It might come as a surprise but creative business cards can actually make or break your business. Can they generate revenue and keep your employees working hard? No, they can’t do that. But what they can do is get you noticed, get your business stuck in the minds of those who need you, and give you a leg-up in the very competitive business world. And that’s basically the same thing.
Even though the entire world is moving to digital platforms, digital media, and digital connections via artificial intelligence, good, old-fashioned business cards are far from being retired as a useful business strategy. This isn’t to say that all business cards are good. Boring, lifeless, “flat,” plain business cards should go the way of dinosaurs. Business cards shouldn’t be one-dimensional – your business certainly isn’t. Get creative and represent your business well.
Why do you give business cards to prospective clients or strangers on the subway? Sure, you want these people to have your phone number and email address easily accessible, but that isn’t it. You give out these 2 by 3.5-inch pieces of card stock for one reason – to make an impression and get remembered.
Business is competitive and everyone is vying for attention. Online banner ads, pop-up windows, subway advertisements, digital billboards, radio ads, TV ads, flyers, and more are bombarding people. If you settle for a boring business card, two things will happen: you’ll get ignored and you’ll get forgotten. With a creative business card, you’ll create a lasting impression with potential clients, interested strangers, and current clients who might recommend you to someone they know. Be it colorful, filled with design features, or purposely minimal, represent your company well on paper and when you do, you’ll get remembered.
A business card is a perfect place to showcase your company. It’s often that a business card is the first introduction people receive to you and your company. Does your business card tell people what you do? Does it provide some clue as to your specialties – without you spelling it out? Get creative and come up with clever ways to demonstrate what your company can do for the person who receives your card. This might require the help of a design specialist, but the end product will be well worth it when you get noticed and start getting leads.
When attending any networking event you can be sure of one thing: you need to connect with people. You can also be certain that attendees are being handed a ton of business cards. Get creative so yours sticks out rather than getting lost in the shuffle. It’s also important that prospective clients associate you and your business with your card. The last thing you want a prospective client to do is to get back home after the networking event, look at your card, and wonder why they took it. Creative cards get noticed, get remembered, and help you stick out from the crowd.
Have you ever handed your business card to someone and watched their reaction? Boring cards get a two-second glance. You know what that is – they look down at your card and their eyes immediately flick back up to you, uninterested in the piece of paper they’re holding. These cards do not start good conversations.
Creative business cards, on the other hand, receive an interested glance and subsequent examination. An interesting business card will grab someone’s attention and hold it. What comes next when you’ve gained the genuine interest of another person? Opportunity for conversations and yet another opportunity to be noticed and remembered. Whatever medium your business card, whether paper, wood, metal or even 3D, make sure it’s a conversation starter.
What do you do after you’ve had an engaging conversation with a stranger and you’re about ready to walk away? Hand them your business card. Not only will an interested party remember you, but they’ll also have something to show other interested parties. Want business from a large company? Give their representative a business card that gets shared with their resource manager. Hoping the stranger you talked to will pass your card to their boss? Make it an eye-catching creative one, and they just might.
Christine Evans is the Director of Product Marketing & Content Strategy at Fictiv, an on-demand manufacturing company. Over the past six years, Christine has grown Fictiv’s popular Hardware Guide and Digital Manufacturing Resource Center, with over 2,000 teardowns, DFM guides, and mechanical design articles to help democratize access to manufacturing and hardware design knowledge.
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