Many modern-day businesses are making the switch from using standard metal keys to manage access in and out of their buildings and switching over to plastic key cards. Making the transition to key cards is a smart move for business owners, as it allows them to not only protect their bottom line through greater security, but also to reduce expenses through the advantages of the plastic card and the magnetic stripe on it. If your business hasn’t made the switch to plastic key cards, here are a few good reasons to consider doing it as soon as you can.

Plastic Key Cards Add Security To Your Business

• If theft occurs at your office after hours, standard metal keys will offer you no help in discovering who the culprit is. Plastic key cards, on the other hand, are encoded with the identifying information of the employee, so you won’t be left guessing.
• Traditional metal keys can be easily copied, taking access to your building out of your control. Plastic key cards, on the other hand, are not easy to duplicate, and the fact that they are linked personally to an employee would discourage one from attempting to.
• If an employee becomes hostile to your business or other employees, his key would give him easy access to your facility. Even if he is terminated, if he refuses to return the key you are faced with a significant security risk.< With plastic key cards, however, access can be disabled immediately for the employee, protecting your company and the people who work for it.

Plastic Key Cards Help Keep Expenses Down

• If an employee of your business loses a metal key, your building is no longer secure. Changing locks can be an expensive and time consuming task – and the frequency of lost keys increases as your business grows and hires new people. When you make the switch to plastic key cards, on the other hand, you can simply disable access for the lost key card and create a new one for your employee, saving time and money.
• Theft and vandalism is a very real threat to your company’s bottom line. Keys offer your employees anonymity and give you no protection against after-hours events. However, employees who know that their building entry time can be tracked via their key card will be much less likely to steal from or do damage to your company.
• The printable plastic surface of your key card is the perfect place to put important contact information such as office numbers, website addresses, emergency contact information and other details that employees might need to refer to again and again. By printing this information there, you can cut down calls to the main desk and help employees get the information you need themselves, rather than taking up some other person’s time.

Traditional metal keys have been the standard for hundreds of years, but in today’s world they are quickly becoming a relic of the past. For the security of your business, as well as the bottom line, discover how to use plastic key cards to your advantage.

A barcode is a series of wide and narrow bars that can be scanned.  There are many different types of barcodes you can put on your plastic cards; the most common one seen is the Universal Product Code or UPC code that you see on items that you purchase at stores. You can scan the barcode with your barcode scanner and it will then bring up the information that is stored in your system from the barcode. A number can also be printed that is associated with the barcode as a human readable number on your plastic cards. So if your barcode did not scan you can also manually type in the barcode number in which it would bring up the same information that is stored. The type of barcode you will need will be dependent on the type of system you have. This information would be found through your product provider. There are many different types of barcodes that are used today so all we would need to know is the type of barcode you will need and the number sequence that you would like to use on your plastic cards.

UV finished will generally make the plastic cards come out nice in color quality, more vibrant, but if the plastic cards are being used a lot there would be no protection. UV finish is recommended for cards that have bright color in nature, cards that will not be handled often or maybe a one-time use reward card or some kind of discount card.

Overlay makes the color less vibrant but it lasts longer if the cards are being used more often. There is more protection with this option. We recommend using overlay with membership cards, loyalty cards, rewards cards, any type of cards that will be used frequently.

The cost of acquiring new customers is one of the most expensive things that businesses have to deal with. Getting the word out and sealing the deal on that first sale can cut into profit margins, so savvy businesses focus on compelling strategies to turn customers into repeat buyers. While there are many tools you can use both online and offline to encourage these multiple purchases, there is one tactic that can easily keep your brand in front of customers every day of the year: Those small plastic cards that attach to a customer’s keychain.

These little marketing tools pack a big punch when it comes to reinforcing your brand and your offers.Let’s take a look at a few tips to use these little plastic cards to the advantage of your business.

• Use color wisely. While you don’t want to use a garish color that discourages your customers from putting it on their keychain, you do want to use one that gets their attention frequently. Odds are high that your customers already have multiple key cards on their keychain from supermarkets, video rental stores, etc., so make yours eye-catching.Colors like green, blue, and yellow command attention. Avoid harsher colors like orange and red, unless these are specific to your brand.
• Give customers a truly compelling reason to keep your card with them at all times, by tying a useful benefit to having the card on-hand. You could consider using your key card as a miniature version of a loyalty card, membership card, or fundraising card. Many grocery stores use this model successfully, giving die-cut plastic cards to their customers that consist of one wallet-sized card with one or two small key cards included. By using identical barcodes on both sizes, you can link the two to the same customer account.
• Put an unconventional spin on an existing product. When customers purchase prepaid phone cards or gift cards, don’t give them the typical plastic card they might be expecting. Instead, give them plastic key cards that they can take with them and look at conveniently whenever the need arises. Make sure your cards have useful information on them as phone numbers, business hours and even a website address where they can recharge their cards when they have used up the balance on them. Give them an incentive to continue using the card, such as a 10% bonus when adding credit to their key card online.

Plastic key cards can be an effective and inexpensive part of your company’s overall marketing strategy, bringing in repeat sales from customers who are continually exposed to your message every time they reach for their keys. By keeping your brand in front of the customer, you reinforce the message it carries on an ongoing basis, keeping your business fresh in mind all year round. Consider the many affordable options for plastic card printing today and discover how this tiny tool can yield big results for your bottom line.

No matter what business you’re in, you know that the key to increasing sales is staying visible to customers and getting their attention as often as possible. By keeping your message in front of your customers over and over again throughout the course of the year, it becomes that much easier to boost your revenue through people who think of you first when they need the types of products and services that you offer. One simple and effective way to ensure your company gets the attention that it deserves is by ordering wallet-size plastic cards with a yearly calendar printed on them. Here are a few tips to help you design calendar cards that customers want to keep year-round.

• When you lay out your calendar, be sure to leave a little bit of room at the bottom for you to put a personal message. While you could put your company logo here, this will not necessarily give your customer an incentive to do more business with you. Instead, give them a prompt to think about your company for a moment and to consider what they might need to purchase from it. Having a phrase such as “Flip over this card to see 5 special offers” gives them a perfect incentive to think about buying from you again.
• On the back of your calendar card, list a few truly compelling special offers or discounts that your customer will be sure to appreciate. You could offer specific discounts, or use the card itself as a coupon by printing scannable bar codes on the back. One other option is to print plastic cards that have scratch-off squares on the back that reveal extra discounts or offers. You have a lot of possibilities when it comes to plastic card printing, so spend some time thinking about creative ways to market using your calendar cards.
• Finally, ensure that the calendar is more functional to the customer by adding little touches that make it easier to read. Shade the weekends so that the work week stands out. Add a bit of color to typical holidays or special days throughout the year. Or, better yet, link the offers on the back of the card to specific days, and then mark those days on the calendar by shading or changing the text color to something unique. This will give your customers one additional push to return to you again and again.

Many companies use a plastic card printing service to create calendar cards for them, but fail to scratch the surface of what can be done with them. By doing little more than printing a calendar along with a clever logo or business name, they do not create something the customer will keep and refer to year round. But by using the three tips above, and designing your card so that it has a strong call to action and an attractive calendar, you could bring in repeat customers and increase your income all year long.

If your business involves travel, or has customers who travel frequently, promoting your business through personalized plastic luggage tags may be a savvy move that boosts your sales. Though a luggage tag is an item that receives a relatively short span of attention, if you design yours carefully you may be surprised at how effective these little plastic cards can be at strengthening your brand and building your revenue.

Since most companies don’t use strategic marketing techniques on luggage tags, you can capitalize on the attention-getting power of a luggage tag that stands out from all the rest and provides value to the user that goes far beyond a simple place to write a name and address. Here are a few things to keep in mind when using luggage cards as a promotional tool.

• Plastic luggage tags can be a permanent fixture on a customer’s bag, so consider that as it is seen over and over again whatever message is on it will impress itself more deeply in the customer’s mind as time goes on. Take the time to craft a simple, brief message that describes why your customer should do business with you again and again. For example, if you are a hotel chain, your message could be “Best Rates Worldwide” positioned right next to your logo. As your customer spends time waiting in the airport or packing his bags, that message becomes psychologically associated with your company.
• Just because the plastic card your customer attaches to their bags is a luggage tag doesn’t mean it can’t also be a fantastic call to action. Consider making the luggage card double as a “preferred customer card” by including a website address and a special promotional code that will allow the customer to get a special deal. This seldom-used tactic is even more effective if the offer is one that has a greater value when combined with the customer’s travel, such as a discount for a service used when out and about.
• Finally, personalized luggage tags are a powerful way to market to people who are learning about your company for the first time. By designing the front side of your luggage tag with a striking logo and a compelling reason to visit your website or call your company phone number, you could create a stream of valuable leads as you hand them out at trade shows, seminars or other public events. By giving prospects an enticing incentive to visit your website (such as a free information report that is relevant to them), you open up the doors to increased revenue year- round.

The vast majority of companies who use plastic cards for luggage tags design “throwaway” items that are little more than printed versions of their company logo. But by using these three marketing strategies when designing and ordering from a plastic card supplier, you can create a long-lasting promotional tool that converts prospects into first-time customers and existing customers into life-long streams of revenue.

Want to promote your business and be environmentally friendly? ABS Recycled plastic would be the way to go. With the same look and feel of a regular plastic card, with the recycled symbol on your cards, your clients will know that you care about the environment and are willing to go the extra mile in helping to preserve our planet. There is no dull or discoloration in the plastic because it is recycled. You can put whatever you would like on the card and the card can be in any color, we will print exactly how we print on a regular plastic card, the only difference is that this card will be ABS recycled plastic.

Clear plastic business cards are a unique way to elevate your company’s image to the next level while making a lasting impression. Today’s competition in the job market is fierce, clear or frosted business cards are the means to get recognized. Utilizing the transparency of the cards our clients are able to pull off unique effects that would be impossible on a traditional plastic or paper card. Clear or transparent cards give a modern day look for any type of business. Some of the leading companies today such as Starbucks, Victoria Secret, American Express all now have clear cards as part of their gift card or credit card programs. The cards give an extra WOW to your image which the image of your company is what stands out to the everyday consumer.

Companies have long used branded merchandise such as mugs, caps, pens and other items in attempts to keep their names in front of current as well as potential customers. But promotional pieces have more often than not been considered throwaway items of low quality, and not much use to the people receiving them.

You don’t want to spend your valuable marketing dollars on promotional items that are here today and gone tomorrow, so why not give away something that will be used and appreciated. Prepaid minutes on high quality printed plastic phone cards are a great way to do just that.

When your prospects receive a plastic card with free phone time already on it, they feel like they have been given a gift with actual monetary value. Unlike a pen or a Frisbee, or other cheap promotional merchandise, this card will go straight into a wallet or purse where it will be kept and not thrown away or forgotten. And every time the recipient pulls that phone card out to make a call, you have a chance to present your company to them, again and again.

Here are a few tips for setting up your plastic phone cards to be an effective marketing tool.

• Make sure the front of your card is eye-catching and delivers the message of what your company is about in a clear and memorable way. Since plastic card printing allows you to cover your card with full four-color printing, the sky is the limit for what you want to put there. Include the number of minutes on the card, of course, but save the majority of the front side of the card for a great first impression that makes the prospect want to learn more about you.
• On the back of the card, include the call-in number for your phone card, but very close to that put your website address in a bold, bright color such as red or bright blue. If you don’t have a website for your business, put your primary telephone number here. By putting this information right by the call-in number, you will remind the prospect of your contact information every time they look at the back of the card.
• Also on the back of the card, you can benefit by printing a special offer that will entice the prospect to either go online or come to your store. You could offer a 10% discount or similar loss leader to prompt the prospect to take action, and they will be reminded of it every single time they use the card. Better yet, by including the special offer on your card you increase the chances that they will hold on to that plastic card long after they use up their prepaid minutes.

When you plan your next promotional giveaway, don’t settle for trinkets with a high novelty factor but no long-term value. Keep your company, your message and your products in front of your prospects every time they reach for the phone, and start building your sales today. Click here to learn more about prepaid phone cards.

Membership cards are a staple of many businesses these days – with plastic cards of all colors and varieties filling the wallets and pocketbooks of America. For many consumers, keeping a membership card can be a hassle – it’s just one more thing to carry around, and there’s not much value attached to it.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your business’ membership cards become something that your customers love to carry around and bring to your cash register again and again? You can – all you have to do is get a little creative when it comes time to get your plastic membership card printing done. Here are a few tips to help you along.

• Spice up your membership cards by making it a special offer card, with a different discount or bonus for every day of the week. Little perks like “5% Off Fridays” or “Double Coupon Weekends” can encourage shoppers to come by your store over and over during the week. Place your deepest discounts on the days where you do the least business and you can get business flowing on what otherwise would be a dry day.
• Use your plastic membership cards as a way to trigger customer visits via a loss leader. For example, if you are a gas station, consider printing an offer on your membership card like “Present this card to get a free 2 liter soda with every purchase of 8 or more gallons of gas.” If you are a grocery store, offer a free magazine of the customer’s choice every visit. Since customers who come in for something “free” tend to make significant impulse purchases at the same time, giving away a low-value item can reap a bevy of increased sales.
• Take advantage of thermal printing technology and create a barcoded plastic card that is tied to your customer’s member account. Have it scanned each time that they make a purchase and store their customer data for marketing purposes. As your customer database grows, you can get a feel for what kind of products sell best, as well as what kinds of products tend to be bought at the same time. You can use that data to craft special offers for combinations of products, tempting your customers to come in for an irresistible deal (and naturally, buy plenty of other items while they’re around).

Membership cards don’t have to be boring or inconvenient – it isn’t too difficult to come up with unique and effective ways of turning them into marketing tools that call out to your customers every time they reach into their pockets.

All it takes is a little creativity, some knowledge of your customers’ needs, and access to plastic card supplier to create a sales tool that transforms an occasional customer into a steady source of revenue. Add a dash of marketing know-how to your plastic membership cards and see how much it can improve your sales year-round.