Business Cards

Someone once told me ‘my business card is something to remember me by’. I used to think that said more about him than his business contacts, but now I’m in the business world, I see exactly what he meant.

Travelling salespeople, insurance sales, company reps and a myriad of other business functions are carried out by face to face meetings. Some people’s business contact books run into dozens of pages. There is simply no way that you are going to remember all of their details. The business card is the ideal tool to stay memorable.

Although there is a market for imaginative and eye catching card designs, as long as the staple information is on the card, you will be fine. I have never seen someone flick through their business cards and give someone work just because they were bored at the time. People use your card for a good reason, and it doesn’t really seem to make much difference whether it was a plain white card or a carbon fiber one.

Most businesspeople don’t like wasting time, so ensuring all of your up to date details are in front of as many decision makers as possible is an essential marketing tool. Going to a lecture or Chamber of Commerce lunch armed with a pocket full of cards can get you a lot of contacts, and hopefully a lot of business.

There is more to a business card than a little 2×2.5” piece of cardboard. There are now electronic versions, and versions you can send from your mobile phone. The pretext is exactly the same, getting your information to people for when they want you. Moving with the times and having your details in a readable format on a Blackberry is as important as having a card in their Rolodex. Even Outlook has the facility to create a business card which you can attach to emails and append to contact lists.

The advantage with electronic cards is hyperlinking. You can link directly to your email, Twitter, Facebook or whatever with an electronic card. This save vital seconds for a potential prospect in getting hold of you. Marketing is all about getting a message across and convenience. A good marketing strategy is to take as much effort as possible out of getting hold of someone or acquiring information. A business card helps that by having all relevant information ready and waiting in one place. The less effort it takes someone to get in touch with you, the more likely someone will actually do it. The card only takes care of one aspect of this strategy though. The other half, the getting the message across is mainly up to you once your card has been used. There are subliminal pointers you can use in your card design. The tone and quality of the card can say a lot about you, and give an unconscious trigger to those who look at it. That will be discussed in another entry.

Think of your business card like a Visa, and never leave home without it, as you never know who you will bump into.