The DNA of the Business Card

I collect business cards...... A lot of them. I have this great big binder filled with hundreds of them. I've seen some really good ones, I 've seen some really bad ones and I've seen some mediocre ones. So lets talk about the different elements to make an effective business card.

First things first, you need the basics:
Company Name
Your name
Your email
Your website
Your phone number
Company tag line

Really good optional items:
Direct line and or cell number
Fax number
Custom QR code
Promotional tag on back of card

When it comes to the  basics I am AMAZED at how many cards I collect in my travels that are missing one of theses items. The purpose of your business card is to provide someone who doesn't really know you that well with all of your key contact information and a little summary of what you do. I actually got a card from someone promoting a marketing company and his name and his email were not on the card. Yeah, sounds like a great marketing company right? I saw another  card with the email on it twice but no website. Which leads me to my next comment....

If you go into business for yourself, get a real email acct. Don't use yahoo or gmail or anything like that. For a VERY small fee you can set up an email address to match your website. This will go a long way to not only show your professionalism but give your potential clients and business partners a sense of staying power.

In addition to the email comment, there are some real "no no's" to avoid on a business card. For one, check for typos. So many people produce their own cards now, it's fairly simple and you can create a real professional card right from home. So double, even triple check the font size, grammar, etc. to make sure it is correct. NOTHING is more embarrassing than a typo on your card and yes, people will notice. They will think you are an idiot, and they wont want to do business with you.

Don't put religious quotes on your card, unless you only want to deal with people who espouse your specific religious beliefs. Your religion is connected to your spirit and is very personal. You will turn off a great many people this way, because there is an implied bias behind a quote like that. You don't ever see "card carrying Democrat" or "Republican and proud of it" on a business card, because like religion. politics are a very polarizing topics. In the world of business keep those opinions to your inner circle and not on your business card.

For those who recognize the value of a traditional business transaction & want to take advantage of technology, QR codes can be very useful. There are thousands of QR code creators on the Internet and a quick key word search will allow you to pick the right one for your company. A QR code can simply create a link to your blog or website. It can also link the reader to a vcard with allow of your contact info available for Download to a smart phone. For those that are not sure what a QR code is, it looks like this 

So in summary, make sure your business card info is complete, accurate and devoid of polarizing statements that could offend potential customers.

Thanks for reading today

Mike S.

BTW follow me on twitter @mistertelecom

Please be sure to check out my new blog (if you tried  my QR code,then you already have), I am heading a fundraiser for Autism

www.40milesforautism.blogspot.com

double thank you