Interesting Advertising Idea That’s Making Some Great Cash - Use it as a Sideline to Your Business Card Displays!
Here’s an idea for you that may seem standard, but if you haven’t thought of it, then consider it ‘outside the box’.
This isn’t directly related to business card display advertising as such, but it’s an idea that you could well tie in with your displays, or even run as a seperate business!
I just got off the phone with a guy who is making $$$ doing this…so it works. You know when you go into the local coffee shop (you’ll love this if you own a coffee shop), and you sit there and drink out of a big mug that usually blue, black or white…and sometimes has the businesses name on it?
Well…
This guy makes his money by supplying the local coffee shops with mugs! BUT… guess what? He has sold ADVERTISING on the mugs to the local businesses, like real estate agents, accountants etc. He basically has four little ‘advertising’ squares on each side of the mug…so that’s a total of 8 advertising spaces. From there, he sells them off for $400 per year per square p/yr…so that’s $3200! He only supplys 40 coffee cups to the coffee house that cost him a total of $20 each to buy and get printed…so his hard costs are $800. He pockets $2400! Nice!
Now, get this….
That profit is PER COFFEE SHOP! He is making about $10,000 per month in his pocket…and it’s a simple concept!
The coffee shop gets the mugs for free, the advertiser gets great exposure, and he walks away with a fist full of cash everytime! Exciting hah!
Business Card Display Advertising is better, because you aren’t limited to just restaurants and coffee shops…but the concept is the same … make money for ‘renting’ advertising space!
Any thoughts, comments and feedback most welcome.
Dean
Email This Post
| Make a Comment
Purchase Manual HERE
8 Responses to “Interesting Advertising Idea That’s Making Some Great Cash - Use it as a Sideline to Your Business Card Displays!”
here'smycard
April 23rd, 2007
Dave…I have not put any in the bathrooms yet…thinking about it. I did the displays above the urinals and back of doors in womens several years ago. Very successful with it and sold 149 locations. My concern with the business card dispenser in bathrooms is the sanitary aspect of it. It’s one thing to look at a display ad and quite another to start touching to get a card. I dont know about you…I dont want to much too much in a public bathroom. There are so many locations to run out of before we head to the john! I’ll let you know if I ever do.
dmiles
dmiles
April 23rd, 2007
Let me offer a suggestion about add-on advertising. Whatever you do…don’t lose your focus.I’ve sold the mugs, the display ads above urinals, hotel room directories, electronic kiosk advertising, key jackets…I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING THAT BEATS THE BUSINESS CARD DISPLAYS for simplicity and price. My biggest problem with a product is I get bored! When I get bored…I try something else. I like to sell something new and unique and when it gets old and I get tired of it…move on to something new. However…I like to build a territory or in this case locations and I probably will sell them all and start over. Its just my nature or flaw if you will. It works for me and keeps me happy. If you are going to use something to supplement your display business…make sure it works together…i.e., business cards.
Good Luck
dmiles
dmiles
April 23rd, 2007
Dean that is great info.
I got a couple of ideas to throw out here. They are not my own and I don’t remember where I got one of them(probably from one of your manuals). But here goes:
While the business you mention is a little off topic I just want to add the concept of lifetime value of a customer.
Basically, you take the average customer’s lifetime profit they pay you and it gives you an idea of what you can afford to pay or give away to gain a new customer.
Say you have a business that customers patronize a couple times a month and the average profit from their orders is $15 each time they walk in the door. That would equal $30 a month from your average customer per month or $360 a year.
Note: these averages would be calculated including people that only use your business one time and other customers spending more and less on each visit.
back to the $360 a year profit from your average customer. Let’s say you don’t apply the things I mention in my next idea and you can only retain your customer for a year not a “lifetime.”.
You don’t want to push the limit here but, in theory, you could pay $359 for each new customer and still make a profit. Obviously, you don’t want to do that. Maybe you just need to give them a free or discount meal every now and then(2x a year) and you’ll have to “eat” $30 in lost profits to maintain your $330($360-$30) in yearly profit from this customer.
The other idea goes with Dean’s post and how this business owner could maybe have exponentially improved his business and/or life.
I am reading a book written by Harvey Mackay,”Dig your well before your thirsty.”
I got this book at a GoodWill store for $2.75 in mint condition. Don’t think anyone ever read it. book store price is $24.95! Lots of good books in those stores. People die and leave libraries of books and they are given to GW sometimes.
Back to Harvey Mackay’s book.(I may have ADHD or be a fractal thinker, too much going on up there and have to type them when they come up, sorry)
He talks about really going the extra mile to make people in your life, customers and friends, appreciate you. And it is so simple.
The business in Dean’s post was on the right track but think of how much more word of mouth advertising he would get if he were able somehow to wish his customers Happy Birthday on their birthday, chat with them about a common interest they share, or send business their way if they are a business owner themselves.
I think word would get out about how this business owner really cares about his customers.
Don’t know how you could possibly get any of the info needed (birthday/hobbies/what business they own) to do that?
You are gonna have to read his book. It is simple and systematic.
I know this was a long post but I know I would be very impressed with a restaurant owner that wished me Happy Birthday or started chatting up about a subject I truly enjoy. More importantly, I would be telling my friends about this place where the guy seems to know about me and care about me and my family.
That’s it for now from Sunny and H-O-T Colombia.
JamesC
JamesC in Colombia
May 6th, 2007
I got into a sideline yesterday as a result of selling an ad on one of my displays (yes, I sell 1 location ads). After we finished the agreement…he asked if I had any ideas for fundraising. He is president of a large high schools booster club. Of course I had some ideas!…I am a business card display operator afterall. Anyway…I told him I had several that I would put together and they would not be candy bars or cookies. Got on the Internet…got several ideas…sales kits coming to me…called him with one idea…he loved it…wants to see samples…AND if it goes through…I should make about $3k…Ya gotta love the independence this business offers!
dmiles
dmiles
May 18th, 2007
Make A Comment: ( 8 so far )
Done with this post? Return to the Homepage! Advertise on this website! Details Here





Dean,
Great post with the mug idea. Very clever! It just goes to show you that people will pay for exposure, no matter ther media. Speaking of exposure, there’s a company that sells display ads that are positioned above the urinals and on the inside door of the toilets at restaurants. Talk about a captive audience! You’ve got someone’s undivided attention for a few moments (or a few minutes, for those on a low fiber diet). I think dmiles was looking at putting the biz card displays in bathrooms - if so, just curious how it’s working…
Dave