eyes. And if they do hang on to them, or even if they lose them, they're likely to catch the eye of someone else subsequently, and that person may be interested in your wares or services, making them a semi-perpetual form of advertisment.

There are a few cons:

You can't please everyone. Some people simply won't like them, or may resent feeling "duped" or "tricked."
Guilt by Association. This is rare, but if you have someone who uniquely associates them with Network Marketing Scams.* But it could happen. *NOTE: I am not insinuating that all network marketing style companies are scams, but some are, and even those that aren't are often run poorly by folks with no business training. (I'm actually a huge proponent of the concept!)
They could outlast your promotion. As I said above, people tend to hang onto these for a long time. If you have unique content relevant to a limited-time promotion, you might have some people who come in after the window of opportunity. My advice: Honor the promotion anyway!

How to Use Them

So what should you put on your dollar card? There are a lot of examples at the website (and I have used and do endorse John Valente's particular company, the weight and feel and style of paper are all spot on).

Use them one of two ways for the greatest success.

Use them like a coupon. This is my personal favorite, because if done correctly, it completely removes the "I got duped into thinking this was worth money" objection. If you run a restaurant, consider getting a lower-denomination style card (a $5, $10, or $20), and use it as a promotion. So for instance "Present this card and get 2 meals, with appetizer, drinks, and desert for $20" or "Use this card to save $5 off of your next order with us".
Here's a great example of a card which is aimed at attracting new clients with a fair deal which is equal to the deal on the card.

This card is a bit busy, but it includes multiple offers, and a line for reps to personalize the card, which can be a nice touch!
Use them like a business card. Your cards don't have to give money away, if you can tie them in with what you do and the unique value provided. Neither of these two cards offer any money, but they work.
This works well for those in the Financial sector. Bonus for connecting it to his LinkedIn Account!

Here's a unique card incorporating a Fiverr.com business, and a QR Code which links to the unique Fiverr account.

Use Examples

So how do you deploy these cards? That's up to you. I've seen clients put them on tables in restaurants. The neat thing about drop cards is that they can be simply "dropped" and be effective.

But more effective than dropping them is physically handing them out, giving them to people with a smile and a handshake helps further legitimize the card and increase its initial impact with the receiver.

If they serve as your business cards, you can hand them out at networking events. The novelty of them can serve as a unique icebreaker, facilitating discussion, which is always a plus! (I've been to many networking events that wound up with lots of awkwardness and not much to talk about/no way to break the proverbial ice).

Do you have any experience with this style of marketing? How effective did you find it?

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