Hopefully you treated yourself to a fresh stack of updated business cards for 2017. (If not, get started here.) But what should you do with all of the old ones? Instead of throwing them away, try one — or all — of these:

1. Enter for a free lunch. Whenever you visit your favorite restaurants, look around for a lunch giveaway basket — then make sure your business card is in all of them! You can't win if you don't play, right?

2. Reach potential clients. As long as your contact information is the same, they'll still be valuable when left at coffee shops and other places your ideal clients might shop.

3. Offer them up for swag bags. Again, if your primary contact information is accurate, donate them to local event organizers or your city's Chamber of Commerce.

4. Bring them to conferences. Exhibitors love hosting raffles at their booths! (wink, wink — we would know). Use your old cards to enter all the giveaways, and save your new ones for networking.

5. Hang on to some for a fun #ThrowbackThursday post. We love showing off our founder and president's (very) old Magnets USA business card. It's a great conversation starter and a reminder about our humble beginnings.

6. Recycle them if possible. Save a tree by recycling all of your magnetic, plastic and paper business cards.

They might not say it, but your clients want to feel like they’re the only ones you’re working with. By making sure they have an unmatched client experience, you’re setting yourself up for more referrals and radiant reviews. It’s a total win-win.  

Here are some easy ways (that go a long way) to show you care about your clients:

Before they’re your client

• Practice great communication. Respond to all inquiries quickly and kindly. Not only do prompt responses show prospects you have time for them, but they might also prevent prospects from seeking out your competitor.
• Provide free and honest advice before they invest in your services. This simple, but important gesture shows you’re an expert in your field and are passionate about helping others navigate its complexities.
• Meet in person or talk over the phone. Potential clients are more likely to trust you (and hire you) if they can put a face or voice to a name. This kind of interaction also allows you to show off your personality in ways an email can’t.
  

While they’re your client

• Kick off your business relationship with a welcome gift. This shouldn’t be an extravagant gesture; choose something simple, yet thoughtful. A great welcome gift should excite your clients about what’s to come, or the positive end-result of working with you.
  
• Keep the communication lines flowing. Prove to clients your swift responses during initial conversations weren’t just a ploy to gain their business. Work hard to make yourself available for a chat whenever they have a question or concern.

After they’re your client

• Send a handwritten note. We know you’ve heard this one a thousand times, but it’s worth repeating. There’s nothing more special than knowing someone took the time to personally write you a thank-you note. Mention something specific from your experience together to really make an impression.
• Follow-up. This is your chance to figure out what you could’ve done better or to ask for a review or testimonial. You can’t afford not to do this!
• Send them at least four marketing items of value each year. Most clients will work with you again or refer you to a friend if they remember your name. This is why repetition branding is so vital to the success of your business. We recommend sending at least four items of value each year. We hope you’ll consider our best-selling magnetic calendars, magnetic sports schedules and notepads for this.
• If you’re a real estate agent, you’ll need a wow-worthy closing gift to top off your client experience. The more personalized the gift, the better. For the best ideas, check out our heirloom-worthy, gift-ready line, LifeLong Gifts.
  

Did you know that most millennials don't shop around for a real estate agent? In fact, a whopping 72 percent of young sellers only contact one agent. One agent!

So what does this mean for you? You better stand out — and often. Staying top-of-mind is crucial to capturing Generation Y.

But how do you market to an entire generation and stay within budget? Luckily, that's a question that can be answered with any of our magnetic products, including sports schedules, magnetic business cards, notepads and calendars.

Each of these competitively priced products is designed to keep your photo and contact information highly visible, so referrals and repeat business are sure to follow.

Plus, we take a lot (read: a lot) of measures to ensure your personalization is featured prominently, professionally and — most important — long-term. Sports schedules boast a 6- to 10-month marketing life. Magnetic calendars keep you on the fridge for 12-15 months, and magnetic business cards and notepads are good for, well, ever.

Can your digital marketing campaigns promise that?

Everyone loves receiving gifts, especially your clients. Whatever the occasion might be — a closing, a referral or a simple thank you  — gift-giving is much more than an opportunity to put a smile on your client's face (although that's certainly part of the plan).

1. Gift-giving is a show of gratitude. Your clients didn't have to choose you. In a world where almost every industry is saturated, there is always another choice. But your clients saw something in you that set you apart from the rest. Show them how thankful you are for their business and their time with a meaningful gift.

2. Gift-giving enhances a client's overall experience. A gift is the cherry on top of a great experience. It brings your time together to a nice, neat close — all while solidifying your business relationship and creating a loyal client.

3. Gift-giving supports the power of reciprocity. This one's simple, but huge. Most people respond to a positive action (like gift-giving) with their own positive action (a referral or glowing review). In today's competitive market, you can't afford not to take advantage of this.

When choosing a gift for clients, ask yourself:

1. Is it unique? When clients are given a gift not many others have, they're more likely to show it off to friends and family. And when people talk about your gift, they tend to talk about you, too.

2. Is it useful? A gift that makes the recipient's life a little easier is always more appreciated than something superfluous.

3. Is it high-quality? Investing in high-quality, useful gifts costs you nothing in the long run and will return value many times over in referrals and repeat business. When you give a cheap gift, the opposite occurs; you've wasted your time and money and the marketing value is negligible. In the long run, cheap gifts actually cost you more.

4. Does the presentation scream something special is inside? Think of the way your gift looks as a first impression — it's everything. Not only does a top-notch presentation create excitement, but it serves as a reflection of your brand. Don't inadvertently cheapen your gift — and your name — by ignoring the value of the presentation.

5. Does it come with a warranty or guarantee? It's important to choose a gift from a company that stands behind their products. Be sure to include any information about the company with your gift, so future issues can be dealt with easily and promptly.

6. Are there long-term marketing benefits for me? It's well known that most clients are happy to work with you again IF they remember your name. When your business information is marked permanently on the gift, it's impossible to forget. Plus, a gift that features your information is, in most cases, tax-deductible.

Overwhelmed now to find the perfect gift, the one that answers "yes" to all of these questions? Don't worry. Our collection of LifeLong Gifts — known for superior quality, personalization that lasts a lifetime and wow-worthy presentation — was made for this.

See our Holiday Gift Guide for a round-up of our favorite personalized gifts.

When our customers are happy, we're happy. So imagine how we felt when we came across this video testimonial by LifeLong Cutlery fan and real estate agent Debbie Jackson.

Debbie recently gave our gift-ready 3-Piece Kitchen Essentials set (shown below) as a closing gift and fell in love with the engraving, quality and presentation. Take a look at at what she has to say: