How many business cards really stand out, feel like good quality, have good design and make you compliment its owner on its individuality?
The majority of cards that are handed to us are just plain boring. Do you want to be remembered as boring?
Your business card, at that moment in time as you pass it over, represents your business, so is your card leaving a positive lasting memory?
Here’s some tips to make your business card stand out from the crowd:
- Your name: Use the full name that you want to be called, and if you want to add qualifications do so, or you could add those to the back of the card with your repeated name, address and phone numbers. in smaller font size.
- A photograph? This is a personal issue, but I think it’s a great idea to add a warm smiling headshot. Adding a photo, will be an aide memoire when people are sorting out all the cards they collected that day. I’d put a photo on the reverse side of the card and maybe add bullet points of your expertise.
- Your company logo: Every business should be branded, so your logo is a must-have on the card.
- Contact information: Clear space on your card is vital otherwise it can look crowded and messy. You don’t have to put your address or all your contact details either, simply your most preferred method of contact -– I’ve even seen ‘Google Me’ which is confident to say the least.
- Your website: Add your website, LinkedIn or other network account to your contact details. This will lead interested people to the extra information they want.
- Materials: I often use my business card to write a note for someone, even perhaps where or when we met, but if you use any specialised cards that are plastic, laminated, clear, metallic, metal, rubberized or even wooden, that wouldn’t be so easy, however, it would help you to stand out (for good or bad, green or carbon-footprinted).
- Product information: A graphic of what you sell could be added, but by this time your card is getting cluttered which means designing a 1 or 2-fold version. You may prefer to leave that information to the company brochure or website.
- Font: Choose your font carefully, it will become linked with you and your brand and should be congruent with all your other collateral.
- Personal and mission statements: I’m not too keen on these as mission statements often change as you move on, and I would leave it, if you use them, to other marketing materials such as website design and letterheads.
Above all, choose a simple, well designed and informative card that echoes your business. That means as soon as it leaves your hands, your card will be sending out your message, loud and clear.
