The perfect business card. What does it look like? This is the £64,000 question, right? A business card is the first impression someone gets of your company, and possibly the last chance you get to entice people to come to your website and look around. Without this humble paper introduction that usually follows a handshake, many business and retail establishments simply wouldn’t have existed.
Today, of course, there’s the Internet. People can go online and find you. It seems like the business card has had its day. But, it’s still there, waiting to be utilised to its full potential. Here’s how to do just that.
Create A Clear Positioning Statement
Set your positioning from the start. If you have a motto or slogan, put it front and centre. Let people know who you are and what you do before they see anything else. That way, they will not be confused about your business. Most people who throw away business cards do so because they’ve no interest in the business.
But, a good handful of that non-interest is because they cannot figure out what you do or – more specifically – what you can do for them. If you make that clear right on the front of the card, you have a much higher chance of them becoming a solid lead.
Make It Functional
You should always keep any marketing message on the card short and to-the-point. You’ll probably be printing up a lot of these cards, and using sites like StinkyInk.com for the printing ink, but that doesn’t mean you can take risks with the message.
Include your contact details, a one or two sentence statement about what makes you different from your competition, and also think about whether your card is sharable or encourages a future conversation. If it doesn’t, rethink it and try again. The goal is to hit them with a simple card, and get them in the door or on the phone.
Make It Minimal
You don’t need to jam up your card with a lot of text, colour, or fancy graphics. In fact, if the card is too busy, it might turn people off. Keep it simple, make use of white space, and have a clear and defined message. If you need additional space, use both the front and the back.
Target Prospects
Target prospects with your card. If you leave 50 cards in a coffee shop, for example, think about what types of people stop in here and print up a batch for that market. If you hand out cards at trade shows, customise the card for the trade show.
If you don’t have the flexibility for something like this, use a QR code to offer people a “content upgrade” right there on the card. Or, include a link to a YouTube or Vimeo video you’ve made that will encourage people to visit your website.
Make It Practical
Some of the most interesting business cards are also practical. For example, a beer distributor might use a metal business card that also functions as a bottle opener. A pub might use a mock coaster for its business card. A printer could use a business card with a concealed edge useful for cutting, while a tailor might use a cloth business card that’s actually a sample of his premium material.
If there’s a way for you to work in your company’s offering or a sample, do it. Make your business card practical, and it will also be memorable. And that is exactly what you want.
John Sollars runs a successful printing ink business. Whenever he has the chance, he likes to share what has worked for him with others. You can read his articles mostly on business, marketing and technology websites. Follow John on Google+.