The typical business card is the most ubiquitous 7 square inches of marketing in the entire world – yet it’s also a fact that 98% of business card layouts stink when it comes to doing something really important for the person carrying them – creating business!

Think back to when you created your first business card… what were you concerned with?

Your logo?

Using pretty colors?

What title you should use (e.g. President, Owner, etc.)?

Smart entrepreneurs who study direct marketing know the power and opportunity of every touch-point with a prospect or customer and they start with their business card layouts.

The key is to think direct-response and create a business card that offers the person you’re giving it to – a chance to respond to something.

In the rest of this article, I will share 7 secrets for creating a powerful business card that will make you stand out and add dollars to your bank account.

Secret #1 – Don’t Use Free Business Cards

You know the ones I am talking about. The offer is so tempting, I mean, “it’s only a business card, right?”

These are the cards, like the one above, that have the no-so-little tag line on the back such as, “Business cards are free at…”

So what’s your first impression when somebody hands you one of these numbingly boring business card layouts? - “Geez, they must not be doing so well if the best they can do is give me a free business card” – or something like that, right?

In the end, free business cards and free business card layouts will end up costing you money. Don’t use them!

Secret #2 – Create Specific Cards For Specific Purposes

Printing high-quality, custom business cards is fast and inexpensive. Any local printer can create them for you and there are a ton of Web-based companies that have 24 hour turn-around.

My advice is to have different business card layouts for different reasons and know your “reasons why” you need a specific card for a specific event. Ask yourself this important question:

“When I hand somebody a card – what is the one single action I want them to take?”

Recently I attended a copy writing seminar. One of my goals was to find suitable joint-venture partners for promoting CopyDoodles®. I specifically created one of my famous “mini-brochure” business cards specifically for this event. My local printer only printed 25 of them and they were laser-focused.

Consider creating business card layouts where you:

• Make a special offer
• Offer a free report, CD or gift
• Create an invitation for joint-venture partners
• Ask for referrals, etc.

Secret #3 – Double the Power with Double-Sided Business Card Layouts

If you only take one idea away from this article – this one is it!

I highly recommend every business card you print be a double-sided business card (printing on both sides).

Why?

Because you’ve immediately doubled the amount of space to have a clear, relevant marketing message AND because most people don’t do this, so your card will stand out! Makes sense... doesn’t it?

Here are a few outstanding ideas of what you can put on the second side of your business card:

• A time-based offer
• A powerful testimonial
• Business-specific tips
• Photos of happy customers
• An area where you can write in a personal note to the person you’re giving it to

Secret #4 – Don’t Use Paper

Get this; your business card doesn’t have to be the traditional paper card. Today, you can have a business card made out of metal, plastic, magnets, even wood.

For years, I carried a business card CD-ROM, which is a computer CD (or DVD) in the shape of a business card, like the ones above.

My card contained a 5 minute video that auto-played when inserted into a computer and then immediately took the viewer to my web site after the video was over. I always got a decent response whenever I handed these out.

The biggest advice I can offer you with regards to creating a card out of something other than paper is to have a congruent reason-why you’re doing it. If you can match this reason with your main offer or business message – you’ll be ahead of the game!

Secret #5 – Add Emphasis with CopyDoodles

Smart marketers know CopyDoodles are the world’s fastest and easiest way a personal, “me to you” look. They also add visual spice and a “wow-factor” to your marketing.

Use CopyDoodles and our matching CopyFonts to create unique-looking business card layouts that don’t blend in with the masses, but stand out and get noticed.

Attract the reader’s eye to specific areas of your card with hand-drawn arrows and stars or add a personal handwritten note like “Call Me” for a unique-looking business card.

Secret #6 – Add Personality with Caricatures

I believe every business owner and entrepreneur should have a caricature of themselves.

C’mon folks… life’s too short to be boring and cookie-cutter. If you want your business to be invisible to the world… just do what everybody else in your industry is doing!

You can get a high-quality, custom caricature for less than $150 if you search the Web. They’re a fun way to add some quirky personality and visual eye-candy to your business card layouts.

Secret #7 – Create a “Mini-Brochure” Card

My last secret is a big one – literally.

Who says business card layouts can only be 2.5 inches by 3 inches?
Did you know you can create a mini-brochure that has the same footprint as traditional business card layouts?

By simply adding panels to your card, you can easily 2x, 3x or 4x the area for your message. I’ve used mini-brochure business card layouts for years and the one I created most recently was a double-sided, three panel card.

This means I was able to get three business cards worth of content into something when folded down was the same size as an ordinary business card.

Now I don’t advise you to make a mini-brochure your primary card, but they do make sense when attending events or when you want to make a BIG impression.

You’ve gained tremendous insights by reading this far and I trust you will take action and make a few important tweaks to your business card layouts.

If you would like to see a powerful, 9 minute video where I go into more detail and share three other secrets about boosting the power of your business card layouts, visit:

http://www.mikecapuzzi.tv/business-card-layouts/

Smart entrepreneurs know knowledge is power and speed is critical in order to run a highly-profitable business.  Equally important is associating yourself with other high-level performers, which is the essence of the mastermind experience.

Study any notable entrepreneur in the past or present and you’ll soon discover that many, if not all, have been a part of a mastermind group and owe a large part of their success to the principle of the mastermind.

Whether it’s my Elite Experience Mastermind Group (http://www.elitemmg.com)
or another top-level group, here are my top five reasons you must be a part of a mastermind group in 2011 if you’re hungry for new growth and income.

1. Brains Are Like Batteries…

… the more you have around you, the greater the power.

A mastermind group lets you add one plus one and get a sum greater than two because it’s a forum for synergy and multiplied brain power.

Very simply, “two heads are better than one” and a room full of “smart heads” is priceless!  The combination of brain power in a mastermind is a powerful force, and you can harness that force to grow rich. In order to succeed, you need to hang out with smart people. A well-run mastermind group, like the one’s I have run for years, is your opportunity to do that.

2. Shared Resources, Strategies & Shortcuts

Mastermind groups provide you the opportunity to ‘borrow’ winning practices that you can adapt to use in your own business. By discovering best practices in your mastermind group, you can apply them to solve similar problems rather than searching for solutions from scratch over and over.

Members of my mastermind groups have never left a meeting without a number of resources and profitable shortcuts for their business.  You should be spending your precious time growing your business rather than solving problems that have already been solved.

3. Form Profitable Strategic Relationships

A mastermind group is ripe for discovering joint venture partners and strategic business relationships.  I cannot count the number of times I have seen my mastermind members create new products together, use each other’s services and products and create lasting friendships.

It’s imperative to align yourself with smart entrepreneurs who are also striving for success. You’ll easily find the right partners in a mastermind group that has been put together correctly.

4. Friendly Competition & Tough Love

I’m certain you hold your team members and employees accountable. But who holds you accountable? No matter how self-disciplined you may be, there’s always room for improvement. The cooperative nature of a mastermind group generates a greater sense of accountability to the group which, in turn, gets things done.

Your mastermind peers are the least likely ones to “let you off the hook” and you need to be open to suggestions and input that may be a bit uncomfortable, but if acted upon, will help you grow in new and profitable ways.

By their very nature, masterminds create a friendly competitiveness among members. No one wants to show up to the group without having done the homework and without some success to show.

Athletes tend to play to the level of their competition. If you’ve ever played golf or tennis against someone who’s more skilled than you, win or lose, you probably played a better game yourself. The same is true in business. Mastermind groups accelerate success because of steep, but very beneficial, competition. In the mastermind experience, no one loses.

5. Create Memorable Experiences

While being part of a mastermind is one of the most sure-fire ways to grow your business and your wealth, there are plenty of intangible benefits as well. To start, it’s just plain fun to be around people who can expand your thinking and your horizons. It’s exciting and invigorating to enjoy a nice dinner after spending the day brainstorming each others’ businesses. Show me an entrepreneur who doesn’t need some outside inspiration on a regular business, and I’ll show you one who’s headed for failure.

Specific to my Elite Experience Mastermind Group, this group combines the power of the mastermind with unique business experiences.  In 2010, my members had behind-the-scene tours at Disney World, direct-response TV giant, QVC and the super-successful Zappos.com.  The lessons learned were priceless!

My Invitation to You

While mastermind groups clearly benefit each member individually, they also provide the unique opportunity to be a part of something much larger than simply advancing your own efforts and enterprise. Truly effective masterminds work to pay it forward and make farther-reaching improvements in their industries and communities. No matter what the topic of discussion or problem to be solved, there’s an ongoing spirit of adventure and discovery in a mastermind group.

In 2010, many of my members have experienced a tremendous year of growth and prosperity and I intend on keeping the track record going in 2011.  I invite you to learn more about my Elite Experience Mastermind Group on November 4, 2010 by registering for my live webinar at: http://www.elitemmg.com

Remember, even the most profound business genius cannot succeed alone. When you surround yourself with others who are striving for success, you put yourself on the right path to be successful and grow rich.

I believe I am working on one of the most comprehensive and in-depth looks into "copywriting cosmetics" and how they can improve response when used correctly.

How their copywriting and marketing projects look is often given little consideration by the marketer, yet it's critical for getting the attention of the target and ensuring the required call-to-action is taken.

I've identified 37 strategies every copywriter, marketer and business owner should be using in their offline and online marketing to improve response and I back them up with real-world illustrations and results.

With so much time invested in this, I am planning on turning this presentation into a full-blown book and two-day workshop.  Stay tuned for details.

My presentation will also include a look at my CopyDoodles.com and how people all around the world are using this one-of-a-kind copywriting and sales-letter resource.  Check it out at www.copydoodles.com!

If you are going to the SuperConference, I invite you to attend my session on Friday, May 1 at 8:00 AM in the main breakout room.  Sure, it's early, but I will make sure it's worth your time.

The GKIC SuperConference is THE place where smart entrepreneurs gather and speaking of entrepreneurs, yesterday I took a break to sit out on my deck and enjoy the warm spring sun.

I brought out a stack of old Dan Kennedy newsletters from the 1990's and was reading through them when I came across this humorous story of what makes entrepreneurs tick.  I remember reading this a while ago and enjoying it, so I thought I would share it with you...

A wife discovers her husband standing over their newborn's crib.  As he watches the sleeping infant, she sees on his face a mixture of emotions; disbelief, delight, amazement, enchantment.  Eyes glistening, she slips her arms around him.  "A penny for your thoughts," she whispers in his ear.

"It's incredible," he replies - "How can anybody make a crib like that for only $46.50 and make a profit?"