Use Your Business Card as a Branding Tool

The market research firm Yankelovich estimates that the average urban dweller sees up to 5,000 advertising messages a day.

Although other estimates vary based upon the study, it’s safe to say that your business card is not the only form of marketing a potential client or customer will come across on any given day.

It should be special enough to make you stand out in their minds. Your business card should help brand you.

Given all the other responsibilities associated with running your own business, it is natural that branding might take a backseat.

Still, according to The New York Times, your brand is, dollar for dollar, as important as anything else you do.

Think of your business card as your first impression on a potential client or customer.

How they perceive you and that card will go a long way in helping them determine whether you are someone they want to do business with.

Create a Logo

A logo helps tie your business card in with everything else associated with your business: your website, Facebook page, letterhead and advertising.

People may not even remember the name of your business, but they will recognize—and feel familiar with—the look of your logo.

If you don’t already have one, get one.

Be Deliberate

Less is more on a business card.

Don’t throw every bit of information about your company on it in the belief that people will read it like an advertisement.

They won’t.

Customers want to see a clearly constructed card that tells them what they need to know: the name of your business (which should be in the logo), your name, position and contact information.

Anything more is visual clutter.

Enlist Aid

Don’t try to print your business cards at home.

You’re trying to make a good first impression, so consider the importance of using a professional printing service.

Online printing services offer you high-quality templates, fonts and artwork in one place, so you don’t have to find a graphic artist to design it—you can simply click what you like from each of their categories.

Make it Consistent

In order to create continuity, it is important that the style and tone of your business cards be carried out throughout your other avenues of outreach.

If you were to lay your Facebook page, website, print advertising, business stationery and business card next to one another, it should be clear they all came from the same source.

The color, style and tone should all be in the same family.

Keep It Standard

The vast array of business cards available can be dizzying.

Before you think of doing something like making yours larger than average or giving it rounded edges, remember that nonstandard cards do not easily fit into standard business card holders or billfolds.

Finally, make sure it’s usable.

People often write notes about you or your business in the margins or on the back of your card.

They can’t do that if you opt for glossy card stock.

If you need more help growing your sales, consider the following resources:

• Apply Magnetic Marketing to your business and watch your business grow

• Learn to put Personality In Copy and watch your influence grow

• Go where the money is: Marketing To The Affluent

• Hire The Best Keynote Speaker

• Ontraport Demo

Or just contact me and we’ll set a time to speak.

Good Selling,