When is the last time you updated your business card? Was it when you first started your business? Each time you update your business card, you need to evaluate it to make sure it still represents your brand. Each time your brand changes, you need to update your business cards.
Now, hopefully you have a great brand that doesn’t need a lot of updating. But, if you merge with another company or add a new line of products and your brand shifts ever so slightly, you need to update your business card to reflect your new brand.
Your brand shows everyone your business’ personality, and your business cards should reflect your current brand. Whenever you give someone your card, they’ll most likely look at it three times - once when they receive it, once when they put it their pocket or wallet, and finally when they are deciding whether to keep it or trash it.
That’s three occasions for your card to make an impression on someone. Ideally, each time a person looks at your card, they should feel the same about your brand - impressed and interested.
To keep people interested, you can use the following tips to use your business card to market your brand:
Use a professional designer. Even if you don’t know a professional designer, you can find one through most printing companies. A pro knows good design and how to create a look that will give off the image you’re trying to project.
Use color printing. Many business cards are blah - black and white. To really stand out and show your logo well (your logo should be part of your brand), spend a little extra money to print cards in color. There are also many other printing options, such as embossing and foil stamping, which will make your business card interesting to look at and memorable.
Laminate one side of your card. This will help your brand image by keeping your business cards strong and sturdy. They won’t get as dirty or creased, which will keep the card, and you, looking professional. Laminating just one side is key because you want people to be able to write on one side of your card - if they’ve written on it, they’ll be more apt to keep it. Laminate the front and you can hand write your personal number on the back, and your text won’t fade from rubbing in a wallet. Or you can laminate the back if your cardstock has a nice texture that shows off your font well, or if you use embossing.
Use the back of your card. You can use the back for important emergency phone numbers, a small calendar or to list your services. This will show people that you make the most of what you’ve got and will also give recipients valuable information to boot.