What Do Your Business Cards Say About You?
Business cards are an essential for any business professional and usually the first piece of promotional material we have printed. They tell our customers who we are, where we are from and how to contact us. However our business cards can say so much more than just our details.
Think of a business card as the first touch point of your brand. Most of the time when you are networking and handing out cards, people are experiencing your brand for the first time and as we all know first impressions are important. So why do so many of us settle for a mediocre business card? It comes down to how we see the humble business card. Many still see it as just a piece of cardboard to put your details on and see little other value in it. This can be a dangerous way of thinking.
In the networking world, people receive handfuls of business cards, usually stuffing them into their pocket for later. Often they can be lost in the pile and unless you are already in talks of doing business, they can be forgotten about. You NEED to STAND OUT! When they receive the card and when they sort through their cards later, you want your card to catch their attention instantly. Not only this but in that time-frame between receiving and sorting, you want them to remember your card.
As well as standing out, you want to look professional. As I mentioned earlier your business card can often be the first time someone is experiencing your brand so you want to make a good first impression. Your card should be an extension of your brand. It should share the same colour palette, font, imagery and style as every other touchpoint throughout your business. Too many times I have seen cards done on a simple template that doesn’t reflect the persons brand whatsoever, not to mention having seen that template used previously on someone else’s card. It doesn’t matter how great your product or service is, if you can’t make that first impression memorable, they will forget you. Here are some tips to think about when getting business cards:
Keep it ‘on brand’
Make it stand out
Avoid stock templates
So while you may be tempted to go cheap on your business cards, it may be costing you more in the long run.