Your business may be digital, but tried and true business cards are essential for presenting a professional image. Business cards matter because no one is going to remember your website or LinkedIn account. Business cards matter because they can become your road map to opportunity whether that is landing a new job, forming a new lucrative business partnership or finding someone who can help your business make money. But what can affect the effect of a business card is its content and design.
Why You Should Invest In Your Business Card
While at a conference or when meeting someone for the first time, you may be looking at a physical individual. But hours, days and especially months after that time has passed, what your connections will have as evidence of that meeting is often a simple business card. Your business card is a reflection of you and your business, meaning that what is on that card largely depends on the business you are, or want to be, involved in. However, there are some key aspects that should be included in each card, including:
- Cut the Clutter and Be Straightforward
Business cards are one the most direct and to the point pieces of material you will ever own as a business. You will want information on your card such as:
- Your name
- Your job title
- The name of your company
- Contact information (including website and email, possible social media contact information if necessary)
What you don’t need is your business’s mission statement, information about your products or anything else. The less clutter, the better.
- Keep the Back Blank
As tempting as it may be to have a fancy intricate design on the back of your card, the best business cards are those which are left blank (or, at the very most, have your business logo). Consider the fact that nearly no one will see the back of your business card. What they will use this space for, however, is for jotting down notes during a meeting with you, or after they have left. The blank backing of a business card is valuable storage space for everyone you meet.
- Include Your Picture
If you have ever received a swath of business cards before, then you know full well how difficult it can be to keep track of who’s who and what’s what. By investing those few extra pounds in including your professional image on the card, you are immediately making you card stand out against most if not all other business cards. Those who have met you in the past will remember you and they will be more likely to feel comfortable around you.
- Spend More for Quality Cards
We all know the feeling of a cheap business card. As with including a professional shot image of yourself on your business card, spending more on higher quality cards is also a worthwhile investment.
Your business card gives an impression of you when you are not around your business contacts. Do you want your image to be associated with low quality? Or do you want it to be associated with pride, luxury or opulence?