If you are in business, you have a business card. If you don’t, you are either trying out some revolutionary new business strategy, or you are about to fail. A business card is an absolute necessity for any businessperson.
The role that a business card can play, however, is often misunderstood. Most people see their business cards as simply a means to tell customers and potential customers how to contact them. To be sure, business cards are wonderful at tell people how they can get in touch with you. But if that is the only purpose your cards are serving, then you are missing out.
One of the most important tasks that you have is to promote your brand. Your brand is, essentially, the image that you present to the world. Every piece of marketing material that you use should promote that brand, and that image. And that includes your business cards.
More Than Your Name and Number
Of course, there is some essential information that every business card you hand out must contain. These include the obvious things that we mentioned earlier:
• Your name
• Your business name
• Phone number
• Website URL
• Email Address
But you can, and should, include much more than that on your business cards. Think of how much more effective they could be if you threw some of these things in as well:
• Your business logo (promotes your brand)
• Your business slogan (promotes your brand)
• Your primary advantage over your competition (promotes your brand and diminishes the brand of your competitors)
Use a Professional Design
By “professional design”, I don’t mean that you need to hire a consultant for hundreds of dollars. But you should invest some time and money in your next business card printing to ensure that it projects the image that you want to send. In essence, to ensure that your brand is effectively promoted.
Most commercial printers will help you design your business cards for little or no charge if you use them to print the finished product. Take advantage of this benefit and add a professional touch to your cards.
Do Not Overdo It
All of these things that we have talked about are good to include on your business cards. But be careful not to overwhelm your potential clients with information and images. A good business card can include your contact info, slogan, logo, and a professional design and still look simple and straightforward. But if your business cards look too “busy”, or complicated, then people will ignore them. They will go into a folder or a trash can and never be seen again. Experiment with ways to include all of the essentials but still maintain a simple appearance.
Every single thing that represents your business, from custom brochures to posters to your business cards, needs to promote your brand. Your brand is the lifeblood of your business. If you are not using your business cards as a brand promotion, then you are hemorrhaging.
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