The function of a business card is to introduce you and your business to the people you can have a relationship with. This can include customers, suppliers, financiers, service providers, and peers, among others. Given the critical importance of a business card, it can be very well imagined that a card that is poorly designed, has content that is difficult to read, or is badly produced will give a poor impression of your business and may very well deter people from contacting you. Some of the most common business cards mistakes businesses need to avoid for making a good impression:
Not Including Vital Contact Information
Business cards need to be versatile. Not only do they need to act as a reminder of your business and what it offers but also provide a source of information for contacting your business when the recipients need to reach you. This makes it essential that the business card contains all important information like the name of your business, your name, and designation, as well as the contact information like phone numbers, email address, and website URL. If your card does not contain all information, it could very well mean missed opportunities.
Not Providing Your Street Address
Many businesses that operate out of homes or are present only in the online space are reluctant to provide their physical address on the business cards. However, this can annoy customers as they expect all businesses, they have a relationship with to have a street address, even if they do not plan to visit their offices. When the business address is missing, it automatically makes people suspicious about the credibility of the business. For businesses operating out of home, it can be a good idea to get a post office box, a virtual office address, or a UPS business mailbox, if they do not want to include their real physical addresses, advises Eric Dalius.
Not Having A Stand-Out Design
You should keep in mind that when you give your card to someone, he is very likely to keep it with the other cards in his collection. If your card design is bland and looks similar to other cards, it will soon fade from memory. Even when he is rifling through his collection, a plain business card will not stand out and call for attention. The best way of preventing it is to ensure that the card design is outstanding. The design should also make it clear as to what kind of business you are engaged in. There is no need to hire an expensive professional designer for a business card design. There are thousands of design templates available for free online that you can use to guide your creative process to arrive at a card design that is truly original and innovative.
Compromising on the Production Quality
One of the most important factors in making your business appear professional and dependable is your business card. While the appearance of the card is important, it is also vital to keep the production quality of the card very high. It means that you should not try to print them on your home printer using stock blanks. Rather, you should get your business cards printed by professional printers using high-quality stock that gives the right feel in the hands of the recipients. The quality of printing also needs to be very high as combined with the weight, feel, and finishing of the card, it serves to create the all-important first impression of your business. A poor-quality card speaks badly of your credibility and is very likely to deter inquiries, cautions Eric J Dalius.
Not Making It Clear What Your Business Does
While an enigmatic business card may seem cool to some business owners, you can make your business card contribute the most when it spells out clearly what your business does very specifically. To make this happen, you should include your business logo in the card because it is one of the first things that catches the eye of the person viewing the card. The business logo must invariably be able to convey an idea of what the business does. If the business card is not clear about what the business is all about, likely, the number of inquiries will also be quite less.
Not Including A Compelling USP
Business owners should not make the mistake of treating the business card just as a document that provides contact information. Instead, they should consider the business card as vital marketing collateral capable of influencing decisions. This is the reason why including a powerful USP of your business can maximize the impact of your business card and help the generation of inquiries. When people see your card, they can immediately get an assurance of what your business does the best.
Making Your Card Cluttered
It is important to remember that your business cards should not only look arresting but also be easily readable. It means that you should avoid using fonts that are too fine or small or use a color scheme that makes reading difficult. Even though you may think providing lots of information useful, you need to keep in mind that a business card should contain only the vital information regarding who you are, what you do, and how you can be contacted. Cramming in too much extraneous information can make the card look cluttered and deter people from referring to it. Do not try to work around this by increasing the dimensions of the card as cards that are bigger than the standard size of .5 by 2-inches do not fit into cardholders or wallets and tend to be discarded.
Conclusion
Now that you know what a business card should ideally be, you should ensure that you have an adequate supply of them so that you can give them away freely. If you find any person to be receptive, you can pass along a few more to give to his contacts. Including your business card in all the packages you are shipping or even in greeting cards and invoices can end up giving you more business.
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