Make Your Own Business Cards

Business cards are the most commonly used form of marketing in face to face dealings in the world today. For the most part they are a ritual undertaken when meeting new people or contacts. Many people never give much thought to the fact that they are actually marketing tools. They are used throughout the world as a standard form of introduction, with many cultures having entire rituals around giving and receiving them. Countries like Japan and China take great pains with their cards and will be mortally offended if you don’t treat them with respect when they give you one.

Business cards are used in far greater numbers than any other form of real life advertising now junk mail is pretty much useless. By real life, I mean non-electronic methods such as web promotion and email marketing and useless I mean filling our trash cans without being read.

Putting a little thought into it when you make your own business cards can give you a head start when competing with other companies. Many of them, as already mentioned just view them as a ritual and not as a marketing tool. Don’t make the same mistake and turn them into an effective publicity tool.

There are certain pieces of information that should always be on your business cards.

They are:

• Logo or Company Branding
• Business Name
• Business Address
• Your Name/Title
• Your Contact Phone Numbers
• Your Website Address
• Your Email Address

Once these elements are covered you‘re pretty much free to let your imagination run wild. Begin by putting yourself in your clients shoes. If the client was to put ten business cards on the table would yours stand out? If the answer is no then you need to go back to the drawing board and start again. If the idea of making your own business card doesn’t appeal, you can always hire someone to do it for you.

Ensure you use both sides of the cards to tell a story about you. Use bright colors, images, interesting photos or anything that takes your fancy. Do what you like as long as in the end it looks professional and says exactly what you want it to say to your target audience.

You aren’t limited to plain flat boring cards either. Think about the material, card, metal, plastic, or even fabric! The use of texture, rough, smooth, patterned. It doesn’t have to be flat either, although it is better if the dimensions remain standard, it isn’t written in stone. If the card is good enough, your audience will keep it, even if it doesn’t fit in a card wallet or Rolodex.

If you can get into the mindset of exploring every opportunity you will soon start picking up these little ideas for yourself. Making your own business cards, or using them as a marketing tool instead of just something you do is a good step towards promoting yourself and your business and hopefully taking a step ahead of those firms that don’t take these advantages.