10 Essentials for a Bangin’ Business Card!
While many of our businesses are online-based nowadays, nothing beats the magic of a beautiful business card. It remains to be a great way to engage with potential customers, easily share contact information, and gain eyes on your business. If you do choose to hand out printed, branded material in hopes of connecting with someone (commonly the whole purpose of a business card) make sure you take the time to make it work for you!
You need to connect with your target audience the second they touch your card. You need to instill confidence and just enough excitement to push them towards becoming a client. Your card is not just a representation of your business and brand. It is a promise of your work ethic.
It is a very blunt and open door into what makes your brand different in comparison to all the others. Make a statement, but get to the point. This card is an introduction to you and your business.
There are thousands of unique styles and tweaks you can throw into the mix to either make or break that first impression with a potential client, and that can rely entirely on the nature of your business card. In this post, I’ll cover some basic rules & tips to make sure your business card starts working for you and looks as unique as your business!
The Presentation
1. Make sure your business card is double sided
You have two sides of ‘real estate’ to show how awesome you and your brand are. Use that space. With a blank back, your card looks unfinished AND you’re missing a potential opportunity to connect with the receiver! It’s like if you started a conversation with someone at a party. You both introduced yourselves and he/she looks excited to keep chatting… and you walk away. Don’t leave them hanging, waiting to hear more! Finish the conversation.
2. consider paper stocks
How do you want the card to feel to the person holding it?
The texture could be rough on a thick card, or it could be slim and smooth. What does your brand feel like to you? If you had to give it a texture, try to get that feeling across in the texture of your business card. For example, a construction company may have a strong, sturdy material to represent their work ethic and manpower while an art gallery may choose a thin, sleek card for a more modern look.
3. Get creative with printing techniques
Do you want the words to physically stand out? Consider adding other print details, such as foil or embossing or imprinting! While extra printing techniques are typically an up-charge for production, they can make all the difference in creating a meaningful first impression! That extra touch-point, is adding another way for people to have a tangible experience with your brand before ever even working with you.
4. Be unique
Make sure that first impression looks & feels like you and your brand. Your business is unique and your business cards should be too. Stick to your brand aesthetic, ensure the fonts & colors match any existing brand visuals out there (website, mailers, etc.) so you can grow some brand recognition. You don’t want someone to look you up online and think they’ve stumbled on the wrong business since everything looks completely different…
If you don’t yet have a brand established and are choosing fonts & colors for the first time, don’t settle for basic fonts like Times New Roman… take some time to find that font that fits your business’ personality. Same goes for colors. Try to steer clear of your personal favs, and instead opt for colors that will resonate with your ideal audience.
5. Avoid buying templateS
Templates may seem like an easy fix, but this ‘shortcut’ can actually do more harm than good. Say you buy yourself a poppin’ template for your business card… You go to an event, eager to hand out your card and get some new business contacts. You give your card to someone who then turns around and shows you the exact same template, or close enough to, on another card. Now you look lazy and unoriginal. This is not how you want to represent yourself or your brand. Be unique. Your brand deserves that extra push in making a one of a kind business card.
6. include Visual cues / associations
To wrap up that physical presentation, think about adding a visual cue for the person holding the card that represents something about the way you work. Say you paint. Add a brush or a swoosh of said brush to the design of your brand or business title. The more the message of the card stays true to you and your brand, the more confident you will feel handing it out, and the better the responses you will get in return. A business card should be a love note to the labor of love that is your brand and your business.
Content to include
7. Highlight Next Step(s)
When you hand this card to someone, what do you want them to do? Get that message across, but be sure give it the unique style and flair that your brand deserves.
In an ideal world, what would you like the card receiver to do after this initial contact with your business? If the answer is for them to visit your website or look up some social media handle, then be sure to highlight that main ‘ideal next step’ so it’s clear what you want them to do. The design hierarchy should be clear and unique to your #1 action step you want people to do – make that ‘next step’ as clear and in-your-face as possible.
8.include your Contact information
You have to have it, and it has to stay up to date. No “oh that’s my old phone number” situations. If the information to reach you is outdated, then you are outdated. Update your card. Have your name, title, services, business name and logo, and email address. Oh, and do yourself a favor. For the email address, make it @yourwebsite.com. No hot mail or what have you. Your brand has to remain consistent all the way through. Show that same consistency on your card.
9.Keep it professional
Have your phone number and website clear to read. As to your social media handles, try to keep them all titled the same so that the handles aren’t confusing and all over the place. The less work the receiver has to do to find you, the more likely you will gain a client.
Also, those social media icons should be changed and made to look like they fit with your brand. If your whole card is dark but you have a crazed bright blue twitter icon on it, it’s going to kill the aesthetic.
Keep the social media handles down to three. You don’t want to overwhelm the card receiver. Remember to highlight the purpose of the card! What is it you are trying to sell? What is your main directive?
Show Some Pride
10. No caveats
If you are excited and proud of this business card, that first impression moment WILL lead people to looking you up. They will feed off of your energy & confidence.
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot right off the bat! No “sorry about the outdated website” nonsense. If you’re handing out with your card with a caveat, it’s time to make some new ones.
Have a brand that shows how unique you are and have a business card that reflects that pride.
Want your own dreamy business cards to take your brand to the next level?
Eager to get beautiful, business cards custom-designed to match that unique aesthetic? Together, we can create the perfect business card for you, so you can slam dunk your next networking event! We’ll make sure every detail is taken care of and make that first impression totally unforgettable.
Remember: you shouldn’t invest in business cards until your unique brand aesthetic is established. Have your visuals and messages etched in stone, metaphorically, before you etch them on a card– you don’t want to be reprinting every month. If you still need to nail down your brand, check out my bite-sized branding process (where we’ll get it custom designed in less than 3 days!) so we can start working on other collateral pieces – like business cards ASAP!
