Business Cards -- Tips for Miniature Billboards Working for You

1. This is the Internet age--be sure you have your email address and website printed on your cards. The business card is your "quick introduction," then your website can present your business even further by highlighting your products and/or services with greater detail. If you have forms from which your clients and customers can make their online purchases, your business cards can provide the leverage to make this happen.

2. Browse through the catalogs at more than one printshop to get ideas (good printshops should have at least one or two catalogs). You will be amazed at the variety of cardstocks, colors, finishes, type styles, and logos available.

3. If your business has/will have an established logo, logotype, and/or slogan, include this artwork with your copy (text) when you go to your card printer. This provides continuity by enhancing client awareness of your business's identity. The artwork also helps your card stand out from the crowd.

4. Along the same line of thought, make sure that your card shares the same style logo and other identifying features as your letterhead and envelopes. This, too, projects a more stable identity for your business.

5. Include at least two cards with each letter you send to any potential or current clients. The recipients may pass the extra card to another prospective client. Word of mouth advertising accompanied by a "miniature billboard" is a very effective way to increase business.

6. Unless you are a doctor, lawyer, or CPA (or anybody, for that matter) wanting to maintain an extremely conservative identity, use something other than a plain black-and-white card. There are many colors and color combinations that can improve the attention-getting aspects of a business card. If you absolutely must have a colorless card, you can still add distinction to it by having a colorless logo embossed (raised imprint) on the card. A gloss, linen, or laid texture and a heavier than usual cardstock may eliminate the need for other attention-getting techniques.

7. The more flamboyant and creative your business or service, the more freedom you will have with colors and arrangements on your card. A vertically-arranged card with diagonal type (and with more than one color) stands out from the others posted on a bulletin board or on someone's desk.

8. To convey a "High-Tech" identity, use a Sans-Serif typeface such as Helvetica or Optima. For a more conservative and established business, a favorite Serifed typeface such as Times Roman, Bookman, Baskerville, or Caslon will project the desired effect.

9. Try different materials for your card. Your card can gain an almost subliminal effect if you can relate the material it is printed on to your type of business. A glass/window repair company can use a card printed on transparent plastic. A carpenter or cabinet-maker may have a card printed on thin pieces of balsa wood, veneer, or simulated-woodgrain cardstock. A metalworking shop could have the card printed on thin brass, aluminum sheets, or metallic-coated cardstock. A leather goods shop could have its card printed on either leather, simulated leather vinyl, or leather-imprint cardstock.

10. If your business involves appliances, you might want to get some of your cards printed on a magnetic-backed material. Then, it could be attached to the appliance itself so your clients could refer to you later for additional purchases or continuing maintenance. Be careful, though, because magnetic cards can erase the magnetic strips on credit cards and be destructive to audio tapes, video tapes, computer diskettes, and other magnetic media. If you use this type of card, be sure to warn your clients about this.

11. Your card could be printed on adhesive-backed stock. Not only could it double as a mailing label (return address label), but it could also be fastened to your product as a constant reminder of your business.

12. Try a different shape for your card. If you sell houses, have your card cut in the profile of a house. If you sell cars, have the card reflect the image of a car. If you sell pizzas, try a circular card. A nifty card would be a blue, circular card for a place called Blue-Chip Stock. If you have a travel-related business, a business card in the shape and design of a luggage tag could keep travelers coming back to your business. Or, how about a card shaped like the outline of a suitcase?

13. A folding card can be an eye-catcher on bulletin boards. Since it tends to remain partially open, it presents an almost three-dimensional effect and will get people's attention. Also, if it is put on a pile of cards it tends to remain on the top of the pile-because the other cards would slide off otherwise. Again, the folding card can have maximum effect if you can tie it in with your business somehow. For instance, if you sell automatic garage-door openers, the card could resemble a garage with the outer flap (garage door) folding over it.

14. Have a picture of you, your product, or both if possible, on your card. Then, when you are on the phone with your clients, they are more able to relate positively to you and your product because they are talking with "you," and not just to a faceless name.

15. A good artist can provide you with a line drawing of you and/or your product for use on your cards and stationery. This produces an eye-catching card.

16. For photographic-style illustrations on your card, you have a number of options. You can have the photo "half-toned" and printed on the card as a black-and-white image. You can have a color negative or transparency printed on your card by four-color process (similar to the process that produces picture postcards) with either a matte or glossy finish. Or you can have your card printed direct from the negative or transparency on photographic paper. The photographic paper card gives you the highest resolution and quality, but is usually also the most expensive. However, if you consider the Return on Investment (ROI), what are you willing to spend for a $1000 commission? If 1000 business cards costs you $300, and only one of those cards brings you a $1000 job, was it worth it?

17. Another good point about the photographic card is that generally people will not throw it away. People tend to not throw a "photograph" away-especially if someone's face shows up on the picture. This card is particularly useful for photographers, models, and insurance sales people, because what they are selling is hard to grasp and depends more on the client's visualization of the person selling the service or product rather than the products or services themselves.

18. Have your printer drill a hole through one corner of your card ("drill the stack"). When anyone asks you about the hole, it reminds you to say that if they have "holes" in their roof, you can fix them; if they have "holes" in their insurance coverage, you can fix them; if they have "holes" in their teeth, you can fix them; and so on. As a quick-fix measure, you can hole-punch your cards individually with either the standard 3-ring binder hole punch, or with the hand-held, single-hole punch.

19. Another use for the hole in your card: You can then use the card as a tag for your product. Not only does it act as your business card, but you get more milage out of it by having it carried home on your product. Clothing stores and sporting goods stores in particular can benefit from this technique.

20. Don't waste the space on the back of your card. If your business relies on appointments or reservations, have the back of the card printed with an appointment/reservation reminder form. This works well for doctors, dentists, hairstylists, garages, restaurants, lawyers, and CPAs.

21. If you want people to find your business with less trouble, put a simple map on the back of your card. Your clients will be in a better mood when they arrive at your business, and are therefore more inclined to do business with you. You could even attract clients who would not have bothered trying to find you otherwise.

22. As a "public service," you can print other items on the back of your card. For instance, if your business is travel or vacation-oriented, you could have 5 to 10 "travel tips" printed on the back of your card. If your business involves insurance, law, or medicine, print on the back of your card an "accident diagramming map" with lines for filling in the other driver's name, license number, and insurance company. Emergency-preparedness tips are useful for those of you in areas frequented by earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and such. If you have a motorcycle shop, a sporting goods store, or a wilderness guide service, you could print a chart showing wind-chill factors. If this card is printed on waterproof plastic or on cardstock made with a similarly untearable and waterproof material you effectively increase its value to your customers. In addition to providing helpful hints, you are ensuring that your clients will be more likely to keep your card in a more prominent place.

23. Some promotional companies can print your card on what looks like (on the outside) a $20, $50, or $100 bill. This card won't get lost or misplaced, let alone thrown away (and if it does get dropped or thrown away, someone else finding it will be sure to at least pick it up to look at it!). It is a good attention-getter for automotive sales, insurance, and real estate businesses.

24. Put a "percentage off the next purchase" coupon or some other offer on the back of your card. (This can be stamped on as an afterthought, or when sales have been particularly slow.) This technique can increase your traffic and cash flow and help you to gain new clients.

25. If you deal primarily with customers or clients that regularly speak a different language, have your card translated into that language and have this version printed on the other side. When doing business with those customers, present your card with their language's side up. The fact that you have taken the time to accommodate their information needs at the very start could give you an edge in later transactions. In Europe and the Orient, business cards are extremely important aspects of business etiquette, and are essential in establishing smooth business relationships.

As a sort of catchall for some remaining suggestions on maximizing the profit potential of your cards, here are some additional tips:

Don't let your cards get old and unused, stashed in a closet or behind your counter. Get as many of them out as you possibly can. Buy them in lots of at least 1000 at a time (The more you buy per order, the cheaper the individual cards get).

Take your cards with you everywhere you go. Keep them in a case or cardholder to keep them clean and unwrinkled. Hand them out whenever you introduce yourself. Don't use them for grocery lists, or for storing old bubble gum.

Don't give out cards that have become mangled, dog-eared, or dirtied-you want to put across the identity of being clean and good, not dirty and dog-eared.

You don't have to use any of the above tips if you feel that your card already satisfies your needs. On the other hand, you definitely should not try to use all of the tips, either (It's better to have a simple, meager message than a confusing, contradictory one!).

Go ahead and try more than one card. Use different cards for the occasions that demand a different style.

Be sure you proofread your copy before you give it to your printshop-have someone else (or, a few others) read it to make sure you have no typos or spelling errors. A typo or spelling error on your email address, phone number, street address, postal (ZIP) code, or even the name of your business can cause you to miss many customers (and the resulting potential income) who were misled by the error. Likewise, when you get your cards (and other printed matter) back from the printer, read them again to make sure you have no typos or spelling errors in the critical areas. If you do find errors, get them fixed before sending the documents out to do their work.