The ubiquitous business card. So vital, yet so often an afterthought. That’s blunder No. 1.
The business card is the epitome of marketing collateral. It is to “leave behinds” what Babe Ruth was to home runs. Yet some people give it about as much thought as breathing. When encounters with customers and prospects leave behind no “leave-behinds,” it gives rise to the truism: “Out of sight, out of mind.”
There is simply no excuse for this considering how business cards are universally applicable, utterly inexpensive and always expected. A rule of thumb in business is never be caught without your business cards. Toss them like confetti at a wedding. They are as expected as a handshake. Better yet, they don’t cost much more than a handshake.
When a businessperson fails to take advantage of these 3½-inch by 2-inch cardboard tokens, vital information needed by potential customers is unnecessarily denied them.
Blunder No. 2: leaving out important stuff
Who are you? How can you help?
Every business card should contain the minimal facts you need to convey to business prospects:
Name
Title
Business name
Mailing address
E-mail address
Web site, if you have one
Phone and fax numbers
Your logo
A call-to-action message (“Call now for free quotes…”)
The tagline you want them humming after you’re gone (“The best and fastest widgets that very little money can buy”)
It is one of the marvels of modern communication that all of this vital data can be squeezed into 7 square inches.
Blunder No. 3: plain ugly
Although you don’t want to goop up your business card with a lot of gimmickry at the expense of communication, innovative can be effective. Fancy stuff doesn’t cost much when it’s that small. For example, the flap-over style of business card engages people, giving them more time to digest your message.
Blunder No. 4: plain dull
Solve this problem creatively. One approach might be for a mini-van salesman’s card to bear the image of a rear trunk lid on the flap that when lifted reveals the vehicle’s interior and contact information superimposed on the photo. A carpenter’s card might be a thin, varnished piece of pine engraved with contact information.
Blunder No. 5: too fancy
Resist, however, the temptation to get too cute. After all, the idea is to communicate information, not dazzle with graphic overload.
Blunder No. 6: too much information
It’s become fashionable to overload business cards with more than anyone will ever want to know. Cramming too much information into such a small space discourages reading.
Leave some white space to draw the eye to the words. If your card is edge-to-edge verbiage, it’s easier to set it aside than to wade into a palm-sized War and Peace. The No. 1 purpose of the card is to impart information. Unnecessary ramblings and extraneous graphics risk crowding out your essential message.
Blunder No. 7: overspending
Don’t fret if you can’t pay a high-priced graphic artist to design your card. Many commercial printers happily provide templates at no additional cost.
Two bonus blunder anecdotes
Use your business card as a pattern for your company stationery, which should mimic its look and feel on letterhead, envelopes, buck slips, shipping labels and other printed material.
Never forget the “what is in it for me” factor. When prospects or customers look at your business card, make sure they are reminded of why they need you. Don’t pass up these thousands of up-close sales encounters.
Finally, there is little excuse for even the most meager of businesses to scrimp on business cards. Even custom, elaborately colored and fancifully folded cards are about as cheap an investment as you can make in your business. Considering how indispensable and invaluable business cards are, it is foolish to cut corners here.
(Posted November 2005)
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