Every day at Pacer we design brochures, pamphlets, product packaging and more for clients. We also design a lot of business cards.
Often customers feel that the business card is less important and they will not take the time, or spend the money to have us design and produce them. Many are just content to fill out a template online and get them on some stock glossy paper.
This is a mistake!
I repeat….THIS IS A MISTAKE
Your business card is almost always the first impression that you get to leave with a client. It is VERY important that your card is a gateway into your brand. Your card needs to reflect who you are as a business.
Keep in mind that a business card has a much better chance of being carried around, or left sitting visible on a desk than a lot of other products do.
With the importance of business cards now understood, we bring you 5 tips that we use to help our clients stand out from the crowd when they hand out a business card.
- Make your card reflect your brand Remember that the card is roughly 7 square inches (on each side) of billboard space that has to not only give people the means to contact you, but also impress them enough to make them want to contact you.
If your brand is all about sustainable and green technologies, then we will print your card on recycled paper. If your business is plastics, then why not make the card out of plastic?
These are subtle things that will show the thought and detail behind your brand. That will resonate with your prospective clients. - Remember it is a gateway to your brand, not an encyclopedia Too often I see people that want their card to have everything on it. Keep in mind that you want the people to contact you. You will be the one that sells them, not the card. Put enough information on there so that they can contact you. Use the rest of the space to impress them, not overwhelm them with information.
- Be different Odds are, that the person you are handing your car to gets a lot of cards because they are a decision maker within their organization. Find a way to make your card stand out…within reason. Use raised or metallic print, use rounded corners. Anything that will make your card stand out, without being annoying. Too often people go way outside the box and produce a card that is very different, but not at all useful. This can backfire on you.
- Don’t be afraid to use your photo Some people are not a big fan of this, but in certain industries it is quite useful. How many times have you looked at a business card and not remembered the person at all? Put a face to your name. Once again, be different though. Do not just take a selfie and put it in a square box on the card. Have use take a professional photo, cut out the background and make it look great. This will ensure that people remember you, and they will also notice that you dared to be different.
- Use quotes or testimonials In todays world of digital printing, it has become very cost effective to get different backsides printed on your business cards. Why not select 5 different quotes or testimonials and have them randomly printed on the back of your cards?
People will appreciate the uniqueness.
The above tips are some of the design principles that we focus on when creating an engaging business card for our clients.
This process allows us to help our clients stand out in a crowded market space, and we can help your business do the same.
Call us at 724.709.7261 today to setup your free consultation if you feel that your brand is ready for a makeover.