Business cards can be a conversational piece all in the own right if they are created with a uniquely creative style. Below are a list of 10 business cards chosen based on their originality and color. Hopefully they will get your creative juices flowing or inspire you to design some of your very own.
Do go for something unique. London-based Moo creates business cards in which you can upload multiple photos for different business cards. Moo is best for those who need a short print run – you can order business cards in packs of 50. Besides that, you can upload 50 images to be used on 50 cards. This is great if you have an ever-changing inventory and you want to show off that inventory with your business cards. One jewelry maker says she can reorder cards with her newest creations featured. I’m guessing she can also tell a potential client: “Here are some sample photos of my work” (which are her business cards), and then she can give the client a business card with the sample of work he liked.
Do keep the design simple. Use clean lines, and one or two colors max (unless you have more colors in your logo – it’s okay for your logo to be in full color). Use lots of white space, or empty space, so as not to clutter the design. If you put too much text and design in a small space like a business card, it will be hard to read.
Do update your cards with new information. If you have a change of address, title, phone number – whatever, you need to update your cards. Scribbling out the old address to put in the new doesn’t look professional and could cost you a client. It also says “I’m too cheap to buy new business cards,” which is not an image you want to convey.
Don’t let your business cards sit around in a holder all the time. The point of getting business cards is to distribute them, right? Don’t leave your business cards at home or in your office when you’re going out – have some with you at all times. Leave them on the counter of coffee shops. Hang them on community bulletin boards. Get them into people’s hands.
Don’t ignore the back of your card. It’ll cost you a little extra, but putting some useful info on the back of your card will help to keep it from being thrown in the trash. You can put a 3-month calendar, emergency phone numbers, cooking measurements (if you’re in the cooking business) or any other kind of useful on the back, you’ve given people another reason to keep your card.
Don’t print your own business cards. Many people use the perforated cards that you can print at home on an inkjet printer. These cards often look unprofessional and people can feel the perforations around the card. That screams “homemade.” Spend another $10 or $20 to get it done right the first time with an online printing company. You can get professional quality business cards for little more than the DIY home kits. It’s well worth it.
When it comes time to update or improve your business card printing orders, you have plenty of options. Your business card reflects your business and your brand, so you need to invest plenty of time, thought and money into it. Having included money, though, I’m not saying you have to break the bank – business cards are often the cheapest marketing tool you use. But instead of buying 250 boring business cards for $20, why not spend a little extra to impress prospects? The money you spend will come back to you in the form of new customers impressed by your card.
But to impress prospects, you must have a business card that is different. Innovative. Unique. I’m going to give you some ideas of great designs that you can tweak to create your own distinctive design. Hopefully some of these ideas will spark a great idea for your revamped business cards.
Use the Back for Something Useful
One great idea is to use the back of the card for important info. This will give prospects a reason to keep your card when they otherwise wouldn’t, plus you are seen as helpful for including this info on your card. A common design technique is to include a 3-month or 6-month calendar on the back. (1-year calendars just don’t fit well on traditional business cards.) Another idea to is to list local emergency phone numbers, like for the nearest hospitals, fire stations, poison control hotlines, etc. There’s nothing wrong with this at all.
But if you are in an industry that allows you to give helpful info that is connected to your industry, all the better! This makes your card tailored to your industry and helpful. For instance, a chef or cooking instructor could include cooking measurements on the back of her business card (1 cup = 8 oz.; 3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp.). That’s something I would keep around! Or, as seen here, a guitar instructor could include basic guitar chord fingerings for students. Any kind of music teacher could include fingerings for most instruments.
Make Your Card Interactive
Now, this type of technology isn’t widespread yet, mostly because each card costs $25 each, but it’s a cool notion of what’s to come. You can include a short video clip into your business card! How cool is that? The client has no time for an in-person demonstration? No problem! He can watch the demonstration at his leisure by whipping out your business card! According to Gizmodo, the rCard: Fully Interactive Business Card “plays video and comes with a 1.875″ x 1.875″ full color flat screen, speakers, a navigational button, 1 gig of memory, and a USB port. The battery on it is as thin as a postage stamp and lasts about 4 hours of continuous use, but there’s a rechargeable battery option, and you can power it off and on. The whole thing only measures 2″ x 3″ and weighs a measly 2 ounces.”
Now if that doesn’t impress you, I can’t help you!
You may not be able to afford a video business card, but you could use a holographic image, metallic lettering or a clear plastic card. The design includes the card’s material and you don’t have to limit yourself to cardstock. If you have the budget, go for something new and unusual – recycled cans, wood – whatever is related to your industry.
Let’s say you’ve met with two professionals today that are competitors vying for your business. One professional leaves his business card, and it’s got a clip art photo on it and perforations from being torn out of an at-home inkjet printer business card kit. The other professional leaves her business card, and it’s got a glossy finish and a logo on it, and no perforations. Both professionals impressed you with their sales pitches, so now which professional has left a better impression with you now that you have their business cards? My bet would go to the woman.
A professional-looking business card can make all the difference when you’re making a sale or closing a deal. An amateur-looking business card that looks unpolished can give out a bad impression. Your business card is a reflection not only on your company, but on you personally.
To be sure you have a professional-looking business card that won’t turn any potential clients away, ask yourself the following questions.
1. Does the finish of my business card look professional? Yes, even business cards come with finishes. Business card printing has gotten quite fancy and sophisticated and now you can add a glossy finish or a matte finish to your business card. Depending on your business card’s design, a glossy, matte or aqueous coating can add that bit of professionalism you need. Glossy is shiny, matte is decidedly not shiny and aqueous is somewhere in between. Generally, color heavy business cards do well with a glossy finish while all others work well with matte or aqueous finishes. Work with your business card printing company to figure out which is best for your business card.
2. Does the design of my business card look like it was drawn by my 5-year-old niece? Obviously, your business card’s design is the biggest factor in whether it looks professional. A well-designed business card (without clip art!) gives off a better impression than one designed with no structure and that uses font that is hard to read. The color choices, the hierarchy of text and the positioning of the information presented all contribute to your business card’s professional design. The best type of art to have on your business card is your logo.
3. Are you missing any contact information? The design and finish are valuable for visual appeal, but it’s your contact information that sells you. Be sure to include your company’s name, your name, title, phone number, fax number, business address, email address and Web site address. If you’re missing a Web site address or email address, you could be seen as old-fashioned. If you don’t have either, get one pronto!
4. Did you use both sides of the card? Anymore, you can get information printed on both sides of your business card without adding too much expense to your total price. Business cards with info printed on both sides can add an air of quality to your business card. Use the back for your tagline, as an appointment reminder, as a referral card or to list helpful info, like local emergency phone numbers.
Your business card says a lot about you. Ask yourself these questions and answer truthfully; the answers can help make or break your next deal.
Even with all the technological wonders available today, you still need to print business cards. Why, you may ask, should I print business cards when I can just e-mail all my contact information? Here are just a couple of reasons why the business card is still so important:
Don’t phase the card out just yet. You still need to print business cards. Your customers want to connect with you on a personal level, many of your customers do not rely on emails for contact information, and the business card provides one more opportunity to reinforce your brand. These reasons alone are enough to keep the business card around for many years to come.
No one buys anything from a person or business he doesn’t trust. You wouldn’t buy a car from a dealer you thought was ripping you off, or from a salesperson who you thought wasn’t being honest with you, right?
Most people have always gone into a skeptical mindset when they make big-ticket items, like televisions and cars, but that skepticism is leaking into smaller purchases too. With all of the hyped-up advertising, with promises that can’t be delivered, you can’t really blame consumers for being cautious.
It’s precisely this reason that you need to use marketing techniques that put customers’ minds at ease. Here are a few ways to get trust from your customers, which is a first step to making any sale:
Testimonials
People believe what other customers have to say about you and your product more than they’ll believe what you have to say.
Using testimonials in your catalogs, brochures and other marketing materials is what will convince people that your product is the best, that it works and that it won’t break.
Get testimonials by asking customers what they liked about your product or service and how it helped them. Ask if you helped them solve a problem – these kinds of benefit testimonials work especially well. Write down their comments, and get their written permission to use them. It helps if you offer a discount or something valuable in exchange for their time. But, be sure you get the testimonial before you offer the discount or you might be called out for bribing your customers!
Write articles to establish yourself as an expert
Writing free articles for your local newspaper or magazine can be a great source of getting trust from the community. Write about what you know – your industry or your type of product – but don’t only talk about you and your product. In fact, it’s best if you don’t mention your affiliation at all in the article. Your name, occupation and/or business name will most likely be in the credit line. You might also get a headshot to accompany the article. People want to buy from those they think are knowledgeable – knowledge equals trust.
Ask for referrals
Give out your business cards to your customers and ask if they know anyone who might need your service. You can also ask your friends and family to ask their friends and family for referrals. Also, try some networking events like social industry dinners – they can be great places to strike up a conversation and find someone that might need your product, or knows someone that might need your product.
Personalize your direct mail
Use people’s names on letters and postcards – people will be more apt to read something that is addressed to them by name rather than to “Dear customer.” You trust someone that you know personally, and using names are an easy way to evoke trust. Also, try to get to know your target market – whether they have kids, pets, etc. and use that info in your direct mail pieces. “Now that your kids are about to go back to school …”. Make people think your direct mail is talking directly to them.
Lastly, once you establish a contact, keep following up periodically. Once a month or once every other month is good – enough for them to remember you, but not enough to annoy them. Once you earn consumers’ trust, the rest of the sales process is much easier!
When people first start a new job or start a new business, when do they feel like they have officially “arrived”? Usually, it’s when they get their business cards! Getting your nice new business cards is an exciting time – for some reason seeing your name on a small piece of cardstock with your title and contact info is enthralling.
If you’re just starting up a new business or you’ve changed jobs and need to get new business cards printed, your basic options for where to get these cards is a traditional brick-and-mortar printing company, or an online business card printing company.
For this post, I’ll go with the online company for the following reasons:
Online companies are generally cheaper. They’ll save you money, plain and simple. They generally have less overhead costs and may not need as many employees. The savings the company gets by employing only a few people to multitask are forked over to you.
You have a plethora of options. You generally have many more designs and templates to choose from when you shop online.
You’ll get your cards faster. Online companies can start printing orders right away, so there isn’t as much backlog. A small backlog means you get your order quicker. Also, many processes are automated, so the process can get started overnight, without anyone having to run the equipment.
It’s convenient. You can shop and order at any time of day. You can shop in the comfort of your pajamas if you want to! Plus, with the rising gas prices you won’t have to drive to pick up your cards or to check out the proof – everything can be emailed or mailed directly to you.
You and your business are very much alike in many aspects. For example, both would end up lonely and unfulfilled without any friends. A company builds its group of friends through networking.
Networking can come in many forms and fashions. Most popular today are the various networking opportunities existing online. There is a long list of possibilities in this arena. Some include cross promotional arrangements, newsgroup participation and social networking site membership. The Internet can provide for a large and rapidly developed network.
However, just like you, your business needs to also step out into the real world. A popular venue for flesh and blood interaction is trade shows. They often present a great forum to distribute your color business card far and wide. Business card printing rates allow for you to be quite liberal in their distribution versus other possible marketing materials.
After you have developed a wide network it is critical not to ignore it. Just like with friends in your personal life, your business friends need attention as well. Build and nourish your company’s network and the dividends will quickly become evident.
Budgeting wisely is a necessary evil for businesspeople. Survival depends on cash flow and revenue and expenditures. As a businessman, I am intimately familiar with trying to come up with innovative ways to make the numbers work.
I have learned (the hard way) that there are some areas where cutting costs doesn’t always pay off. One of those areas is in product promotion. I used to try to save money by using cheaper companies to do my newsletter printing and brochure printing. At times, I even used black and white literature, and I even gave those awful things to customers!
As I said, though, I have learned. I have learned that spending more on quality literature now always means more revenue later. So now I always go with a good printing company. I always have full color newsletters and brochures, and even full color business cards. The results are tremendous.
If I can convince other young entrepreneurs to learn from my mistake before making it themselves, I will be a very happy man. So please take my word for it: cutting corners on printing your promotional material will do nothing but hurt your pocketbook.
In addition to having all your contact information written down, your color business cards can be more than that. For one thing, your business cards are great ice breakers when you’re meeting with a client or prospect, especially if you have something to catch the eyes of the person you handed it out to. That’s why it is the best time for you to provide business cards that are different and unique to get noticed.
Your business card can also be one great way of starting a conversation. Point out your design or the way your graphic designer made your cards. It can definitely help you start the ball rolling when you network and introduce your business to a client or a prospect.
Your business cards are definitely surefire ways to get your clients and prospects to take action. If you have a tagline that states what you actually do, your recipients might just remember that they needed your service or what you have to offer them. Making it clear what you do can make a big difference and getting your recipients to remember you.
But the best thing that your card can do for you is to help your target clients to remember you even after your initial meeting. If you have a card that is unique and has all your information written in it, you won’t even have to do most of the work. Your cards can get your recipients to keep you for future use.
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