By Kaye Z Marks.
Business cards are an essential part of every business person’s arsenal.
You need a business card ready to hand to anyone who might be a potential customer.
Ideally, each business card will bring you an extra sale (or 10). However, that will only happen if your business card is effective, and it can only be effective if you make it better than the zillions of others out there.
Let’s go through the process of designing your business card, step by step.
1. Determine the goal
Are you simply trying to introduce yourself and your business? Are you trying to gain an advantage in a competitive market? Are you re-establishing yourself after a tough period or an embarrassing moment?
Whatever your goal is, always remember to stick with it. Business cards do not have to be just your name and contact information anymore. Be bold when you’re thinking of your goals.
2. Decide what to put
Once you know your overall strategy, you have to be a bit more specific.
Decide exactly what content you will include on your business card. Remember that you can include more than your name and number.
If you’re offering incentives to new customers, put the incentive right there on your business card
Write your slogan on the card. If you’re offering incentives to new customers, put the incentive right there on your business card! You can even put special offers or coupons on them.
It is really up to you – but have a clear plan in mind at this point.
3. Think about the style
Let me give you a hint right away: you do not want the same old black and white business card that you’ve seen thousands of times. You’ll want to go with colour business cards, which are significantly more effective.
Moreover, do not worry about the extra cost. Business-card printing isn’t that expensive anymore, even for colour business cards, and the increased recognition will make it worth the expense.
So now that you know what you’re going to say on your business card, and you know you want it in colour, decide how you want to put it all together.
Do you want it to look formal and professional? Or lively and spontaneous? As long as your design strategy fits with your type of business then the sky is the limit. Just don’t put colourful clowns and balloons on your card if you run a funeral home or anything like that.
4. Look around, and rethink
You now have a complete design for your business card, but you’re not done.
The worst thing you can do is take this design straight to the business-card printing company. You might not like the results.
First, look around at some sample cards or at the cards of your competitors. You want to make sure that your cards are unique. At the same time, you want to make sure that they’re not so ‘out there’ that they’ll distract the customer.
So evaluate your design for a few days before you commit to it. You’ll be happy you did.
5. Get ‘em done!
If you’ve taken some time to think over your design you have most likely made a few changes to it. That is good; it means you’re even happier with your card now.
So now, if you are comfortable, get your business cards printed. In addition, enjoy the extra revenue.
The author is an avid writer and business-card printer.
