In these days of online marketing, you may be forgiven for thinking that having a properly designed business card is no longer an important part of your branding. Well you would be wrong. A business card may not have the high-tech appeal of a Facebook page or a YouTube channel but remember, not every business interaction or meeting takes place online.
As a business owner, it is highly likely that you will encounter potential business associates and customers in the world that exists offline. In these scenarios, if your business card is just a boring old piece of card, or worse if you haven’t even bothered to create a business card, you and your business are at a huge disadvantage to those businesses and business owners who have had the foresight to create a business card to use as one of their branding tools.
So now that you know you must have a business card to help brand your business, here are simple rules in terms of its design to ensure it does so effectively.
#1 Keep It Simple
Business cards are not an exercise in seeing which company can create the most outlandish or garish design. This the quickest way to ensure your business card goes straight in the waste bin. Keep the design simple and in keeping with your company’s overall branding.
#2 Make It Eye Catching
Tip #1 does not mean that your business card should be boring. Make it stand out without going overboard. Use colours and fonts which make your card distinctive and pleasing to the eye.
#3 Keep In-line With Your Brand
If you use a certain logo or specific colours as part of your business’s branding then stick with these themes when creating your business cards. You want your business cards to be an extension of your brand, not create an entirely new one.
#4 Use High-Quality Card
Don’t skimp when it comes to budgeting for the cost of the materials you are going to use for your business cards. It says a lot about a company, and in a negative way, if the business cards it distributes are as thin as paper or disintegrate easily.
#5 Dare To Be Different
Whilst tip #1 still applies, there is nothing to be lost in creating business cards that are unique or show outside of the box thinking. As long as they are tastefully designed, having business cards that are different from the norm can be hugely beneficial. Acrylic, carbon fibre, metal, wood and laser engraved business cards have all proven to be highly effective ways to get your brand noticed.
Whichever design or material you choose, whether you decide to play it safe, or go for something totally unique, business cards are still a tried and trusted tool when it comes to branding your business. If you don’t use them, you should start to. If you use them, but not effectively, then change their design or the way you distribute them. The next person you hand a business card to might just be that person who wants to do business with your company in a big, big way.
