At Designit4free.com, we help to create thousands of professional business cards every week. As we’ve pointed out previously, a business card is one of the most important tools that a business has; they’re also an incredibly affordable option when it comes to marketing. Businesses often miss the opportunity to make a great impression if they choose to use an unprofessional or poorly looking card which is likely to end up in the trash.
Your business can rise above bad marketing tactics by following these eight business card rules:
1: Hand Out a Card That Stands Out From the Rest
The majority of business cards out there are quite boring and are easily forgotten. You want to hand out a card that both looks and feels great so that your business is remembered even after your first encounter with a prospective business associate or customer. There is no good reason for a business to choose unattractive or unprofessional-looking business cards.
2: Avoid a Mysterious Business Card
You have to ask yourself the question: when you hand someone your business card, can can they tell immediately what your business does? If your card does not make it clear what you do, later on down the road, the recipient will not remember who you are or why they have the card; this will result in less calls or referrals for your business.
3: Never Present a Poor Quality Card
DIY business cards may seem like a cheaper option, but they truly show that you have not taken pride in your company with respect to how you market. People who do not have a background in art, design, or printing will often attempt to print business cards them themselves or order them from a cheap, online company that preys on businesses who want to save a buck. Upon first glance they may look okay – good use of colors, fonts and a simple layout. But usually what ends up happening is the card feels cheaply made and has other quality issues, such as perforations around the sides or other defects. You should never skimp on money when it comes to your business card! You want to have premium card stock, a print that doesn’t bleed from a drop of water, a professional embossed logo, and the card should feel great in the hands of the recipient.
Remember that a poor quality business card will imply that a business has poor quality products and services.
4: Small Print is Not Better
Do your business cards have a font size that is so small that you will also need to hand out a magnifying glass in order for people to read them? Sure, you may be able to cram more information onto your cards with a small font, but what is the point when the recipient cannot read them? Unfortunately, when you use a DIY printing company, you will not be sure what size to use, or how much information is too much. Your business card should be your elevator speech, and your professionally designed, custom website that is listed on your card should say the rest.
5: Less is More
Do not go for an oversized business card, that’s what a brochure is for! A traditional and standard business card will easily fit in wallets or most business card holders. You may think that an oversized card will help you stand out but most people find it annoying and inconvenient. If you really want your business cards to shine brighter than the rest, consider something with more bling such as a card with glitter, foil, or embossed accents. Or get really daring with die cut, plastic, or 4D lenticular business cards.
6: Clutter is Never a Good Thing
You’ll be hard pressed to find a person who enjoys clutter, and the last thing you want is for your business to scream “we’re unorganized!” Your business cards do not need to contain every detail about you or your company; that’s what websites and social media are supposed to do for you. Too much print is hard to read, looks sloppy and is very unprofessional. Send all of the important information to your graphic designer, and he or she will help you to figure out what is necessary to make your pitch successful and allow prospects to contact you in the future.
7: Provide a Unique Selling Proposition
Most businesses miss the opportunity of using their business cards to their full marketing potential. Your cards should list at least one powerful reason that a customer should do business with you. Why are you the best? What services do you offer that no one else does? And be sure to work with a graphic designer who is willing to help you come up with a way to word your cards for maximum marketing power.
8: Business Cards That Sit Around
What good is having a box of business cards laying around if all they’re doing is collecting dust? It’s important to remember the old saying “use it or lose it” and you cannot afford to lose business! Never forget to take a good supply of cards with you everywhere you go. Be sure to hand them out when appropriate, and give out more than one so that you can get referrals. Make sure you do not forget to reorder your supply so you never have to worry about being the business owner who says “sorry, I don’t have any cards left.”