Your business card should be your best advertisement. I have received hundreds of business cards over the years and guess which ones take the grand tour of the bottom of my trash can?
The ones where I don't know what the person can do for me.
It always amazes me to see business cards that only have a company name and contact information. I guess they are trying to look cool or go for the minimalist approach, but that is the surest way to have your card thrown away.
Your Card Has a Back Too!
Your card should be like a mini classified ad. All cards have two sides, so take advantage of every inch of that space. I would suggest having a standard front, with your company name and your contact information.
On the back, describe what you do and why someone should call you NOW instead of calling your competitor. Be sure to point them to your website to get more information.
If you don't have a website, click here to get more information on how we can build one for you. You really need a website, they are so inexpensive and give potential customers an easy way to find out more about you. Everyone else has one now days.
Make Your Card Feel Good
I'm not telling you to talk to your card and give it daily affirmations. What I mean is that you can increase the chance that people will keep your card around by giving it a super glossy coating. You should put the super glossy coating on the front of the card and leave the back without the coating so that people can write notes on it.
The super glossy cards feel good between your fingers and people won't be able to stop rubbing your card. If you don't believe me, watch what they do when you give them a super glossy card. The extra coating makes the card thicker and projects a sense of credibility and professionalism.
Give Your Card Curves
You can also give your card a distinctive shape. If you opt for a distinctive shape, be sure not to make it too funky because some people will throw your card away just because it doesn't fit nicely into their card holder.
I personally like the cards with rounded edges or a unique cut on one edge. Sometimes people will keep your card around for no better reason than they like the way it looks or feels.
Who Cares?
Remember, contrary to what you may think, no one really cares about how long you have been in business, how pretty you are or how nice your office is. All they really care about is what you can do for them, so give them what they want! Also consider putting a special offer on your card like a free consultation or a free sample to get them to call.
Final Tips
One final tip is to put your card in every piece of mail that goes out, even bills. Also think about leaving your card with your tip at restaurants, unless you are a cheap tipper. Just kidding, but you get the point, hand them out everywhere.
This also depends on what kind of business you have. If your business is marketable to the general public, then these last tips work great. But the more cards you hand out, the more advertisements you have out there working for you. Even the best business card design in the world won't get you any business if it is still staring at the inside of the box it came in.
Click here to see a list of business card companies that we suggest. |
