Although they are typically the smallest, business cards are actually the most important part of your marketing materials, also known as collateral. This blog won’t be about your online presence and how good or bad your SEO performance is. We will talk strictly about the physical representation of your business in the form of your business cards.
What makes them important and how to create memorable business cards for your own company? Let’s dig right into it!
For starters, you need to know what makes good marketing collateral that leaves a lasting impression. It needs to have 4 main characteristics:
- Make it more than a traditional business card
- Use shapes to grab attention
- Try out abstract designs and colors
- Make contrast your friend – understand how to use it properly
#1 More Than a Traditional Business Card
Paper is great, and it’s what people use most when making business cards. Most of them, however, end up in the trash, sometimes for that very reason. Think outside the box, outside of paper, if you will. Your business card should give more than your company details to the recipient. It should hold value in itself.
This means, if you want people to keep your business card, make sure it is something they wouldn’t want to throw away. Here are some ideas to make that happen:
Make it a magnet or a bottle opener
We all need these in our lives, and no matter if it stays on the fridge or in our pocket, it is a sure way to continuously get in front of people. Over time, and without them realizing, your name and/or business will become deeply ingrained into people’s minds, and they will be very likely to use and recommend your services.
Make it a flash drive
This is simply brilliant. Many companies are doing it, and you should probably do it, too. Everyone uses flash drives, and no one is willing to throw one away. Even if they have enough storage devices when you give them your business card, they still won’t throw it away because they might need a flash drive in the future. And in the meantime, they will be seeing your company details each time they reach for the flash drive.
Make it artwork
Even if you stick to paper, make sure to dedicate one side of the business card to something beautiful and artistic that recipients won’t feel should end up in the trash can.
Make it a mini notebook
Add a section where people can write down important information, like emergency contacts, new client emails, and even wifi passwords.
Make it scream your type of service
You want people to recognize the industry you’re in just by looking at the card. For example, if you have a furniture store, you can shape your card like a sofa, or if you run a bakery, you can have your business card shaped like a cupcake and scented, so it smells like your signature pastry.
#2 Shapes, Shapes, Shapes
Aside from the material you use, the shape you choose for your business card is also crucially important. In the example above, we have a bakery with cupcake-shaped business cards. If you’re a violinist, you can have that shape incorporated either fully or partially into the design. The same holds true for sommeliers, fashion designers, and you name it.
If you don’t necessarily associate a certain shape with your business or industry, you can still use a number of shapes, such as:
- Diamonds
- Hexagons
- Triangles
- Circles
- Spheres
- Rounded-edge rectangles
#3 Experiment with Colors and Design
Most documents and business cards are white. Unless your business or design requires you to use white, you should consider adding color to make it stand out. Black has been drawing more and more attention lately because it can make for a sleek and professional business card that makes a statement and leaves an impression.
Don’t overdo it
Don’t use too crowded designs! It can put people off and make them throw away your business card without even giving it 2 seconds of their attention. You can experiment with cards that fold into something, like a basic origami that preserves the visibility of your contact details once it is folded.
Content matters
Use content to your advantage, too. For example, if you are a landscaper, you can use a common problem that most property owners face, such as “How do I trim the bushes?” You can put that question into a Google search box and have your contact details as the answer to that query. It’s simple yet genius and super effective.
#4 Understanding Contrast
Contrast is what makes people want to read and understand a piece of content and what can discourage them from reading it altogether. So, don’t sacrifice having a gorgeous background for your business card if it means the letters on top of it will be tough to read. Everything you do in terms of color and design should serve the purpose of your contact details, not the other way around. Don’t just make something that looks pretty but has no substance.
Some basic pointers about using contrast the right way include:
- If you want to be trendy and use black for your business card, the letters should be white or a shade of white with gold/silver for maximum effect.
- In case you want a white background, the lettering should be dark.
- If you’re using warm or red shades, go for dark lettering because lighter shades will be hard to read.
- Some backgrounds require additional text formatting to ensure it is easy to read. So, be sure to test different options for size, bolding, and spacing.
Less Is Often More
If this is the first time you’re experimenting with making more creative business cards for your company, the best advice is to start with simpler designs. The ideas we gave you are all great, but it doesn’t mean you should incorporate ALL of them in the same design. Your business card should have a hook, something that draws attention and is valuable. You can’t have both a cupcake-shaped, scened business card and one with questions and recipes on it. More is often less.
We hope this blog reaches you well, and you are staying safe during these testing times. Try out our tips and tricks, and let us know how your business cards came out!
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