Growing Your Business With Custom Gift Cards

All companies -- whether you are new or well-established -- are looking to grow. Grow customers, grow sales, grow profits. It's a common goal with a ton of methods, services and solutions at your fingertips. How do you know which of these services is right for you? How do you traverse these murky waters successfully? Success is often built one step at a time.

One of those strategies you will need to make a choice on is gift cards. Are they for you? Can they really help your business? It may not appear to be an easy choice to make from the outside, but achieving "more" in your competitive market often requires you to explore effective ways to build your profits and increase customer loyalty.

You are probably familiar with some of the more common types of merchants that have been using gift card programs. The local restaurants, the beauty salon, the spa down the street ... many of them have long ago shed the paper gift certificates for an improved gift card program. They understand the importance of introducing their business to new customers and pre-selling their services. However, what you might not realize is that gift card programs have integrated successfully to a wide range of non-standard merchants. Whether it's the local grocer, the auto dealer or a pet sitter or groomer, the plastic gift card has become an indispensable source of business. To know whether a gift card is right for your company, let's take a look at three reasons it may be a perfect fit.

Gift Cards Are Desired by Your Customers

It's been a criticism that gift cards aren't a creative, unique gift ... yet, the growth of gift cards has been phenomenal. Consider that they are among the top three most-often-requested gifts. What does that mean for your business? Consumers are demanding them at record numbers, and that's where you want to be -- servicing that demand. The reason for growth is varied: they are convenient to purchase, simple to transfer and easy to give; they are a great way for a friend to introduce another friend to a great product or service that they enjoy; and, with more and more businesses offering gift cards, the available selection has, indeed, become more creative.

Image is Everything

There are a variety of advertising products out there to help get your word out. But few can match the appeal of a shiny new gift card with your identity presented on the card. Many of today's larger gift card companies can offer you considerable options related to your card's appearance. From inexpensive, quick-ship "standard" card designs that are personalized with your business name to full-color designs based on your artwork, logo or photography, the options are many. Regardless of how your card is designed, it will become a small billboard in your customer's wallet -- a durable reminder that your brand is their preference. Add some matching, customized merchandising materials -- such as posters, custom card hangers and carriers, or attention-getting card displays -- and you have an integrated marketing plan to drive attention to what may be your most profitable product -- your gift card program.

Driving Your Revenues

I'm going to take a wild guess that you probably wouldn't turn away more revenues, increased traffic, and additional loyal customers, right? A gift card program addresses all of these aspects of growing your business. A single gift card will represent at least two visits (maybe more) to your business -- the first visit when a consumer purchases the card, the second visit when the card bearer returns to use the gift. Additionally, these card bearers also may be new to your business. A percentage of them will return to your business. And many will even tell their friends about your business. You've just leveraged an existing customer into creating new customers. And the purpose of all these consumers with gift cards is to buy something ... and quite possibly something more expensive than they would have without the added benefit of the card.

There is a vital benefit that every gift card program provides your business. It's a sale that's booked. The card may be purchased today, but redeemed tomorrow, next week or never. Regardless, that is money in the bank. Money you can use today for your company. This is an ideal situation for any business, and a good gift card program is a superb way to achieve that.

Article Source: ArticlesMaker.com

About the Author: Al Duggan specializes in custom gift cards and is the Vice President of Business Dev. for Valutec Card Solutions, LLC, a Metavante (NYSE:MV) company, the nation's biggest provider of plastic gift card services to small businesses. 

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