I’m working with a photographer.

She’s pretty incredible. Like a lot of creative people, she excels in several areas of focus.

One area that I find particularly fascinating is in the world of travel-photo-training. She teaches people how to take better travel photos by travelling with them and teaching them in situ.

As a part of her strategy in this market, she’s built a reputation for teaching people how to shoot the streets of New York through walking tours. Wouldn’t you love to take better pictures on your trip to The City?

To help spread the word, we could make her a great business card that has some wonderful messaging about how she addresses her clients’ pain points. It’s the sensible thing to do.

But, really, who holds onto a business card anymore?

How much staying power can a business card have? It’s likely to end up in the trash like every other card. That is, unless you make the card itself valuable to your target audience.

I constantly encourage clients to think from their customer’s perspective – what can we do to a business card that makes it valuable beyond the function of transmitting contact information? How can we make it feel like a gift?

And it struck me.

What if we offered your contacts a map of your favorite spots to shoot around the city?

And beyond that, what if that drove her to a website with tips and tricks for shooting each location? A little taste of what she might expect from a real-life guided tour?

And that’s what we’re working on now.

It’s no-obligation help to each person who receives a card. No-strings-attached.

And, as Seth Godin has taught us, that gift creates a tiny little imbalance in the relationship that will help propel Irina’s business forward.

How about you?

What can you offer your client that enhances his life yet can fit on the back of a business card? Or maybe it’s the function of the card itself? Can it be transformed to perform a function for him?

[bctt tweet=”A business card that enhances your customer’s life puts you a step ahead of your competition.” username=”afinepress”]