.Are you wasting your most versatile marketing
tool? Whether you conduct business on-line or off, there’s probably not another weapon in your marketing arsenal that’s
as affordable, as portable, as versatile, and as readily accepted worldwide as the humble business card.
Business cards are much more than a convenient means to leave contact information.
Today, a business card can be an ad … a mini-brochure … a coupon … a discount card … even a phone
card or CD-rom presentation. Very often, your business card determines what (if anything) that your prospect remembers about
you after your initial meeting.
----------------------------------------------
Full color business cards are VERY affordable,
yet
unusual enough to be attention-getting.
----------------------------------------------
First and foremost, your card
must be legible (try not to go smaller than 10-point type for your primary information). The most common mistake in
business card design is overcrowding.
Remember, the truly ESSENTIAL information on any card is your name, your
company name, and your primary phone number (which should be in bold text, if other numbers are on the card.) Include your
email address and website URL if you can, but remember, a card that’s too crowded won’t be kept or read.
Business card design is a more individual concern, but using color on your cards is probably
the single biggest way to make it stand out. (The vast majority of business cards — more than 90% — are printed
in black ink on white card stock.) Full color cards are extremely affordable these days, yet unusual enough to attract attention.
However, what you do with a business card (yours as well as others)
has far more to do with the sales you generate than your card design. Offering your card with both hands, for example, is
a simple, no-cost strategy that still creates an enormous psychological impact.
Consider exchanging cards with like-minded entrepreneurs through business
networking groups. Introduce yourself with your card. Include your card with all correspondence. Sign your name (or a brief
message) on the card. Tuck your card into related books at the library. Actively seek out ways to use your cards.
