Do Your Business Cards Mean Business?

We’ve heard it, and you’ve heard it. Print is out of date. But is it really?

Today, a lot of traditional “print” is out of date, we read articles online the minute their posted, so by the time the newspaper arrives in your driveway it’s old news (which is why many newspapers are going out of circulation, or trying to reinvent themselves with online subscriptions). But, some print, no matter how digital we get, won’t go out of style. What print is that? Well, primarily what I’m thinking of is your Business Card.

Your Business Card sets the stage for who you are and what you do. It’s most people’s first impression of your company. My business cards are pretty simple, I wanted Creare Marketing to take on a clean, modern, timeless look, but still portray creativity. On the back of my cards is a bright red, to add that pop (see below). When we made Nic’s cards, we thought we would try a different accent, to keep them interesting, and selected the yellow I use in the logo. However, after we got them we saw how that really changed the cards and didn’t help them “pop,” so we’re going to re-order his with a red back for the next go round. Sometimes, you need to take a risk to see if it will work or not, this time around it didn’t work.

So, what should your business card have on it?

Here are 5 must-haves:

1. Your Name
2. Your Title – Make it CLEAR what you do!!
3. Your Contact Information – Both a Phone Number AND Email Address. People Like to have options.
4. Your URL – They should be able to go their to find out more about you.
5. Tagline/Personal Pitch – ESPECIALLY if you are LOOKING for a Job

As far as the design of your business cards here are 3 tips:

1. Make sure that it fits your BRAND
2. Make sure that it COMPLEMENTS the Design/Branding of your Website
3. Make sure there is NOT a picture of you (they can find that on your website)

You can learn more tips from this article on the WSJ. What do you think of ours?