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Reinventing the Business Card – How To Optimize Yours To Attract More Clients

By Sydni Craig-Hart

We all collect business cards. When you’re out networking and meeting people, you get their business card and you give them yours. Then you get home or back to the office, you put their business card in a nice little pile and often never look at it again unless you need something, right?

How can you make sure that this doesn’t happen to YOUR business card?

One of the most important pieces of marketing collateral you can have is a high-quality business card. Take the time and effort to make this an impressionable marketing tool so that it will talk to your ideal client, even when you’re not there.

Traditionally, the problem with most business cards is that they are boring. They have a logo, a name, a phone number, physical address, email address and website…that’s it. So no one really gives it a second look or wants to keep it around because it doesn’t really “say” anything. There’s nothing on that business card that makes someone stop and say, “I need to save this card because I’m going to need these services soon.”

Here’s how to ensure your business card isn’t thrown away or forgotten:

  1. Spend some time designing your new business card. Really take the time to make it look polished and include all the necessary information. (I’m always amazed when I get business cards without a physical address!) This isn’t the time for “do it yourself” by just using the software that comes with your computer to create a business card and print it on your home printer. Hire a graphic designer who can incorporate style and function into your business card.
  2. Don’t go cheap! Your business card shouldn’t have any other companies information printed on it. Your card is a reflection of you and your business, make sure it leaves a good impression. Spend a few extra dollars on the good card stock and color printing. It makes a big difference!
  3. Utilize the space of the entire card, both front and back, but don’t put too much info. Maximize the back of the card too by speaking directly to your ideal client. Consider printing your targeted tag line on the back of your business card, or a few open ended questions that speak to catch your ideal clients’ attention. You may also include an offer for the compelling freebie you have posted on your website to drive traffic there. When prospects see you as a solutions provider, they will keep your business card.
  4. Resist the urge to put a lot of information on your card, people simply won’t read it. Don’t overwhelm them with details right away, make them contact you for more information.

After you’ve designed a great business card and have them printed on high quality card stock, the next step to ensure your business card isn’t ignored is to follow simple business card etiquette. That is, don’t give your business card to a person unless they ask you for it.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are out networking and meeting people, is that they automatically shove their business card in the other person’s hand. They haven’t even had a chance to find out their name or what kind of business they are in and they are already “assuming” the other person “needs” them and their services.

Wrong.

Networking is as much about building relationships as it is about building business. But you have to have a good relationship first. Make sure to wait for someone to ask you for your nice new business card before you give it to them. You will be glad you did. This gracious gesture helps create a solid foundation for the beginning of a great relationship. And, it ensures that people will want to remember you and keep your card because of their positive experience with you.

Filed Under: Branding, Business Management, Marketing Mindset, Networking, Resources Tagged With: building business relationships, business cards, marketing, Networking, Smart Simple Marketing, Sydni Craig-Hart



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Sydni Craig-Hart
Sydni Craig-Hart

Is your organization looking to gain market share and deepen loyalty with small businesses, women or minorities? Sydni Craig-Hart is CEO of Smart Simple Marketing and a 4th generation entrepreneur. Since 2006, her team, having worked with over 8,000 small business in 79 different industries, has been helping companies to drive engagement with sought-after, growing market segments. If you want to increase the value of existing-customer spend, recapture marketing investments, grow customer lifetime value or decrease attrition, contact Sydni to discover how her team is doing this for companies like Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and more.

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Comments

  1. Donna Thomas says

    August 20, 2010 at 8:45 PM

    Hi Sydni-
    I would love to show you my new biz card. I just finished designing it and it is now at the printer. My marketing materials so far have been getting rave reviews from the other GMM members. I would appreciate your feedback as well. I will send you a separate email so I can put the biz card in an attachment. Thanks! Donna

    • Sydni Craig-Hart says

      August 23, 2010 at 12:58 PM

      Great Donna! I can’t wait to see your new card. 🙂 Simply email it to me at Info@SmartSimpleMarketing.com.

  2. April Force Pardoe says

    August 21, 2010 at 8:57 AM

    I learned a few things from you about using the back of my business card and I’d love to post it!

    • Sydni Craig-Hart says

      August 23, 2010 at 12:58 PM

      I’d love to see your card April! Please send a copy of it to Info@SmartSimpleMarketing.com. 🙂

  3. Magdalena says

    August 22, 2010 at 3:27 PM

    Thank you for giving me valuable ideas for my future newly to be designed biz. card .

    • Sydni Craig-Hart says

      August 23, 2010 at 12:59 PM

      You’re most welcome Magdalena! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Reinventing the Business Card – How To Optimize Yours To Attract More Clients | Smart Simple Marketing Success -- Topsy.com says:
    August 20, 2010 at 4:36 PM

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Thomas Petty, Bear Files, Ana Lucia Novak, Ana Lucia Novak, Sydni Craig-Hart and others. Sydni Craig-Hart said: Hot Off My Blog! : Reinventing the Business Card – How To Optimize Yours To Attract More Clients http://bit.ly/dionzO […]

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