How to get Success from Your Business Card

I am going to take a guess and say that we can all look around and see how the world has changed in recent years. Fewer and fewer people have “home phones”, most people have more than one e-mail address, and there exists such a thing as a “twitter war”.

While businesses and organizations move to adapt to this fast-paced, mobile and “paperless” world, one thing that has remained consistent is business cards. Yes, physical, printed business cards remain the most popular way for business professionals and colleagues to exchange contact information.

Consider your business card something like your first impression. It’s a way for your organization or business to present itself to a new potential customer or client. Generally, the card should be reflective of the attitude and spirit of your organization. Here are 5 ways you can get the most success from your business card:

Simple. Organized. Contact options.
Foil-Stamped. Mounted.

Give options of ways to contact you. People prefer to contact and be contacted in different ways. Even though it is so incredibly commonplace now, you can’t assume that everyone you hand your business card to will be comfortable contacting you by email. Options will ensure that there is a way for everyone to get in touch with you. Be sure to give cell & office phone 

       Social media landing pages. Websites, Facebook, Linked-In, and Twitter are becoming increasingly popular. So much so, that putting your website, Twitter handle, Facebook & Linked-In links on your business cards has now become a necessity because it will encourage people to visit your pages and view the content and materials you have to offer them. The more traffic you can drive to your sites, the more exposure you will get and, ultimately, increased business and sales.

Keep it simple. Since a business card is a small space, simplicity pays off. Be careful of getting too wordy with descriptions or taglines, or using too many graphics or pictures. You want to make sure the person you are giving your card to can easily find the information they are looking for, and can read it clearly.  A good designer will be able to get all the pertinent information on the card without it looking cluttered. 

  Use Your Logo. Images tend to be remembered more often and more easily than words or phrases. An

Adding social media landing pages on a
business card is becoming increasingly popular.

attractive logo is great a way to consistently represent your brand across all forms of marketing. As your organization works to create a larger following or client base, using a logo on your business card can be extremely helpful. As you distribute your cards to new connections and potential clients, they will see your logo on the card and connect your brand with that image. That person will then keep your card (keeping in mind your organization’s specialties for when a need arises in the future), or pass it along, creating more brand awareness. Either way is beneficial because your image is now more likely to come to mind for them to recommend when someone has a need that your organization specializes in.

    

    Be Creative. More and more often, we are working with people who are choosing non-traditional ways to make their business cards stand out from the business cards we are used to seeing. We have recently done business cards with die-cut holes cut out of them, with foil stamps,  made out of plastic, not standard sizes, foldover cards (for those with too much information to fit on two sides) – all modern, unique ways to switch up the traditional business card. No matter what you decide as far as design, paper, font, etc. make sure it reflects the spirit of your organization.

This is a clear plastic card with
a die-cut square cut out of it.

The combinations of options are truly endless when it comes to creating a business card. Style, color, design, paper, size are all free game for your organization or business to be represented in the most successful way.  However, whether  you are considering getting a new business card, or possibly re-designing your current one, keep these 5 points in mind to help ensure that you’re getting the most out of your business card.