The logo and graphic elements that you include on your business card are quite important, but having the right text and contact information on the card is equally important. Here are our tips about the elements to include:
Your name - Consider whether you want to include your middle name or initial,degrees or professional credentials that are unique to your field.
Title - Including a title on your card will help your potential clients to identify yourposition within your company. Including a title can also make your company seemlarger. A reason to not include a title would be if you're a consultant, and want tomarket your solo nature as a benefit to your clients.
Address - Always include an address on your business card, even if you areoperating a business out of your home. Including your address greatly increasesyour credibility and makes your business appear established. If you're concernedabout privacy, a post office box is a great way to go. When signing up for a postoffice box, consider using a commercial mailbox vendor (such as the UPS Store)instead of a box at the United States Post Office. At a mailbox store, you are given astreet address instead of the typical "P.O. Box". The store also accepts shippedpackages from UPS, FedEx, and other carriers, so you won't need to give out yourhome address as a shipping address.
Phone number (and toll-free number) - Include your phone number and, if you dobusiness long distance, consider including an 800 or toll-free number as well, as anamenity for your clients.
Cell phone number - This is an option to consider if you'd like to make yourservices available to your clients around the clock, or if your business often takesyou on the road. If you'd like to keep your cell phone number private, you can dothat tactfully by offering to make your cell phone number available to clients oncethey have signed up for your services - then your clients will feel special and knowthat you're taking good care of them.
Fax number - If you have a fax number you should include it on your card. If yourarely receive a fax, or if you don't know if faxes will be useful in your business, youcan try using efax (www.efax.com). This is an online service that can provide youwith a free fax number that will email all of your faxes to your email account. Theyalso offer a paid service that is available as an upgrade if the number of faxed pagesyou receive per month exceeds their free offering. That enables you to upgrade ifneeded, without changing your fax number and reprinting your cards.
Email address - Your email address is an often-overlooked opportunity to brandyour business. Instead of using a generic email address such as"yourname@aol.com" or "yourname@comcast.net", purchase your own brandeddomain name to use as your email - yourname@yourbusiness.com. It's inexpensiveand easy to set up, especially if you use GoDaddy.com to register your name and setup the new email address to forward to your existing account. This makes yourbusiness look larger and more professional.
Website address - A website is a must in today's business world, even if it's asimple, one-page site that gives a few paragraphs of information about yourbusiness offerings and your contact information. A website offers potential clientsan easy, no-pressure way to both learn more about your business, or to refer you tonew clients. This is also another way to take advantage of the branded domain namethat you set up to use for your email address - using it for your website URL willextend your business brand further.
Tagline - If you have a tagline, including it on your business card will contribute toyour branding and memorability, and a graphic treatment of the tagline (font, colorand any graphic effects used) can add visual interest to the card as well.
License Numbers - Include your license number if you are required to display themby your industry regulations (i.e., insurance or contractors), or if your being licensedis a benefit that you offer to your clients, or if it differentiates you from yourcompetition.
If you have room on the front, or would like to create a two-sided card, consideradding:
A few bullet points about your business offerings - This provides you with anopportunity to further explain what you do. This is most helpful when your businessname is not specific, so potential clients can identify what you can do for them.
Your photo - The people you meet while networking will remember who you are.Putting a face to your business also makes your cards more personal for potentialclients. However, we recommend that you do this only if it's appropriate, orsomewhat standard, in your industry (for example, with certain types of coaching, orreal estate).
A "next appointment" area - If you often make appointments with clients (formassage therapy or health care, for example), consider printing a line or two onyour business cards to make them into appointment cards as well. This makes a lotof sense from a printing standpoint - you'll be able to print a dual-purpose cardfor the same price as printing one card design
About the Author
Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphicdesign expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean andeffective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offersthe comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin worksclosely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible andmemorable - and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistentway. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com |
