We use business cards all the time and hardly give them a second thought unless we’re considering a redesign. Ignore them at your peril though. This one small piece of card can be one of the cheapest and yet most effective marketing tools you have at your disposal.
Designing Your Card
First you must decide what your business card is for. If it’s merely to hand out to all and sundry so they won’t forget your name and number then you can cut a few corners with costs and content.
However, if you intend it to make a statement about you and your business, then good quality card, or even glossy finish may be a better option.
As I’m sure you’ll have realised, a good, competent designer will tell you that the card of an undertaker will have a completely different look to that of a musician! It’s all about the image you want to project. Take a moment to look at some of the letter templates in Microsoft Word for example. They include ‘classic,’ ‘jazzy’ and ‘modern.’ This is a great way for you to see the way a letter can be given a totally different look simply by the layout, font and logos.
The same applies to your business card!
Content
You will definitely need contact details. If you prefer to be contacted on your mobile phone (or if you work from home and kids are likely to answer) then definitely use that number. If you have an office and prefer not to take business calls on your mobile, then use the office number. The same criteria apply to your address. I wouldn’t include your address if you don’t normally meet customers at home, but if you have premises where they can visit, then include that address.
If you have an email address – and most people do, then that’s yet another way customers can contact you. The easier you can make it for people to contact you, the more likely they are to do just that.
I see your business card’s purpose as helping potential customers/contacts to:
* remember your name
* remember what you do
* help them to contact you as easily as possible
* get a feel for your business from the image your card presents
You can of course make your own business cards. There are many dedicated business card making software packages for sale, but all the desktop publishing programs such as PagePlus and Microsoft Publisher also have templates for business cards included with all their other templates. Their expertise in design layouts, combined with the wealth of good quality card available at business stationers (some ready with micro perforations) means you can make your own professional cards with the minimum of time and expense.
How to Use Your Business Cards
Once you’ve made (or ordered and paid) for them, don’t leave them stashed in a drawer, I have some ideas for ways you can utilise your business cards:
* Post your business cards anywhere they’re allowed–libraries, colleges, supermarkets.
* Get creative with your cards. Why not try slipping them between the pages of books in your local library related to your business? If you’re a florist put them inside wedding books; a personal trainer could put them inside get fit and diet related books. I’m sure you get the idea.
* Never pass up a chance to pass out your cards. Whenever you pay for anything, if you think the salesperson could use your product or service or might know someone who could, give him or her your card.
* Include business cards when you pay bills by mail. You never know whether the person opening your bill might need your service.
* Don’t forget to use your mobile phone as well! Most phones have the facility to send a business card to the recipient’s cell phone, so they can add your details to their contact section simply by the press of a button or two.
Copyright © Sue Williams 2006
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