Gift Certificates and Discount Cards Get Results

Traffic generates sales; all businesses understand this fact. The question is how to spend money effectively in a way that will ensure the closure of sales. One sure way to provide increased sales is the gift certificate or gift card. Another product that works very, very well is the discount membership card.

In todays society it is often difficult to purchase a gift for a friend or relative who has everything. A beautifully designed, colorful gift certificate makes a great gift. Whether your business is a restaurant, hotel, service provider, retail store, or entertainment provider, the gift certificate or gift card will provide a means of pre-purchasing your products or services as gifts. The person who receives the gift gets to make their own choices. The trick with gift certificates and gift cards is that they must be attractive and well displayed in advertising or in your store.

The membership discount card is usually a nicely designed plastic credit card sized card. Your regular customers fill out a simple form to join either at a small charge or completely free. They then get a discount on every purchase which qualifies.

You can also provide a thick paper card that allows customers to get a stamp or mark on the card and, when sufficient sales have been made, a free item or deeply discounted purchase is their bonus. People will join and will come back often when they are earning by buying. Its a matter of psychology.

No matter which method you feel would work best for your business, it is very important that your card or certificate stand out in the crowd. It needs to be easy to recognize, easy to locate in your billfold or wallet, and graphically pleasing.


Gift certificates to be given as gifts should be rather elegant in appearance. People want gifts that are visually pleasing. It must also clearly state exactly what the gift is, the amount, how to redeem it, and any restrictions or expiration dates. The certificate or card should reflect your business image well.

Internet gift certificates are becoming more and more popular. Again, the certificate and the advertising should be well designed and appealing. Sending a certificate code in an email is NOT an attractive gift.

A professional, printable certificate which is clear and easy to use is appealing. Remember, the key word is gift. People want to give gifts that are pretty and celebrate the specific occasion. Consider having several designs for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other special events.

Banner advertising for your online gift certificates and discount cards works very well. The small investment spent in marketing will be recouped quickly in added sales.
About the author:

Christopher Ross, UE is the owner of Getaway Graphics, a premier web design and marketing firm, focussing on helping small businesses build web sites that get results. You can contact him at 506-452-1595 or at info@getawaygraphics.com

Copyright 2005, Christopher Ross. All rights reserved. Please contact author for reprints

Free Printable Graduation Greeting Cards

I just paid $75 plus tax and handling for a cap, gown and 25 graduation announcements for our son's 2008 graduation from Jostens (who has a monopoly on class rings and graduation supplies, it seems). That was the bare bones package; the economy package. I didn't buy open house invitations, graduation jewelry, party ware, or any of the other accessories. I don't know about you but I think that's outrageous. Especially after shelling out $150 for a prom tux, $15 for flowers, $50 for prom tickets and $16 for after prom (this was the best deal of all!). And then there was the $300 senior pictures, $50 year book, $20 for senior banquet tickets and $175 for a class ring. Grand total (and these were about the lowest we could find, too) over $850. It doesn't matter if we, the parents paid, or the student. Costs like these punish a kid for graduating. How about a few websites that you can use to save some money on the cost of graduation cards? With a graduate in the family, you will probably be invited to at least 10 different open houses. Here are free announcements and open house invitations also. I've thrown in some links for free printable party decorations also. Ok, they may not be embossed or quite as 'luxurious', but after all, it's a paper card, right? You'll find religious, humorous, money holders, and all sorts of images and clip art to use. Most sites allow you to send cards as an e-card. has some really nice simple graduation announcements, open house invites, and decorations for you to print free. You'll find graduation cards also. They aren't lavish but the cards are very nice. Brownie Locks offers about 20 beautiful graduation cards to print free.

They cards show watercolor images and are very attractive. There is nothing to download. You can use the images as cards or create invitations and decorations from them.Keep and Share is a sharing site for cards, invitations and artwork. This sites offers about 100 different graduation cards. If you like the site, you can bookmark, share on Digg or Delicious or you can join with a simple registration. There is no cost and it private; you can share your own calendars, artwork, images and cards and sites. You'll find all sorts of art to create all your own graduation decor. Hoover Web Design offers a web design templates for all sorts of uses. This is a share site which offers templates for you to download and use. There are several graduation card and invitation designs to make.Free Printable Graduation doesn't have a great number but the cards and invitations are quite nice and personal. Marlo.com has an e-card maker for all sorts of greeting cards. You can animation, music, sound and all sorts or backgrounds. It is easy and quick to make a graduation greeting and send it via e-mail. Not only do you save on card making, you save on postage. This is great feature for homebound, shut-ins and senior citizens who cannot make it to a graduation. Sending good wishes to all graduates and their families! By Mar

Free Printable Gift Tags

Gift tags often get misplaced or thrown away during the holiday cleaning process. No longer worry about finding those lost gift tags. Use the free printable gift tags from the sites listed in this article when you are in need of them. By using the free printable gift tags, you can print them as needed. This way you won't loose gift tags. You can also print the correct amount you need rather than purchasing more than you need.Halloween Printable Gift TagsUse the free printable Halloween gift tags at mint printables for special treat bags for trick or treaters you know. These free printable gift tags are cute and whimsical. There are six free printable gifts tags to choose from for Halloween.Christmas Printable Gift TagsUse these free printable gift tags for Christmas gifts. Six styles of Christmas gift tags to choose from. You can find gift tags for children and adults. Valentine's Day Printable Gift TagsThe free printable gift tags for Valentine's Day can be used for special Valentines. Printable Easter Gift TagsFor those who set up special gifts can use these gift tags for Easter. The tags can be used for Easter baskets and other gifts one would give for Easter.Printable Mother's Day Gift TagsUse these Mother's Day gift tags for the gift you give to mom on her special day.

Miscellaneous Free Printable Gift TagsFreePrintableGiftTags.net.There are 15 various gift tags that you can print for free from this website. You will click on the gift tag you want to print. Choose whether you want to doc format or PDF format and print the gift tags from there.Vintage Gift Tags.There are four vintage gift tags that are free to print. The page will open in PDF so you may have a short wait on the page to load. You will find the wait well worth it.Free Printable Place CardsSuite101.com has two free printable place cards you can use for a Christmas dinner. The following are the place cards you can print, but you will need to print enough of the cards for each sitting since there is only one card to print at a time.Let It SnowThe let it snow place cards have snow falling and snowmen. These are very cute place cards.Ho Ho HoThe ho ho ho place cards has a Santa on them and are very cute. By Karen Barnes

Best Free Printable Valentine Cards for Your Sweetie!

Cold sweat drips down your spine as you hear the cheery greeting "Happy Valentine's Day!" As you smile weakly, you curse your forgetfulness. If only you had some way to get a Valentine's Day card last minute. Thanks to the internet and free printable Valentine's Day cards, you no longer have to worry. About.com, the internet resource for almost every subject under the sun, has a lot on free printable Valentine's Day cards and other free Valentine's Day printables, including placemats, matching envelopes, and favor bags. About.com also has tutorials on how to make your own Valentine's Day themed napkin rings and other table accessories, as well as free printable Valentine's Day coupons for your loved one. Themed free Valentine's Day cards on About.com include Scooby-Doo, dinosaurs, Blue's Clues and Pokemon cards, making it super easy to make cards for your kid (or kid at heart!) Just visit the Family Craft Section of About.com for great free printable Valentine's Day cards.As you can probably guess from the name, Printfree.com is a premier resource for free printable cards, especially for Valentine's Day. They offer cards for both adults and kids, and for every possible occasion. Their free printable Valentine's Day cards come in both quarter and half fold printing options, and you can even add your own text, meaning the cards are very customizable! Printfree.com offers more traditional cards, along with free printable Valentine's day cards featuring dogs, horses, classic cars, and chocolate.

Other options include color-in versions, allowing you to make your own color choices. Printfree.com also offers free Valentine's Day flyers, prints, and coloring book pages Sendfunecards.com offers thousands of free e-cards that can be printed quite easily for Valentine's day, with a huge variety of themes and cards in every category. It offers cards for your partner, children, friends, and parents. It's a site not to be missed if you're looking for free printable Valentine's Day cards. Cardfountain.com requires registration, but it's free and offers tons of free printable cards, flash and e-cards. It offers cute, simple cartoon cards for your loved ones that you can customize on the inside and outside. Disney-stationary.com offers free printable Valentine's Day cards of all your favorite Disney characters, up to and including High School Musical stars and Hannah Montana, while still including classic favorites Minnie and Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. I-love-cartoons.com also offers free printable Valentine's day cards with your cartoon favorites, like Daffy Duck and Dora the Explorer. Every-e-card.com offers two free printable card software applications, Kiwee and My Fun Card, giving you access to tons of free printable greeting cards and allowing you to customize them. Both also give free e-cards, and Kiwee can be used with Facebook and Myspace, allowing you to share your creations online, too. So if you ever find yourself in a greeting card jam, just rev up your printer and visit one of these sites. You'll be sure to find something you'll like! By Kelsey O'Callahan,

Printable Gift Certificates

Purchasing any present for people can sometime be very inconvenient. There are a lot of people who do not have the time in their busy schedules to go to a store and buy a present. Even buying gift certificates can become an inconvenient hassle. This is the reason why some stores offer the option of printing out your own gift certificates. You are now able to buy a gift certificate from the store's website and print it out from your home. With the growing popularity of online shopping, purchases of printable gift certificates are also becoming more common. Plenty of websites now exist with the sole purpose of selling gift certificates you are able to print from your home. The main disadvantage people see with this product is the impersonal nature of this gift. This is not the type of present you will give to a close relative, or spouse. This is a great gift for a coworker, or a casual friend. If you are thinking about a present for a loved one, this is not the present you want to give them. It will show that you do not care enough about them to take the time and effort to even go out and pick up a present for them.

If you have plenty of acquaintances but do not have the time to shop for all of them, then this is the perfect present for you to buy. You can purchase the gift cards on the Internet, email the recipient the confirmation number, and they can print out the gift certificate themselves. This approach requires very little effort and time on your part. Not every present you give has to be personal or thoughtful in nature. It depends on who you are giving it to, and the type of occasion. For occasions that do not require you to put much thought in the type of present, printable gift certificates are the perfect gift to give. By Marcus Peterson

Printable Cards and Gift Coupons

To make printable cards start with a Word-document in wide format (landscape) and divide it in two columns. Then divide each of these columns also in two. You now have 4 quarters. You also want to include some space between the left and right column so you can cut the card in two when ready. Now you ad your picture and text in the bottom half of the column. Because you have 2 columns, you can insert the same picture or a different one. Now you can also select the 2 top halves of the columns and give them a background color, but I don't recommend it, unless you print your card on white paper. Otherwise the background color may conflict with the color of the paper you are printing on. However, there may be background colors that work well when printed on colored paper. It's your choice. When printed, you then cut the page in half (=A5-size) and fold the card with the picture on the outside. The inside of the card is blanc for your message. But you can also print a message on the inside of the card, and now you need to insert the already printed and cut out card in your printer once again to include the message.

Make sure that you insert it in the right way in your printer, or your text will end up in a place where you don't want it! GIFT COUPONS are cards that you can use if you cannot give a tangible gift, such as for example: A Gift Coupon for A Weekend trip. After printing, cut them in half and fold so that the image is on the outside. The inside of the card is blanc for your message! Then the execution of the plan is totally up to you! All you need to do, is make some arrangements at a store and/or place where the recipient can exchange his/her coupon. When you for example, give a coupon for a Shopping Spree at a particular shop or mall, make sure the shopkeeper accepts the coupon, otherwise the recipient cannot use his/her gift coupon. You can do so by paying the amount your are planning to give to the respective shop, thereby ensuring that the coupon is paid for and the recipient can shop for free up to the amount as stated on the gift coupon. Make sure you get a receipt or some other proof of payment! When you buy a gift coupon from us, for a Night Out to the Theatre, to name another one, you can buy or reserve tickets for a show that the recipient has been wanting to see, and then either include the tickets with the card, or have them pre-booked at the ticket-office at the theatre. When you buy a gift coupon for a Dinner Party, you can make a reservation at a favorite restaurant and give the coupon as tangible gift to the recipient. There is no end to the ideas you can come up with! Use your imagination and have a ball! By Jeanny Stevens

10 Reasons To Buy An Online Gift Certificate

Gift certificates are possibly one of mankind’s finest achievements. They’re super easy to give, and everyone loves to get them. Now the seemingly impossible has happened: gift certificates have gotten ever better! They’ve been swept by the Internet revolution, and now you can give friends and loved ones online gift certificates. Need convincing? Look no further. Here are 10 reasons to buy online gift certificates. 1. They’re quick and easy to purchase. You can buy an online gift certificates in minutes—literally. No driving to the store, and no waiting in line. Shopping for a present has never been easier. 2. They’re perfect last-minute gifts. Here’s the scene: You forgot your sister’s birthday—and the party’s tonight. You’re swamped at work, the kids have soccer practice, and the repairman is coming to replace your seemingly demonically possessed dishwasher. There’s no way you can battle the mall and wander around waiting for the gift muse to strike you with inspiration. No worries. Pull out the plastic, and buy her an online gift certificate to her favorite store.

3. They don’t have to be mailed. If the recipient of your gift lives out of town, you’ll have to pop your gift in the mail. Mailing a present tacks on a few extra bucks to the cost of your gift, and the post office is as about as much fun as being put on the racks. An online gift certificate, however, can be sent for free via email. 4. They’ll always arrive on time. After your purchase is completed, the gift certificate will show up in the recipient’s inbox within seconds. Even “guaranteed overnight delivery” can’t really guarantee on time delivery. No freak ice storm will delay your gift’s arrival! 5. They’re ideal for the busy folks in your life. We all know someone who goes a million miles an hour. They’ve barely got time to breathe, let alone spend an afternoon shopping. Online gift certificates are much quicker to spend than a regular gift certificate. There’s no store to drive to, and instead of walking around looking for what you want, you can just type a few keywords into the search box. 6. They’ll brighten up the recipient’s day. Imagine a gift certificate popping up in your email as you’re trudging through a Wednesday afternoon at work. That’s one surprise that everyone is sure to love! 7. You can buy gift certificates for stores that aren’t in your town. Let’s say your brother’s absolute favorite store is Cufflinks R Us. Unfortunately, the Cufflinks R Us franchise hasn’t made it to your town yet. Instead of driving to the next state over, just stop by their website and buy the gift certificate online. 9. You don’t have to buy a card. Online gift certificates can be sent via email. That means no need to buy a card to put it in. Besides, wouldn’t driving to the store defeat the whole purpose of shopping online? Add the $5 you would have spent on a card (man, those things are a shakedown!) to the amount of the gift certificate. 10. You never have to worry about finding an occasion-appropriate card. Gift cards are pretty fancy these days. They come in colors and designs that suit the occasion, like cards with wedding cake on them for bridal showers. So what happens when you’re shopping for a birthday present and the only gift cards available are baby shower-themed? With online gift certificates, it’s sayonara rubber ducky. By: Phillip Fuller