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The only reason some people have business cards is because you have
to have something with your name and phone number to give to
interested people or clients so they don't have to memorize the
details or write them on a piece of paper soon to be lost or
discarded.
But it's time you started to realize your business card is an
advertisement for you and your business. People will assess you by
that 90mm x 55mm piece of paper.
Some people have been doing this for years. Doctors, lawyers, banks,
insurance companies and the like generally produce clean looking
cards that are printed two colors on expensive white, textured card,
maybe with a few expensive embellishments, such as embossing or gold
foiling. They are advertising their success and professionalism.
Their cards usually stand out because they are well designed and
expensively produced. Yet they don't they to compete for attention -
how many doctors' or lawyers' cards do you have in your card holder?
These cards are passive, you go looking for them because YOU want to
contact the person.
A business on the other hand is competing to get people to phone
them, people who are regularly being given cards by similar
businesses. Are many clients so loyal that they'll always phone you?
A business card that just sits there quietly waiting to be found is
sooner or later, going to lose you business. You need a salesman in
every business card holder that shouts "HEY YOU, HERE I AM, PICK UP
THE PHONE AND RING THIS NUMBER."
Yet it's not as difficult as you might think, if you're open to new
ideas. A pet shop or vet could print paw prints or a huge snake on a
card, a mechanic or gardener could use a thumb print or two, a real
estate agent or builder could die cut a card in the shape of a house
that opens up, a pest controller could print cockroaches or drill
termite holes, a glass etching company could produce "glass" cards,
a confectioner could produce small chocolate bards with specially
printed wrappers, a driving school could print tips for safe
driving, a laminating company could laminate the cards and a stamp
or coin business could stick real stamps or coins on their card.
Some ideas are costly to produce so you might need two cards - one
for important contacts, one for everyone else. However most simple,
strong ideas will work without spending much more than usual.
The Rural Innovation Centre produced a two color card which had a
bull filling most of the space with a red line across it saying "NO
BULL." It was aimed at rural people, spoke their language and always
stands out. Yet that was just one of a dozen ideas they were
considering.
Another rule you must remember is to be pertinent. If you get
attention by putting naked women or the word SEX on your card and
then say "now that I have your attention," unless you're selling bay
hair removal or sex aids, you're going to attract the wrong people
and offend others along the way.
Other ideas include running your information diagonally or printing
it very small in the middle of brightly colored cards (be sure it's
pertinent) or having a number of similar looking cards that are
actually advertisements similar to your press ads.
Cards can also be cut in different shapes - triangles, squares or
long and thin. They also have backs which can be printed on, but be
sure to put something on the front telling the reader to turn it
over.
If you can't find a strong idea just promote your logo or business
name - make it big, die cut it, emboss it, foil it, Verco it or
repeat it all over the card. That's if your logo is worth showing
off, if you're going to say something about the business be sure you
say something good.
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