In this digital age, a lot of long revered paper methods of sharing your information have fallen by the wayside. Who needs a brochure when you can send them to a website? Who writes letters when you can email? Who gives out business cards anymore to network…hey, wait a minute…this one still WORKS! How else can you tell people how to contact you? Gone are the days of giving people a deposit slip. Geez, I actually remember giving guys deposit slips in bars in Dallas, it was the 80s, gimme a break. And never, ever scribble your email and phone number on a napkin! Even watching someone enter your info their cell phone does not mean you will stay in their mind. We humans are tactile creatures. We love to hold things, to feel them. Personally, I LOVE the feel of an extra glossy business card (uv coated front and back) with rounded corners. Oooooh, the opulence of rounded corners. Don’t get me started on embossing or extra special materials for business cards. That will be a whole other blog, my knees weaken at the mere thought.

Back to business cards…

Read the rest of this story. Not a thing of the past

Yet another e-biz has declared the “Death of the Business Card”

They’re saying the old fashioned business card exchange system hasn’t kept up with the times. What with this age of high tech cell phones, ipods, smart phones and social networking, it should to be easier to connect with someone electronically. That thought inspired rmbrME.

This new service automates the exchange of contact information between two people. Palm Treo users once “beamed” each other their contact information through infrared connections; now rmbeME uses text messages.

rmbrME lets you send out a bzCard, which includes a standard vCard data (phone number, address etc.) plus social networking links such as direct links to your Facebook or Linkedin pages. It works from most phones, including smart phones, and on any cell phone carrier.

I’m just not sure people want to get rid of their business cards completely. Sure we can benefit by having more ways to keep important contact information. But a well designed business card can do so very much more than just store contact information…

For instance, an effective business card design can help your prospects and clients understand what product or service you provide. It can encourage them to want to keep it handy. It can help brand your company. It can help them make the decision to use your company.

So far none of these e-business card services can do any of these things. Even when the technology can do these things, there is still a difference in actually touching and getting a feeling from a business card as opposed to looking at digital bits. We are sensory based creatures.

So I don’t think we’re going to see the end of the business card for quite some time yet..

Mark

P.S. Learn Effective Business Card Design and Marketing With Your Business Card Advisor Memebership.

Being the business card guy that I am, I picked one up.

I think the person must have been really impressed with the business card scene from the slasher flick American Psycho (this scene is on my business card videos page), because their business card design sure is similar.

Plain white background!

Name in big letters in the middle!

Vague description of what they do! (Artist/Photograher)

And even more:

No Address (well they had the city and province)

No web site address

A generic ISP-based email address

It did however, have a phone number! Unfortunatley just no particular reason to use it.

So how can this card be improved?

Let’s see…

Plain white background. There is nothing wrong with being minimalist in your business card design.  So this part is fine, and could even help the card to stand out in a crowd of other business cards.

Name in big letters. While we all like to see our name stand out, the main thing this persons prospects are likely interested in are what type of art and/or photography they do.

Vague description.  Art and photography are pretty big categories.  Make it more specific.  Do you excel at certain types of art or prefer doing specific photography?

(Rant warning: a business card should focus on one thing. If you specialize in more than one thing, you need to have multiple business cards.)

Generic ISP-based email.  Gotta get rid of that, a business that doesn’t have it’s own website and email address just screams unprofessional, and possibly fly-by-night!  It costs like $10 bucks a month to have your own domain and email address, get it!

Okay, I hope this helps in your business card success.

Have a great day!
Mark

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.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Color Printing

Charen Smith writes articles about Internet Marketing. She has an extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to business strategies, techniques and business solutions.

Smith, Charen “How Well Does Your Business Card Market Your Brand?.” How Well Does Your Business Card Market Your Brand? EzineArticles.com.

Use the same font and design style on your business card that you use on your other marketing materials. Your business card is part of your branding strategy, so it should match the rest of your brand’s image. Online business card printing services can make this easy for you by easily uploading the font used on your other marketing materials.

Use prominence basics. Your name should either be the first or second element people notice when they first look at your card. If your name isn’t the first element that catches people’s attention, then your logo should be the number one element.

The rest of your contact information, including your company’s name, should be in smaller font. You don’t want too much information competing to be read first. Make it easy for the reader by making what you want them to see first the biggest element on your card.

Use your logo. Don’t forget to add your logo - it will probably be your only graphic design on the card. And if people see your logo on your card, they’ll be more apt to remember your logo the next time they see it in an advertisement or when they drive past your store.

Don’t use clip art. Clip art doesn’t look professional and it’s probably not licensed for logo use anyway so you could face legal issues if you do use it. Hire a graphic designer to help you come up with a graphic or logo that is unique to your company. Also, anyone can use clip art, so it won’t help you stand out from your competitors.

Use the back side of the card. You’ll get the most benefit from your money by using the back side of your card. You can either include a short list of benefits and/or services your company provides, or you can include some helpful information like local emergency numbers or a three- or six-month calendar (a yearly calendar would be too small to fit on the back).

Pick the right paper or cardstock. The feel of your business card is just as important as its look. If your business card is flimsy, people will think you don’t have the money for good quality paper and are therefore unstable. However, if you use nice, heavy cardstock that has some texture to it, your card will exude a classy feel. Feel different types of paper at a stationery store or at a printing company. Pick the one that gives you the reaction you want people to feel when they hold your card.

Make your card functional. One functional idea is to make your business card into a magnet. Magnetic business cards are very popular because everyone uses magnets and you’re business card will be in a place people look several times a day.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Online Business Card Printing and Magnetic Business Cards.

Smith, Charen “High Impact Business Card Design.” High Impact Business Card Design EzineArticles.com.