Business Cards -- Still Relevant?

Miniature Billboards Working for You

One of my fond memories of when I was a kid is when my folks occasionally took my sister and me to a certain restaurant in town that had a wall inside the entrance festooned with business cards -- from almost the ceiling all the way down to the floor, for a full length of maybe 20 to 30 feet. I'm not sure how this wall started, but seemingly over the years, it had become a "work of art" and something that impressed a kid like me.

Many years later, after many trips overseas (particularly to Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong), I had become very much aware of business cards and how they were a major part of "introductions" in those countries. After I graduated with a B.A. and tried being a freelance editor-writer while searching for regular jobs, I bought a box of business cards from an ad I found in the Wall Street Journal. To me, these cards represented my "arrival" at being a professional. My cards described me with my name, my address, my phone number, and the professed line of work that I was offering.

I had studied various types of cards and settled on the "subtle". My cards were matte-white-surface, raised black print (to resemble embossed press-typesetting), in small, serif-font. Nothing gaudy. Nothing that screamed of zealous marketing or yelling sales -- that wasn't the crowd I was trying to introduce to my editing and writing work. These cards were quite effective in getting me jobs/gigs and established me as being "in-business" (they were business cards, after all, right?).

After a few changes in location and finding myself in a new role involving automotive sales, I was told by my management that I had to get business cards through their business. It was then that I realized more clearly the value of business cards. Some of my colleagues complained about the cost of business cards (we had to buy them out of our own funds because sales people tended to disappear quickly in this industry and the company didn't want to foot the bill). I sort of felt likewise until a senior sales person came up to me and confided that he paid extra to have the fanciest and most eye-striking cards, because he needed only one major "deal" from one of those cards and it would return the cost of the whole printing for the rest of them. He wasn't stingy with his cards. He gave them away like candy. We were in the automotive business, so he'd stash a few of his cards in the glove boxes of ALL the cars on the lot (I discovered this when I was demo'ing a car and opened the glove box for a potential buyer and found this other sales guy's cards in there) -- I learned from this ... and, yeah, I replaced his cards with my cards... just in case (that's the car industry -- dog-eat-dog and a pit of sharks -- one reason why I wanted out of the business). His cards were on the walls of that restaurant I mentioned. His cards were on the bleachers at the local high school's football stadium. His cards were everywhere you might want to go in town. And yes, he was so busy that people wanting to buy cars had to make reservations to speak with him. I never got that popularity for selling cars, but it was a learning experience for me.

I switched industries and tried insurance sales. Again, I needed business cards. A different type of clients. Selling something that's sort of "intangible". You can't smell the "rich Corinthian leather", hear the roar of the engine, or feel the power beneath the accelerator pedal. Nope. Insurance is more of a concept. Most people out there think they know what insurance is, but most of those folks (including many of the sales people) don't know what it is or how it works (listen to pod-casts by Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, or other experts in the field for more information on this subject). Since it is little understood, selling it is more difficult. And your cards -- your introduction -- are most important. Again, you can choose between conservative and appealing to the sophisticated, or go with the hyped up marketing and screaming sales. I've seen cards in both directions.

I've since gotten out of sales (aargh!, I wasn't fond of sales) but I then realized that in ANY profession, if you have a resume in your hand and you are looking for a "job", you are selling SOMETHING. So, sales training and sales techniques (as well as marketing techniques) are still very valuable. This then brings up the need for business cards. I think that if you are a professional in any field, you should have business cards. If you are in a very stable profession and you have little risk of being laid-off, down-sized, right-sized, terminated, canned, let-go, or other means of leaving your position, you need only maybe 250 to 500 cards printed. And they might last you for your whole career; or, at least be available when the inevitable lay-off comes. ("There's no such thing as a "permanent job" -- just staff and contract. Some jobs are long-term and some are short-term.")

I've studied business cards and how they are used for a long time -- so I'd like to offer some tips on business card use here (some of this content is from an article I wrote on business cards many years ago, but the information is still valid).

Display of business cards at the Denver International Airport.

What I've learned on business cards:

Whether you are just planning to start your business, or you already have a business, you must maximize your profits while minimizing your expenses.

Although one of these expenses will be your business cards, they won't be a burden to your business if you prepare them to work hard for you. In fact, your business cards could be your best investment in gaining an edge in an ever-competitive marketplace.

With all the other details of a business clamoring for attention, business cards frequently place low on the priority list. Almost as an afterthought, they are hastily ordered from the nearest print shop. The print shop is told, "Just give me a minimum run of the cheapest kind you have." What do you get? Two-hundred fifty cards with minimal printing on the flimsiest card stock.

And when these cards are handed out to prospective clients and customers, they join the other non-distinguished cards bundled by rubber band in the back of the desk drawers and eventually ending up as last-minute places to put a shopping list, someone else's phone number, or worse--used bubble gum.

To make your card function as a miniature billboard (It qualifies as an advertising expense--so make it work that way) you must sit down and determine what message you want to get across to your potential clients and customers.

Make your business cards become powerhouse workers for your enterprises!

Here are some tips:

1. This is the Internet age--be sure you have your email address, website, and LinkedIn profile printed on your cards. The business card is your "quick introduction." And your website can present your business even further by highlighting your products and/or services with greater detail. If you have forms from which your clients and customers can make their online purchases, your business cards can provide the leverage to make this happen.
2. Browse through the catalogs at more than one print shop to get ideas (good print shops should have at least one or two catalogs). You will be amazed at the variety of card stocks, colors, finishes, type styles, and logos available.
3. If your business has/will have an established logo, logotype, and/or slogan, include this artwork with your copy (text) when you go to your card printer. This provides continuity by enhancing client awareness of your business's identity. The artwork also helps your card stand out from the crowd.
4. Along the same line of thought, make sure that your card shares the same style logo and other identifying features as your letterhead and envelopes. This, too, projects a more stable identity for your business.
5. Include at least two cards with each letter you send to any potential or current clients. The recipients may pass the extra card to another prospective client. Word of mouth advertising accompanied by a "miniature billboard" is a very effective way to increase business.
6. Unless you are a doctor, lawyer, or CPA (or anybody, for that matter) wanting to maintain an extremely conservative identity, use something other than a plain black-and-white card. There are many colors and color combinations that can improve the attention-getting aspects of a business card. If you absolutely must have a colorless card, you can still add distinction to it by having a colorless logo embossed (raised imprint) on the card. A gloss, linen, or laid texture and a heavier than usual card stock may eliminate the need for other attention-getting techniques.
7. The more flamboyant and creative your business or service, the more freedom you will have with colors and arrangements on your card. A vertically-arranged card with diagonal type (and with more than one color) stands out from the others posted on a bulletin board or on someone's desk.
8. To convey a "High-Tech" identity, use a Sans-Serif typeface such as Helvetica or Optima. For a more conservative and established business, a favorite serifed typeface such as Times Roman, Bookman, Baskerville, or Caslon will project the desired effect.
9. Try different materials for your card. Your card can gain an almost subliminal effect if you can relate the material it is printed on to your type of business. A glass/window repair company can use a card printed on transparent plastic. A carpenter or cabinet-maker may have a card printed on thin pieces of balsa wood, veneer, or simulated-woodgrain card stock. A metalworking shop could have the card printed on thin brass, aluminum sheets, or metallic-coated card stock. A leather goods shop could have its card printed on either leather, simulated leather vinyl, or leather-imprint card stock.
10. If your business involves appliances, you might want to get some of your cards printed on a magnetic-backed material. Then, it could be attached to the appliance itself so your clients could refer to you later for additional purchases or continuing maintenance. Be careful, though, because magnetic cards can erase the magnetic strips on credit cards and ID cards and be destructive to magnetic media. If you use this type of card, be sure to warn your clients about this.
11. Your card could be printed on adhesive-backed stock. Not only could it double as a mailing label (return address label), but it could also be fastened to your product as a constant reminder of your business.
12. Try a different shape for your card. If you sell houses, have your card cut in the profile of a house. If you sell cars, have the card reflect the image of a car. If you sell pizzas, try a circular card. A nifty card would be a blue, circular card for a place called Blue-Chip Stock. If you have a travel-related business, a business card in the shape and design of a luggage tag could keep travelers coming back to your business. Or, how about a card shaped like the outline of a suitcase?
13. A folding card can be an eye-catcher on bulletin boards. Since it tends to remain partially open, it presents an almost three-dimensional effect and will get people's attention. Also, if it is put on a pile of cards it tends to remain on the top of the pile-because the other cards would slide off otherwise. Again, the folding card can have maximum effect if you can tie it in with your business somehow. For instance, if you sell automatic garage-door openers, the card could resemble a garage with the outer flap (garage door) folding over it.
14. Have a picture of you, your product, or both if possible, on your card. Then, when you are on the phone with your clients, they are more able to relate positively to you and your product because they are talking with "you," and not just to a faceless name.
15. A good artist can provide you with a line drawing of you and/or your product for use on your cards and stationery. This produces an eye-catching card.
16. For photographic-style illustrations on your card, you have a number of options. You can have a black-and-white image, or you can have a color image printed on your card by four-color process (similar to the process that produces picture postcards) with either a matte or glossy finish. Or you can have your card printed directly on photographic paper. The photographic paper card gives you the highest resolution and quality, but is usually also the most expensive. However, if you consider the Return on Investment (ROI), what are you willing to spend for a $1000 commission? If 1000 business cards costs you $300, and only one of those cards brings you a $1000 job, was it worth it?
17. Another good point about the photographic card is that generally people will not throw it away. People tend to not throw away a "photograph" -- especially if someone's face shows up on the picture. This card is particularly useful for photographers, models, and insurance sales people, because what they are selling is hard to grasp and depends more on the client's visualization of the person selling the service or product rather than the products or services themselves.
18. Have your printer drill a hole through one corner of your card ("drill the stack"). When anyone asks you about the hole, it reminds you to say that if they have "holes" in their roof, you can fix them; if they have "holes" in their insurance coverage, you can fix them; if they have "holes" in their teeth, you can fix them; and so on. As a quick-fix measure, you can hole-punch your cards individually with either the standard 3-ring binder hole punch, or with the hand-held, single-hole punch.
19. Another use for the hole in your card: You can then use the card as a tag for your product. Not only does it act as your business card, but you get more mileage out of it by having it carried home on your product. Clothing stores and sporting goods stores in particular can benefit from this technique.
20. Don't waste the space on the back of your card. If your business relies on appointments or reservations, have the back of the card printed with an appointment/reservation reminder form. This works well for doctors, dentists, hairstylists, garages, restaurants, lawyers, and CPAs. I've also seen a "tip-percentages" guide, a metric-measures conversion guide, and a temperature (C/F) conversion guide on the back of business cards.
21. If you want people to find your business with less trouble, put a simple map on the back of your card. Your clients will be in a better mood when they arrive at your business, and are therefore more inclined to do business with you. You could even attract clients who would not have bothered trying to find you otherwise. One of my pet-peeves: be aware that the conventional way to present a map is with NORTH at the top of the map as it is read. With GPS, however, this may not be much of a problem now.
22. As a "public service," you can print other items on the back of your card. For instance, if your business is travel or vacation-oriented, you could have 5 to 10 "travel tips" printed on the back of your card. If your business involves insurance, law, or medicine, print on the back of your card an "accident diagramming map" with lines for filling in the other driver's name, license number, and insurance company. Emergency-preparedness tips are useful for those of you in areas frequented by earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, and such. If you have a motorcycle shop, a sporting goods store, or a wilderness guide service, you could print a chart showing wind-chill factors. If this card is printed on waterproof plastic or on card stock made with a similarly untearable and waterproof material you effectively increase its value to your customers. In addition to providing helpful hints, you are ensuring that your clients will be more likely to keep your card in a more prominent place.
23. Some promotional companies can print your card on what looks like (on the outside) a folded $20, $50, or $100 bill. This card won't get lost or misplaced, let alone thrown away (and if it does get dropped or thrown away, someone else finding it will be sure to at least pick it up to look at it!). It is a good attention-getter for automotive sales, insurance, and real estate businesses.
24. Put a "percentage off the next purchase" coupon or some other offer on the back of your card. (This can be stamped on as an afterthought, or when sales have been particularly slow.) This technique can increase your traffic and cash flow and help you to gain new clients.
25. If you deal primarily with customers or clients that regularly speak a different language, have your card translated into that language and have this version printed on the other side. When doing business with those customers, present your card with their language's side up. The fact that you have taken the time to accommodate their information needs at the very start could give you an edge in later transactions. In Europe and the Orient, business cards are extremely important aspects of business etiquette, and are essential in establishing smooth business relationships.
26. Don't let your cards get old and unused, stashed in a closet or behind your counter. Get as many of them out as you possibly can. Buy them in lots of at least 1000 at a time (The more you buy per order, the cheaper the individual cards get).
27. Take your cards with you everywhere you go. Keep them in a case or cardholder to keep them clean and unwrinkled. Hand them out whenever you introduce yourself. Don't use them for grocery lists, or for storing old bubble gum.
28. Don't give out cards that have become mangled, dog-eared, or dirtied-you want to put across the identity of being clean and good, not dirty and dog-eared.
29. Be sure to have your website and LinkedIn profile URLs on your card. You can even have a QR code printed on the card (front or back) that will enable your contact to scan the code and immediately go to your website -- it's a convenient time-saver and quick way to engage a potential client or customer.

You don't have to use any of the above tips if you feel that your card already satisfies your needs. On the other hand, you definitely should not try to use all of the tips, either (It's better to have a simple, meager message than a confusing, contradictory, or schizophrenic one!).

Go ahead and try more than one card. Use different cards for the occasions that demand a different style.

Be sure you proofread your copy before you give it to your print shop --have someone else (or, a few others) read it to make sure you have no typos or spelling errors. A typo or spelling error on your email address, phone number, street address, postal (ZIP) code, or even the name of your business can cause you to miss many customers (and the resulting potential income) who were misled by the error. Likewise, when you get your cards (and other printed matter) back from the printer, read them again to make sure you have no typos or spelling errors in the critical areas. If you do find errors, get them fixed before sending them out to do their work.

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Dave Gardner, of Pacific Consultants Group, is a documentation professional with extensive experience in analyzing, scoping, planning, scheduling, budgeting, researching, organizing, writing, editing, and producing scientific, technical, and regulatory compliance publications. He is available for quick-turn-around and long-term documentation projects. For more information on how he can help you with your documentation needs, contact him through LinkedIn messaging.

Well... you can't leave your "business card", but you CAN leave a comment! Which of the above tips do you use with your cards ... or, which of the above tips do you think you'd like to try with your cards?