Business Card Mistakes
June 17, 2008
Have you ever gotten a friendly compliment on your business card? Is it something that you’re proud of or are you ashamed when you see how people react when they see your business card for the very first time? Does your business card easily and clearly identify what your business does? Does it answer the question why people should do business with you? If you eventually answered no to one or more of these questions above, it just may be time for you to consider upgrading your business card to something better. Find a trash can and get rid of the old ones or use them as the sticky note replacements.
Here is a list of some common mistakes when it comes to business cards:
- Cheap design
- Cheap material
- Waste of available space
- No slogan or business message
- No Power Words or call to action
- No indication what you actually do
- Font too small to even read it with a magnifying glass
- Poor use of Color
- Not using your cards at all
I looked through the business cards I collected over the course of the last 6-8 weeks from other entrepreneurs and many business cards had a 100% match of my list of mistakes. I also looked at my own business card again and I think I still see too many hits when comparing it to the list of possible mistakes. The cards worked great and were a good match when I ordered them 12 months ago, but they feel so much outdated now – it is not even funny anymore. I am scheduled for a 2 day Seminar in Los Angeles later this year and I am sure that I will have a new set of business cards with a new business card template in my pocket by then. When are you getting a new business card makeover?
Business Cards – Business Toolbox or Trash Can?
June 16, 2008
Business cards are a valuable promotion tool that should be in every entrepreneurs toolbox. No business person could really survive without the convenience of having a business card to hand to prospective clients or potential customers. You probably guessed it already – handing out a business card is just so much easier than writing down all your contact information on a piece of paper for a potential client you’ve just met. But then reality kicks in. Most business cards only do half the marketing job they are supposed to do. Think about what you do with the business cards people give you. If you’re like most people, they might go into a pile in a drawer or even worse get thrown away right away. If you’re a little more more organized, maybe they go into a card filer. If you are really working high-tech you scan in all business cards you receive and even dump the information into Microsoft Outlook. In either case, in the end the business cards just sit there, out of view in 90% of the cases, and therefore probably out of mind. What a waste!
This is where you have to step up to the plate and really do something with your own business card. You don’t want your card to end up like the ones described above. Choosing a great business card template is a first step towards breaking out of the ordinary. Pick a great design, come up with a good slogan, and do not forget to use the backside of your business card as a tool to carry a solid marketing message of some kind. If you don’t bother about those things, why even hand out business cards? Find a trash can ….
Power Words for Business Cards
June 16, 2008
These days, a small business owner needs every little inch of marketing power she can get. Business cards are a perfect tool for an entrepreneur to have in the tool box when competing for new customers and new business. But are your business cards powerfull enough to give you the advantage you are looking for? Take one of your business cards and review it in detail. What words do you use to describe your business, your products or your services? Do you actually have something like this on your business card?
What are some power words or phrases your business card should show? Well, besides your business name and your business slogan, you can use the backside of the business card to really become creative. Here are some creative and very powerful things to put on your business card’s backside:
- Coupon or Discount codes
- Motivational Phrases
- Buy Phrases
- Event Calendar
Here are some buying process related phrases you can use to enhance your business cards:
- Huge Discounts
- Receive 10% off when you present this card on your next purchase
- Free Gift available – present this card upon your next purchase
- Visit our website.com/coupons for special savings
As you can see, there is quite some “real estate” available on your business card that you can turn into a powerfull marketing tool. Use it and be successful.
Creative Business Card Marketing
June 16, 2008
How do you use business cards for marketing? Do you just hand them out occasionally? Who will get a business card from you? If you do not have a good business card marketing strategy in place, you should start thinking about one and implement it. First of all – you can get away with free business cards for starters. By taking advantage of such an offer you can test a marketing approach and then dive in with full force.
But how do you use business cards for marketing in a way that it really works? You should already have an idea who would benefit most of your services and those are the people who should get your business card. But where do you meet them? Try business networking events or fairs as an example. Setting up a booth on a business related fair is not that expensive and the return on investment could be easily 10 times as much as you spent on the exhibitor fees. Another approach would be to give employees their own business cards. Even employees low on the pay scale are a good way to get your business cards distributed. Employees like to show off and business cards are a good way for that – not everyone has business cards, right?! But this last form is not very targeted at all and you are right. It is more about brand building in that moment.
Do you eat out for lunch? Pick those delis with seating areas and “by accident” leave a business card on the table when you leave. I have actually found a few customers that way. Get full colored business cards and hand them out to existing customers. Ask for referrals. My insurance agent sends me a nice letter “checking in” once a quarter and always includes a few extra business cards in case I know someone who needs insurance.
The possibilities are pretty much endless – just become creative and use a great looking business card when doing marketing for best results.
Full Colored Business Cards
June 16, 2008
Full colored business cards are the standard for businesses today. That has not always been the case as you know. Problem for many business professionals is that they placed huge orders to take advantage of volume discounts, but it is just not that easy to hand out 5,000 business cards that fast. And sooner than you think your business cards are outdated and out of style. I personally use old business cards instead of yellow sticky notes whenever I can.
Anyway, it can make good business sense to work with smaller quantities when it comes to placing your next order for business cards. Instead of ordering generic cards, I often end up ordering smaller packages, but dedicated to certain projects or assigning me a specific role. Sometimes it is better if my title is not president or owner, but more something like “director” or “project manager” or stuff like this. I always scout the web for great deals or offers for even free business cards and actually have saved about 25% total compared to the larger orders of a generic business card.
It’s also easier now to replace a business card design with a new one. I truly see this as a major advantage and have been pretty happy with the results accordingly. I completely abandoned white business cards with black text and have only ordered full colored business cards in the last 2 years. From my experience it has helped to get the attention of the person receiving my business card.
Business Card Extravaganza
June 16, 2008
Once a month I am heading downtown for a business networking event. The event is sponsored by different companies and it often feels like a big business card extravaganza. If you are not used to networking events you do not know how many business cards change ownership on those events. It’s crazy. I almost never go home with less than 15-20 business cards I have received from other entrepreneurs. At home I usually spend 5-10 minutes reviewing the cards and taking notes on each backside so that I remember who I talked to and what we talked about.
It’s not possible to follow up with everyone I received a card from and so I developed a system that I use to classify the business cards into categories. Someone who really impressed with knowledge and experience + eventually has a really impressive business card design, moves high up on my follow-up list while others (especially with boring looking business cards) move down on the list and eventually get dropped completely.
So, I consider it critical to pick a business card template that looks interesting and impressive. Black text on white background just does not cut it anymore. 
What makes your Business Cards stand out?
June 16, 2008
Do your business cards are really unique? Do they stand out? Do they impress the person who receives your business card? From experience I can tell that 60%-70% of the business cards out there are based on a cookie cutter template of some sort. There is some of a footprint that identifies these cards as non-unique easily. The following list shows some items how to separate yourself from the boring guys:
Business Card Material
Business cards are made up of a special kind of cardboard material (thick paper). If your business cards do feel thin and cheap, they probably are. The first step to get a response to your business card is to use high quality material.
Business Card Layout
Follow the standards. If your cards are too unique, how can the person holding it see within 5 seconds who you are and what your business description is? Don’t hide your critical contact information.
These 2 items are the most critical ones to business card success. There are some really great free credit card designs available, but usually you want at least some customization. The days of just plain white credit cards with black text on it are long gone. It is time to move up.
How Business Cards got me a new customer
June 16, 2008
Business cards are a great way to gain new customers. However, sometimes things work differently and the business card you handed out for a completely different reason is the one that opens the door to new business. I was at lunch at a restaurant to meet a friend. We discussed several topics and issues. I had to make a drawing to explain something better and since the restaurant had only cloth napkins I used one of my own business cards to do so. I guess the card must have fallen down later during lunch or I dropped it by accident. After lunch we left and everyone minded his own business. Later that afternoon I received a call from a (now) customer inquiring about my services and expertise. At the end of the call I asked the caller how he had heard of me and he suggested that he actually found my business card on the floor of a restaurant and he was impressed with my full-colored custom design and how I had my services listed. And as it turned out – he had an immediate need that very day for professional Internet Services.
As you can see, business cards work great to get new customers. I actually always carry two different kinds around. Since my business model is pretty diverse and different to other businesses, I am using two different business cards accordingly. This works out great so far and the extra cost is not an issue at all. Your situation might be different, but in general if you look around – how often could you have used business cards as a way to introduce yourself as a business?
What are Business Cards?
June 15, 2008
A business card is usually considered just a piece of paper – containing the name, address, email address, website and other related contact information of the person handing out the card. Information contained on a business card often includes the business name or the company affiliations when the card is used by an employee or owner of a business.
For a few years now Business cards are seen as a tool for better advertisement or (offline) marketing. Therefore business cards have evolved from plain white cards to much more sophisticated designs and options. You can get business cards printed on material other than paper. You can get business cards printed as a cd-rom. The options are almost endless. The majority of business cards is still printed on paper. Business cards are typically printed on a 1/8 size piece of paper or thin cardboard. However, full-colored business cards have taken over the world.
Check out some free business card designs here.
Most print shops offer a large variety of pre-designed business cards where you can make minor modifications before adding your business or personal information. In most cases you can choose between single-sided business cards or double-sided business cards. Either way, full colored business are extremely affordable unless you have the need for some major customizations.
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