Its possible that you have seen dozens of places on the Internet that offer free business cards. Now this true and correct it is fair to say that not all free business card companies are the same. One should be very wary when selecting a company to get your free business cards from. Now I have not ordered business cards from all of the companies, but I have from quite a few of them and out of all the companies I did try the company that I found was best was Vistaprint. They are probably the most reliable company that offer this kind of service and they have been around for a long time. And their reputation and history gives them a good name in the printing industry.
It is widely known that the human’s have an extremely efficiant visual memory, far better than the written text memory, which means that the mind of the average man or woman finds it far simpler to remember images rather than words or names. Your business card will on many occasions be the first thing that a potential client will be given, that will give them all the information about you and what your about. To give your client a good first impression, you are going to want your business card to be something that will get their attention instantly. It will need to have that something special that will stay in their minds and make them remember you and your business. So if your Business Card has an image or some kind of picture that they will remind them of you, then you have ingrained your business or service in that client’s memory forever.
To make a Business card that will be visually beautiful and easily recognisable, it will need to be bright and eye catching. For your business card to be striking , I would make one that has a few certain key attributes. I would make it brightly coloured, shiny and on glossy paper. I would also give it a unique shape, perhaps round off the corners, or give it serrated edges. Another good technique is to give it either silver or gold text. I have seen many thousands of business cards over my time and the ones that I remember the most are always the interesting ones.
The very first business cards were actaully called visiting cards and were used from as far back as the early 17th Century in central Europe. The cards were normally larger than todays more traditional cards and the giver of the card wrote things such as greeting’s, signatures and promissory notes basically what ever they want to relay to the person they were leaving them for. A Person that offered such business cards was often held in higher respect in society. If you were given one of these greeting cards from someone it was a big privilege and something that you would cherish for quite some time.
Here is a few things to consider before shelling out any money. You do not have to buy expensive high quality card, of course they do make better results when printed, but cheaper cards can give you great looking cards at a much more affordable rate. To make sure that your business cards will stand the test of time and last a long period of time then thick card or glossy laminated cards are always better then the paper thin cards.
When designing your business cards remember, “Keep it Simple”! Nothing is worse or harder to read than a card crammed from top to bottom with text, so try to keep it to a minimum. All you need are the very basics. But whatever you do make sure your contact details are CLEAR.
Business Name
Your Name
Your contact details (including email)
Logo
If your business already has a logo that can be a great addition to business card and add a simple representation of your industry.But dont let it take over the whole card to the point where you cant read the contact details. If you do decide to use a detailed image, then make sure it is clear and people can tell what it is. People want to be able to tell what you do at a glance, if its too complicated – well it may end up in the trash.
Ive seen cards made out of rubber, some shaped like a puppy and others covered pink sequins. So keep it real. If youre a girl who loves all things pink and purple thats fine but not on your business cards. If you want people to take you seriously then you can have fun, but go easy on frills and sparkles if you know what I mean. The newest trends in promoting your business is anything goes, but keep away from boring business cards.
I have found heaps of creative ways to get your business name out there, such as funky pens, fridge magnets ( who doesnt need more of those? ) mouse pads, matchbooks, notebooks. The ideas are endless and if you get them printed in bulk the cost is quite reasonable. Think about it for a more moment if you will – someone hands you some plain business cards with stuff printed on it that you will put in your pocket, go home and your wife throws it out when shes doing the laundry. OR someone gives you a funky fridge magnet! Now thats something that wouldnt get thrown out in the laundry.
There are heaps of exciting things to get your name out into the world and business cards are but one small way to do this. Have you seen the foam stress toys? You get your name and logo printed on them. Not only are these novel and fun but they certainly grab plenty of attention. Another unusual idea that takes business cards to the limit, and will be commercially available soon, is meat cards. Yes meat cards made from dried meat – jerky style. I suppose practically speaking this does seam a little odd, not to mention the mess in your wallet, and the fact that people are eating your information! For a Butcher giving them away and giving people a taste at the same time might be a good idea perhaps for a big opening sale?
