Who ever your are, whatever job you have, whatever your goals with your career are, I think you should have a set of business cards!
There are a lot of discussions going on regarding the value of business cards. Some people firmly proclaim that physical business cards are an old way of initiating contact. Now a days, there are several different services both in your mobile (Bump) and online (LinkedIn) which replaces the need to hand out pieces of paper to strangers.
In the other ring corner we have the group of people who views business cards as a first point of contact where the informationis somewhat different compared to just a few years ago. Instead of name and titel we more often see Twitter handles, blog URLs and QR-codes on the cards.
My own point of view is that everyone should have atleast one set of business cards – and it needs to be aligned with your salespitch.
If your are representing a company, then you should have a business card in that capacity. If you wish to market your self (as a student, blogger or some one looking for a new job) then you need a business card that clearly states who you are and what you have to offer.
On my business trip to the US i brought with me two sets of business cards.
1) My personal brand as Kimmy Nordqvist
For the Blogher conference I attended in New York a couple of weeks ago, I primarily used my personal networking card (on the left above). As a blogger myself, I know that one of the most important contact information is the Twitter handle and the blog url. As I also work as a Social Media consultant, and offer a wide range of services, I ensured to add a url to my LinkedIn profile where prospective customers and partners can read more about my level of expertise.
With BlogHer having more than 5000 attendees I knew that it would be difficult to remember faces afterwards. To this end, I added a profile picture clearly visible on the front. As I now also go through the business cards I received during BlogHer I truly appreciate the ones that has a picture of the person I was talking to. It makes it much easier to recollect the discussion and person in question.
A business card is a sales pitch in a mini format. Therefore I chose to utilize the back of the business card to highlight some important keywords which reflects my services and my competence.
2) My company passionITe
If BlogHer was all about networking as individuals, SES was networking as a company. Even though I in my discussions with other people at the conference presented myself and what I do the setting was a little different compared to BlogHer. Here I was mostly representing my company when talking to sales people for different products or prospective customers that may be interested in the consulting services we can offer.
Also here I have used the back of the card to list my own personal comptences which are relevant for the services that we offer.
Checklist for creating the perfect Business Card
So what should you think about when designing your own business cards? Here are the set of steps I use:
- Define your target group and goal – who will receive your card and what action to you want them to take afterwards?
- Ensure that the contact information matches the expectations of the target group – If they will never call you then don’t add your phone number.
- Go for a clean design – I use Vistaprint which has both a large set of templates (which I used for my personal Networking card) and you can also upload your own design (which I did for my company business card). Its easy, cheap and they have fast deliveries!
- Use a matte paper – this is a matter of taste. Personally I like to write a few notes on a business card that I have received and I want to make sure this is possible for my own cards. I therefore also like to use a white background with some empty space available for notes.
- Don’t be shy! – This is not the time to second guess yourself regarding your level of competence. Don’t lie or exaggerate but make sure you list your accomplishments that are relevant to your target audience.
- Picture or no picture? If you are marketing your self, then I suggest adding a profile picture. Make sure it’s a good one and not something you took your self with your smartphone in bad lighting and wearing sunglasses. Enlist the help of a friend and make an effort.
- Review and Redo – Before each new event I am attending I ensure to look over my current business cards. Is the information still relevant? Has my target audience changed and therefore need some other contact information? Do I want to change the design? I always only order a small set of business cards (~250) so I easily can review and redo as I see fit.
What is important to you when designing your business card?
