When building your brand for the win, there are many ways that you can spread the word about your business and make a good impression with your audience.
When marketing for your brand one question you might ask yourself is whether you need to make a business card, as well as how you will create an amazing design that shows off the best of your brand.
Today we want to discuss why you should have a business card, and how you can build a stunning one that will pull in the interest of the right people.
Why have a business card?
It’s more personal
Before we start looking at how to make a business card, we want to list some of the benefits of printing kraft business cards for your company. The first reason is that it is much more personal than sharing your information online. Building a website and sending info via email is great, but it is never going to have the same personal touch as a business owner who gives their card to someone in person.
They are effective
Business cards are an oldie but a goodie, and they have been one of the most effective direct marketing tools around for many years. If you want to be seen and heard by businesses or individuals, handing out business cards is always a great idea. The main reason for this is that if someone is looking for a product that your brand happens to sell, they are more likely to reach for your business card already in their possession than search for another brand who they don’t have any information for.
It’s a good first impression
When you meet someone who would potentially do business with you or purchase from your brand, they will be looking for evidence that your business is professional and can be trusted. The first impression you give off as a company is so important and it is something that will heavily dictate a customer’s enthusiasm towards your brand. A business card always gives off a very professional tone and it will allow people to trust that your company is legitimate.
So now we know some of the benefits of having a business card it is time for us to take a look at how you can make the best possible business cards for your brand.
Making a great business card
Find an existing template
Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper trying to figure out a plan for your business is not the way to go, and it will likely result in a lot of frustration and quite disappointing results. If you want to create a professional looking business card it is super important for you to make a card that fits. Designing one yourself will likely be difficult unless you are a graphic design professional and as such choosing an existing template and tailoring it to your needs will be quicker, easier, and most likely more effective. Find a template on printing sites or on a graphic design app such as Canva and use your own logos and images to customise it to fit your brand. There are thousands of designs to choose from and these will make your life much easier.
Find the right font
Your font is a huge part of your branding, and this should be consistent across all of your designs, marketing materials, and your content. Choosing the right typeface for a business card can be difficult and it is often best to find 2 types of font that will work together in harmony. For example, choosing one cursive font for keywords alongside one simple font for your information can catch the eye and also make it look more professional. Be sure to take your time choosing fonts and often templates will have fonts already there for you to browse through.
Choose size and shape
Choosing the size and the shape of your business card is the next important part of building a great business card. Size is usually fairly standard, and will be approximately the same size as a credit card for easy storage and portability. The shape of your business card is most commonly a rectangle, however there are a lot of brands who may decide to go for something more unique. For example, some companies may instead opt for circles or squares and even some funky shapes like stars. This will depend on your brand and the message you want to put across but it is certainly worth exploring as an option.
Gather your information
As a business owner, you’ll want to share all of the most crucial details about your brand on your business card. This means things such as your company name, your address, phone number, email address, and social media accounts. Your business card is a one stop place where people can reach out to you, and this is why it so crucial to get all of your information on the to give people the best chance of reaching you.
In terms of design, starting your card with your brand logo and name in a large font is ideal, and having your name and job title as a person of contact on the front of the card is essential. Once you have this information on the front face, your back face can list all of your contact information.
Make it a magnet
If you want your business card to be used by your customers and always in view, one great idea is to transform your business card into a fridge magnet. You can design your card as normal and simply have a small circle on the back that will be stuck to the fridge of your recipients. If your card has another purpose such as this, people are much more likely to use it and they will be more likely to contact you should they need your services.
Make the logo a focal point
The purpose of a business card is to put your business at the forefront of people’s minds, and a huge part of this will be making sure that your logo is in plain sight for all to see. When you create your business card it is so important for you to make your logo stand out as much as possible, and you can do this in a few ways. First of all, you can get your logo embossed onto the paper so that it stands out from the rest and jumps out to the forefront of the design. The next is to use a metallic foil to embellish your logo and make it shine, this also adds an elegant touch to your business card and can be a huge draw for people from an aesthetic point of view.
Leave blank space
You might be tempted to get your money’s worth for your business cards and add as many small bits of information and design elements as you can – but this is not always the way. Remember that your business card needs to look attractive and be easy to read – and this means not cluttering the page with too much information or pattern. Keep things simple and leave some blank space as to not overcrowd your design and make it look too busy for your customers to read. Finding the balance between too much and not enough is hard, and you can always look to other similar brands for inspiration in this department.
Choose your paper
When creating a business card there are a lot of things to think about and one of those is the type of paper you use. Paper stock comes in many forms from bleached white to organic and recycled – and the paper you choose will have an impact on the look and feel of your card as well as the message it puts across to your audience. For example as a corporate company, a slick matte piece of paper is the best way to go as it shows clean lines and professionalism. However for a food business, textured recycled paper might be a better option as it shows that connection with nature. Consider your options and order a few samples so you can feel the paper before you decide.
Add a CTA
A CTA, or a call to action, is one of the most important elements to add to your business card to get people to contact you for your services or product. A call to action can be as simple as ‘contact me’ or ‘visit my website’ and can be followed with your information to allow people to reach you. Some people use more unique call to actions and it is a good idea to look around and see what some other brands in your sector are doing to get a good idea of what you should do.
Proofread it
The most important thing you should do before you send your business card off to the printers is proofread it. It is so easy to have an extra comma or full stop where you don’t want it, or to misspell someone’s name. Make sure you check it a few times and get someone else to check it as well before you pay for your cards.
