50 Surefire Business Card Tips
by Mario Sanchez
Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive
marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to
make the most out of your business cards: · Your business
card must communicate more than just your contact information.
Make sure that your card includes a tag line that explains
what you or your company do.
·Order them in large numbers. By ordering 1000 your cost
per card will be significantly lower than if you ordered
500.
· Even if you can produce your business cards at home using
an inkjet printer, have your business cards professionally
made by a printing company. Your business card will be the
first impression your prospects receive of your business,
so let them convey the best possible one.
· Avoid using standard clip art as your business logo.
A logo brings credibility and brand awareness, so before
you invest in business cards have a logo professionally
made for your business. Nowadays, there are online companies
that can produce a professional logo for as little as $25,
so there is no excuse for not having one made.
· Put up a website and use the URL in your business cards.
If you don't have a website, people will notice the absence
of a web address in your business card and, depending on
the business you are in, it may make you lose credibility.
· Keep all the information in your business card current.
If you changed address or phone number, don't scratch the
old number and write down the new one by hand; get new business
cards. ·
Keep your business card simple. Don't use too many fonts
or try to cram too much information in it. Try to use a
pleasant layout and make sure that your main message (your
tagline or your unique selling proposition) doesn't get
lost.
· If you live in the US, limit your business card size
to 3.5" x 2". Anything bigger will not fit in standard card
holders and your card may end up in the trash. Business
cards in Europe tend to be larger, but so are the wallets
and card holders.
· Make sure that your business card reflects your image.
If you are an artist or a graphic designer, it is OK to
use trendy colors and fonts. If you are an investment banker,
a sober layout and colors such as blue or gray work better.
· Your business card is an integral part of your brand
or corporate identity strategy. It should follow the same
graphics standards as the rest of your communications material
(stationary, brochures, letterheads, etc.).
· Find a way to make your business cards stand out. I've
seen business cards with one of its corners cut in an angle,
or with an interesting texture, all of which makes your
business card stand out of the crowd. The best one I've
seen is from an interior designer, who used a hologram to
show a room before and after a redesign. · Make your business
card easy to read: use high contrast between the background
and the type. Light background with dark type works better.
· After your logo, your name should be the largest piece
of information on your card. · Make sure that all the information
on your card is printed in a large enough typeface to be
easily readable.
· Run your business card copy through a spell checker and
double-check your contact information.
· Keep your business cards with you at all times. Keep
a stack in your car, in your house, in your office, and
in your wallet. · Leave your business cards in billboards
at supermarkets, schools, stores, libraries, etc.
· When giving away your card, give two or three at a time,
so that your contacts can in turn distribute them to other
people. This will not only help you distribute them faster,
but will generate a beneficial "endorsing effect".
· Include a business card with all your correspondence.
People may throw away the letter, but will usually keep
the business card.
· Make your business card go the extra mile: use the back
of the card to print more information: special offers, checklists,
schedules, etc.
· Throw in a business card in every product you ship.
· Send a business card with any gift you send, instead
of just a card with your name.
· Scan your card and use it as an attachment to emails.
· Use your business cards as name tags. Get a transparent
plastic cover with a pin, and attach it to your lapel. Wearing
it on your right side tends to make it more noticeable.
· Use your business card as a name tag on your briefcase.
Make sure that your company logo and tagline are visible.
This way, your business card will turn into a "conversation
piece" during plane rides, which may help you meet interesting
people and good business contacts.
· Use your business card as an ad: many publications offer
"business card size" classified ads. If you design your
business card properly, it can double up as an ad in those
publications.
· Don't give your business card too quickly. It may be
perceived as pushy. Try to establish a conversation with
your prospect first. For example, ask them what do they
do. That will usually prompt them to give you their card.
That is the perfect moment to give them yours.
· Don't try to give your card in situations where many
people are giving them to your prospect. Wait for a moment
when you can capture your prospect's attention span.
· Another tactic you can try when your prospect is overwhelmed
and can't pay you enough attention is to send your card
by mail. Pretend you ran out of business cards and ask for
theirs. Then, mail them your card and take the opportunity
to drop a follow up note.
· If you have a mobile phone number or a direct phone
number that is not listed in your business card, write it
at the back of your card before handing it out, and tell
your prospect that you are giving them your direct number.
This will make your card more important, and less likely
to be lost or thrown out.
· Another way of increasing the chances that your prospect
will keep your card is by printing valuable information
on the back, for example important phone numbers (local
police, hospitals, etc), a calendar, or a football schedule.
· Offer to hand out cards of complementary (non-competitive)
business people in exchange for them distributing yours.
An example of non-competitive businesses is real estate
brokers and mortgage brokers.
· If somebody gives you their business card, you should
give them yours in return.
· Always give your business card face up.
· Take a cue from Far East business people, who hand out
business cards with both hands. It helps give the impression
that your business card is something very important.
· If you conduct business internationally, use the back
of your card to print a translated version of your business
card in your customers' language. Even if they have no problem
reading English, it will be a classy touch and they will
appreciate it.
· If you sell different product brands and want to put
their logos on your business card, print them in only one
color. Using each logo's brand colors could make your business
card look chaotic and busy.
· Create a business card in magnet form. Magnets are widely
used, to hold important papers on the refrigerator door
at home and on file cabinets at work. They are always visible
and always get read.
· When receiving somebody else's business card, don't
put it away immediately. Instead, keep it in your hand for
a while you talk to your prospect, or place it neatly over
the table, and try to develop a conversation based on the
information on the card.
· Use the back of the cards you receive to write down important
facts about the persons who handed them to you. It will
help you enormously when you follow up with them.
· If you are in a profession where relationship selling
is important, it may be a good idea to include your picture
in your business card (i.e. real estate brokers).
· Even if your business is a sole proprietorship, you
can still use "account manager" as your title instead of
"owner" or "president". If you do sales (and we all do)
"account manager" is a perfectly appropriate title, and
it will give the impression that you work for a larger company.
· Use logos of organizations that you or your business
belong to in your business cards. They are an easy way to
provide instant credibility to your business. For example,
if you operate a repair shop you can display the logo of
the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
(ASE) or the Triple A (AAA). (Check with them first about
the terms of use).
· If you participate in affiliate programs online, you
can still use business cards to promote your affiliate links.
Use the name of the affiliate company as the company name,
use 'partner' or 'associate' as your title, and the URL
of the directory or web page where you have placed your
affiliate links as your web address. Just because affiliate
programs are online doesn't mean that you can't use off-line
marketing methods to promote them.
· If you need to give cards to different kinds of prospects
(for example if you are a student looking for work), make
business cards with just your name and contact information,
and attach custom made self-adhesive labels at the back
with information of interest to each specific prospect.
· Include an information email address (for example: info@yourdomain.com)
that is set in autoresponder mode, that automatically triggers
an email message with full information about your product,
service or company. This will increase the effectiveness
of your business card since you will give your prospect
much more information that you can fit in a card.
· Take good care of your business cards. Keep them clean
and crisp in a cardholder. Don't give away cards that are
bent or damaged.
· Try to get a cardholder with two pockets. That way,
you can use one for your business cards and the other one
for the business cards you receive.
· Keep all the business cards you receive neatly organized
in a rolodex. It will save you time and will provide you
with a database of contacts with whom to build positive
business relationships.
· Collect all the business cards you can find, even if
you don't need them. Together, they will act as an "idea
file" that will provide you with valuable tips that you
can use to design your business cards.
About the Author
For more business card tips, visit Free Business Cards:
http://www.accordmarketing.com/businesscards/
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Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest (http://www.theinternetdigest.net
) an online collection of tips and resources on Internet
Marketing and Web Design.
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