cards remain the most effective networking tool, even in spite of social media sites that revolve around business networking and connections. The effectiveness of a business card depends completely on design, content, and business card printing quality.
A professional business card effectively reflects the image of a company’s brand. It is the first item that prospects receive, making it the first opportunity to make a strong and positive impression. This is why it is important to have high quality business card printing. Customers and clients will immediately spot a cheap card and it hurts the brand image.
It is better to engage a professional designer to create business cards. The only exception to this rule is if the person who needs the cards has enough design skills to make the cards themselves. A professional designer should also design other marketing collateral.
This includes logos, letterheads, brochures, and a website for the company. By engaging a designer for all of these design tasks, the brand image will be consistently carried through multiple pieces. This improves the professional look of the business.
Make sure business cards are kept simple. They should by 90 x 55 centimeters so there is not too much space to work with. Avoid making the logo too large and do not make the type too small to comfortably read. Sufficient space is a helpful design technique that makes cards look more professional.
The typical 90 x 55 centimeters size has a lot of room to customize. There are techniques companies can do to differentiate themselves, such as add rounded corners. Some designers suggest going with an unusual shape to grab attention. Different shapes can be memorable, but they will not fit standard business card holder devices.
A well designed card provides a convenient and a memorable form of marketing from the point of both the giver and the receiver of the card.
Be deliberate when choosing the information to appear on the card. The name of the employee needs to be on the card. The company name using the logo, the phone number, and email address all need to be on the card. If there is space, add a physical address, fax number, and company website address. Do not clutter the design. Simple and a clean card look far better, than a card crowded with more information. It is a good idea to provide QR code that takes the customers to your company website.
Keep the back blank or only put non critical information on the backside. People will not often see the back of a business card. Traditional card storage modes assume that the backside is blank. If there is a message on the back, make it something that is only supplemental information, such as the company tagline. Business cards should promote brand identity, but not advertise.
Studies show that an image on a business card is more likely to be kept and considered by clients. If the card is for an individual employee, consider a picture of the employee in a small box in the corner of the card. If there is a certain product the company is selling, considers making a photo of the product the background of the card, something like a watermark, so the words are still legible.
Production and printing costs for business cards are low. Benefits of cards are high since they make such a big statement in the business world. This makes the marketing value of cards very high.
The card represents a positive image of the company or employee by briefly highlighting services or products provided by a company. Business cards bring in additional revenue and allow the company to grow with a new and evolving customer base.