50 Surefire Business Card Tips

Written by Mario Sanchez


Business cards are one ofrepparttar most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to makerepparttar 105019 most out of your business cards:

· Your business card must communicate more than just your contact information. Make sure that your card includes a tag line that explains what you or your company do.

· Order them in large numbers. By ordering 1000 your cost per card will be significantly lower than if you ordered 500.

· Even if you can produce your business cards at home using an inkjet printer, have your business cards professionally made by a printing company. Your business card will berepparttar 105020 first impression your prospects receive of your business, so let them conveyrepparttar 105021 best possible one.

· Avoid using standard clip art as your business logo. A logo brings credibility and brand awareness, so before you invest in business cards have a logo professionally made for your business. Nowadays, there are online companies that can produce a professional logo for as little as $25, so there is no excuse for not having one made.

· Put up a website and userepparttar 105022 URL in your business cards. If you don't have a website, people will noticerepparttar 105023 absence of a web address in your business card and, depending onrepparttar 105024 business you are in, it may make you lose credibility.

· Keep allrepparttar 105025 information in your business card current. If you changed address or phone number, don't scratchrepparttar 105026 old number and write downrepparttar 105027 new one by hand; get new business cards.

· Keep your business card simple. Don't use too many fonts or try to cram too much information in it. Try to use a pleasant layout and make sure that your main message (your tagline or your unique selling proposition) doesn't get lost.

· If you live inrepparttar 105028 US, limit your business card size to 3.5" x 2". Anything bigger will not fit in standard card holders and your card may end up inrepparttar 105029 trash. Business cards in Europe tend to be larger, but so arerepparttar 105030 wallets and card holders.

· Make sure that your business card reflects your image. If you are an artist or a graphic designer, it is OK to use trendy colors and fonts. If you are an investment banker, a sober layout and colors such as blue or gray work better.

· Your business card is an integral part of your brand or corporate identity strategy. It should followrepparttar 105031 same graphics standards asrepparttar 105032 rest of your communications material (stationary, brochures, letterheads, etc.).

· Find a way to make your business cards stand out. I've seen business cards with one of its corners cut in an angle, or with an interesting texture, all of which makes your business card stand out ofrepparttar 105033 crowd. The best one I've seen is from an interior designer, who used a hologram to show a room before and after a redesign.

· Make your business card easy to read: use high contrast betweenrepparttar 105034 background andrepparttar 105035 type. Light background with dark type works better.

· After your logo, your name should berepparttar 105036 largest piece of information on your card.

· Make sure that allrepparttar 105037 information on your card is printed in a large enough typeface to be easily readable.

· Run your business card copy through a spell checker and double-check your contact information.

· Keep your business cards with you at all times. Keep a stack in your car, in your house, in your office, and in your wallet.

· Leave your business cards in billboards at supermarkets, schools, stores, libraries, etc.

· When giving away your card, give two or three at a time, so that your contacts can in turn distribute them to other people. This will not only help you distribute them faster, but will generate a beneficial "endorsing effect".

· Include a business card with all your correspondence. People may throw awayrepparttar 105038 letter, but will usually keeprepparttar 105039 business card.

· Make your business card gorepparttar 105040 extra mile: userepparttar 105041 back ofrepparttar 105042 card to print more information: special offers, checklists, schedules, etc.

· Throw in a business card in every product you ship.

· Send a business card with any gift you send, instead of just a card with your name.

· Scan your card and use it as an attachment to emails.

· Use your business cards as name tags. Get a transparent plastic cover with a pin, and attach it to your lapel. Wearing it on your right side tends to make it more noticeable.

· Use your business card as a name tag on your briefcase. Make sure that your company logo and tagline are visible. This way, your business card will turn into a "conversation piece" during plane rides, which may help you meet interesting people and good business contacts.

· Use your business card as an ad: many publications offer "business card size" classified ads. If you design your business card properly, it can double up as an ad in those publications.

· Don't give your business card too quickly. It may be perceived as pushy. Try to establish a conversation with your prospect first. For example, ask them what do they do. That will usually prompt them to give you their card. That isrepparttar 105043 perfect moment to give them yours.

· Don't try to give your card in situations where many people are giving them to your prospect. Wait for a moment when you can capture your prospect's attention span.

· Another tactic you can try when your prospect is overwhelmed and can't pay you enough attention is to send your card by mail. Pretend you ran out of business cards and ask for theirs. Then, mail them your card and takerepparttar 105044 opportunity to drop a follow up note.

Want PR's Full Value?

Written by Robert A. Kelly


Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 860 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003.

Want PR’s Full Value?

Make sure somebody is worrying about those outside audience behaviors you need to help reach your objectives.

And I meanrepparttar kind of behaviors you like: prospective buyers browsing your services or products; specifying sources or major donors thinking about you; more frequent repeat purchases; new proposals for joint ventures or strategic alliances; elected officials who increasingly view you as a mover and shaker inrepparttar 105018 business, non-profit or association communities.

All doable when you base your public relations program on a reality such as this: People act on their own perception ofrepparttar 105019 facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-actionrepparttar 105020 very people whose behaviors affectrepparttar 105021 organizationrepparttar 105022 most,repparttar 105023 public relations mission is accomplished.

Your payoff isrepparttar 105024 kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your objectives.

Here’s one way to make it happen.

Consider those outside audiences whose actions you know have a serious impact on your organization. Then put them in order of how badly those impacts affect you. We can work right now onrepparttar 105025 first audience on that list.

The obvious question is, how do members of that target audience perceive your organization? To find out, you and your colleagues are going to have to meet with audience members and ask such questions as, “Do you have an opinion about our organization? How much do you know about us? Have you ever had dealings with us? Were they satisfactory?”

While you monitor those perceptions, be sure to stay alert to negative comments, and even to suspicious tones of voice inrepparttar 105026 responses. Watch carefully for untruths, false assumptions, inaccuracies, misconceptions or hurtful rumors which, left unattended, could do you some damage.

With that response data in hand, you can decide exactly which problem isrepparttar 105027 most severe, then establish it as your public relations goal. For instance, correct a false assumption, clarify a misconception, or spike a rumor that’s just dead wrong.

Every goal needs a strategy showing what needs to be done, if that goal is to be achieved. When it comes to matters of perception and opinion, there are just three strategy choices available to you: change existing perception, reinforce it, or create perception/opinion where none may exist. Be careful thatrepparttar 105028 strategy you select is a good fit with your public relations goal.

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