If Your Business Card Has Staying Power - So Will Your Business
May 3, 2021
It’s happened to all of us – you’re having a fascinating conversation with someone that looks like it could turn into a lucrative business connection but as soon as you walk away, you think, What was that person’s name again?
Perhaps you’ve found yourself making connections in a public setting, scrambling to give out your contact information before your train leaves. These types of situations can result in lost networking opportunities. A business card is an easy way to solve these issues.
It’s essential to create one that makes a lasting impression. You must have a striking design, so your business’ logo and name stick in potential clients’ minds.
What to Aim For
Your business card is a representation of your business, but it is also a reflection of you. To make your business card stand out against the sea of other cards, create a memorable tagline, include a unique feature, keep the design minimal, and ensure the look aligns with your brand.
Catchy Tagline
You need a tagline, like a motto or a slogan, that will stick in potential customers’ heads as your visuals do. Rhyming is always memorable, but can also come off as cheesy, so use it sparingly.
Unique Hook or Feature
These calling cards can stand out through a unique hook or novelty feature. The quirkier your card, the more memorable it makes your business. Plantable cards with embedded seeds for gardening services, a transparent card for a window washer, or cards that tear in half for divorce lawyers are slick techniques to make your cards work on behalf of your business.
Simplicity is Key
As with most marketing tools, it is better to err on the side of simplicity than to risk overwhelming customers with too many colors, font styles, or graphics. Although you need to include all the crucial information about your business, like phone number or website, less is more for your card design.
Match Your Brand
Your card is a reflection of your professional persona, so your card’s aesthetic should be symmetrical with your brand. If you run a tech business and want your brand to exude a sleek, modern aesthetic, your card should also be contemporary and elegant. If you run a surf school, you can experiment with a laidback font that reflects the values of your customer base.
What to Avoid
It doesn’t matter whether it’s professional designers or small businesses – no one becomes eager to support a business owner with an awkward, unprofessional business card. Here are some telltale design mistakes to avoid when you’re creating a unique business card.
Oversized Cards
It’s a pain when you can’t fit someone’s card easily into your wallet, and you may even be tempted to leave it behind. Stick to the standard 3.5” by 2” shape for maximum reach with your card.
Undersized Print
The only thing worse than struggling to fit an oversized card in your wallet is being unable to read the information provided because the text is too small. Make sure your text is big enough to read easily. Be mindful of the careful balance between too large and too small; excessively large font looks unprofessional.
Missing Information
Ensure your business cards include all vital information that your potential customers will need to find you. Like a site map for a website, you should have your physical and digital address, as well as a phone number and email on your business card.
Fun Finishing Touches
Depending on your preferences, you can opt for metallic business cards or die-cut business cards to make more of an impression. At your place of business, especially if you have a high-end company, a fancy card holder is essential.
The Take-home Message
A lot of people don’t put much thought into their business cards, speculating that these marketing tools are nothing more than informational bookmarks, but success in your business requires them to function beyond that. They reflect your business and, by extension, a representation of you as a professional.
With a professional printing service like Comix Well Spring, you’ll soon be holding a brand new business card that will lend staying power to your business. With expert guidance, you can reach any business goal you set your sites on, all while building your network successfully.