Business Card Marketing 101: Beginner’s Guide For Small Businesses

A business card is a small piece of thick paper containing information and the logo of your brand.  But the business card plays a vital role in marketing your small business. 

Even though the world is switched to digital but the business card still holds an important place in the business industry.  It’s an effective tactic for marketing and promoting your brand.

It connects with people on a personal level and shows your sincerity towards your work. Well, for small businesses, having effective business card marketing is important. 

To know more about how to plan from the start, here is the beginner’s guide for you. 

Why Does a Small  Business Need an Effective Business Card?

Despite being an underrated and small tool for marketing, the business card can make a huge impact even in the digital age. 

It depends on the design and marketing to decide how well your business card will perform. 

It’s More Easier To Share Contact Details 

You can’t just ask for the contact number or email address f to share your information with potential people. Also, in a lot of cases, it makes you look desperate. 

The reason why the business car is still important is you can easily share contact information at ease.  For your clients, your contact details are important.  

The business card includes your name, brand logo, email address, phone number, website, etc.  The recipient can get all the information and simply put the card in their pocket. 

The business card helps you to share your details more quickly than any other option. As compared to iPhones or Android phones, some people for sharing information can be useful only when the other decides it is compatible. 

It’s not possible to have all customers or clients with the same device. That makes your card an easier option for sharing your contact details. 

It Makes Quick First Impression 

People’s attention is of the utmost importance for a business to run as well as to grow. Due to an increase in competition, the attention span is reducing. 

Your business card helps in attracting attention much faster. It depends on what kind of design or how your card looks; the more innovative and appealing card you have, the better the attention span you are getting. 

Also, it introduces your brand to your customers. The brand logo on your business card helps the customer to remember it for a longer time; it depends on how attractive your logo is. 

Suits The Culture 

Sharing business cards is considered a culture in some places.  The card holds an important place, and it considers a sign of professionalism. 

For example, A country like Hong Kong is still following the business card-sharing culture. In events, you must share your card in return. 

Also, in Japan, people will judge the business depending on the quality of the business card. It also shows how efficiently you are doing your business and your attitude toward your work. 

It Helps In Building Trust And Brand Awareness  

As compared to any other option, the business card is much faster in sharing your details. If you meet someone, you can just share your card with them, and your work is done.

In today’s world, Business is going more competitive day by day.  Customers require trust and stay loyal to the brands. 

But the numbers in options allow them to switch when they feel like the brand is not trustworthy. 

In such cases, a business card can help you in building trust. It can work as a bridge and fill the gap at a certain level. 

Business cards are mostly shared during events, meetings, or personal greetings. In such a situation, it can be more trustworthy and gives a feeling of warmth to the person. 

Also, with the use of the right colors and designs. You can evoke the feeling of trust in your potential customers. 

Your card’s design speaks for your business and brand. 

Helps In Making Your Business Referable 

Your business card should tell you about the skills and what else your business can do. The information should not just be limited to the contact details.

It helps in creating referrals if your card consists of more that can help your targeted recipient to know about the business.

The recipient can use the business card as a referrer to others who are looking for a similar thing. It helps in contacting more people and introducing your brand to others. 

But before that, make sure your business card is appealing and appropriate for your referees.  Use correct text, images, colors, font,  and logos.

These elements can help you in converting your message to your customers and clients. 

If the business card gets the ideal referral, the chances of getting more increase. 

Steps To Design Effective Business Card For Your Small Business 

Once you decide what to put on your business card. Now, you can start with how to make a business card that is not just effective but also used as a powerful marketing tool for your small business. 

Step 1: Choose The Shape Of Your Card 

There are more than a traditional rectangular shape in a business card that you can consider. However, if you have decided to go with a traditional shape, it will work too.

Since the printing techniques are developed over the years and become more advanced as well as affordable, you can now get more alternative shapes. 

With the help of Die Cutting technology, professionals can help you in getting any kind of shape in bulk. To make your business card look stand out, you can cut in shapes according to what you are selling.

Pro Tip – To make your business card look more friendly, cut the edges, and make it round. 

Step 2: Decide The Size 

The business card size depends on where you live. Every country has its standard sizes, and you must keep in mind to follow it.

Even if you are going with creative shapes, you must know the standard size of the card in your country.

• Oceania Standard for Business card is  3.54 × 2.165 in or (90 × 55 mm)
• European Country Standard is 3.346 × 2.165 in or(85 × 55 mm)
• North American standard is 3.5 × 2 in or  (88.9 × 50.8 mm)

Also, while deciding on the standard size, there are a few basic factors you must consider. It includes 

• Safety Line – The line is drawn in which your logos and important elements are included.  The line should not be cut so your elements stay safe.
• Bleed Area –  The outermost part of your business card mostly get removed while cutting
• TimeLine –  The line especially for removing while cutting the business card. 

Step 3: Include Visual Elements 

The business card includes visual elements like your business logo, graphics, and other designs to make it look attractive and represent your business. 

The most important element is your logo. You can either choose one side of the business card entirely dedicated to the business logo, or you can go with traditional designs on the corner side. 

However, firstly, you can use both sides of the cards. Also, add the information on another side. 

Minimalistic designs are in trend too. You can simply add logos, text, and doodles in case you don’t want to exceed things. 

Step 4 : Include Information & Important Texts 

What you want to add in your business cards depends on what kind of word you are doing. Decide what text you will put on your card, enough to give necessary information without going extra.

Step 5 : Decide The Typography, & Color 

Typography is important when you are deciding how to make most of the space you got. Typography makes your business card easy to read and understand. 

The topic is divided into three main categories i,e, size,  font, and color. The three categories help in making your care presentable and boost its effectiveness too. 

Design your business card for small businesses, the size should be at least 8pts. However, you can change the size in case of name or other information you want to look stand out. 

When you are deciding the size, make sure it doesn’t look too cluttered or you are choosing too small, which is not readable for others.

Font plays a role in influencing the brand, so you must check out the types you can try for yours. Choose the font that suits your company style.

Colors attract eyes and hold attention if you choose the right combinations. The color should be suitable for the background color and have contrast to make it look legible. 

Step 6 : Add Special finishes 

Adding special effects at the end can help you make the business card better. And helps in business card strategy too. 

You can choose to emboss; it’s a technique that gives three-dimensional relief. It makes certain text or parts pop out from the rest of the content. 

It can be used to attract the eyes to certain information. The Uv coating gives extra touch, and it looks attention-grabbing too. 

Letterpress is the opposite, where the letters are pushed down the card when inking it. It looks like engagement, and the inks attack the eyes. 

Here is more, you can try foil stamping and spot UV  coating too. Both are equally good, and you can attract the person to certain information or make them remember it for a long time. 

How To Use Your Business Card For Marketing Tool?

Business cards can help you in getting the attention of your potential leads and help your brand be successful. 

For a small business, the business card can be a powerful tool for marketing your business. The importance is to understand how to use it in the right way. 

Add The Testimonials From Satisfied Customers 

People are always interested in knowing what others are talking about the company. Especially if they are potential customers, testimonials give them confidence in your company. 

As for the company, testimonials help increase credibility and reliability. You can add testimonials to your business card. Add one or two that are best. 

Adding testimonials builds volume to your business and makes your business card effective. 

Add Online Marketing Links 

In today’s world, almost every business is online. Add your business link to your business card. It can be your offline marketing efforts to take the initiatives online. 

Make sure to add the link to your website. Also, add social media accounts. This will help the customers to connect with you and help in generating the leads too. 

Include Your Face On the Business card 

Putting your face on the business card is an easy way to make other people remember you by face. How many business cards do you have that you remember the owner’s face?

It helps the people to remember the interaction and what they talked about with you. Also, in comparison to those who don’t have the photo on the backside of their card, you will stand out. 

Do Monitor Your Business Card 

You can use QR or SKU on your business card along with discounts or offers when you distribute the card to someone. You can track your conversion rate from the business card.

The monitoring helps you in tracking down the benefits and results. You can see if your business card strategy is working as you expected or not. 

In case the conversion is not satisfactory, you can switch to a different one. 

Keep The Design Simple But Useful 

The business card is a way by which others will contact you. It’s important to put all information that is needed without going overboard,

The business card has the freedom to choose whatever design you think will fit. You must add all the information which can help the person to contact you and get an idea about your brand. 

Use Quality Material For Your Card 

People judge your business based on the quality of the business card. Sometimes the owners end up cutting quality on a business card. It makes you look not serious about your work.

Also, the quality of the card and the information you put both are important. Otherwise, the people will throw it in the dustbin. 

Bad quality in business cards makes a bad reputation of yours, and people will not consider working with you. 

Use The Back Side For Something Important 

Well, the card has two sides; lots of people use the first side but let the second one empty. Don’t waste useful space, and put something that can make your card look appealing. 

Your business card is a great marketing tool if you use it smartly. Adding your face in the back of the card can be helpful too. Or you can also add a calendar, free trial, discount, etc. 

Use The Card For Jotting Down 

You don’t just have to target the audience; you can even use this marketing tool when someone asks you for some help. It can be your dentist’s number or something else.

Use the card for jotting down and offering them. It will not just give a good impression of yours because you are helping them. 

But also, the person will have more reasons to hold the card for a longer period. 

Include Your Card For Correspondence 

If you are sending invoices or payments or anything to anyone, it can be your suppliers or clients, or anyone. Add the card in the back; you get better reach to the people who are in the same industry.

With this, you can get communications with potential people. Also, you can use it in your referral system. 

Always Keep Your Card With You 

No matter where you are going, it can be a store or any event, always keep your business card with yourself. You will never know when you will get the opportunity, and you don’t want to miss that. 

You can put the business cards in different places, including your car,  coat, wallet, purse, etc. 

Pro Tip –  To keep your cards safe from bending or soiling, get a handy cardholder. 

Tips For Making Your Business Card A Lethal Marketing Weapon

There are around 72% of clients take the first impression of your business card seriously. The business card design can be a powerful tool to get your first impression. 

Business cards have so many ways to get attention; For a small business, it plays a vital role to pay extra attention to where to use and how to make it your lethal weapon. 

Get Your First Impression Right 

The wavering attention of people these days makes it hard and important to use the few-second useful ones.  Creating your first impression is important to make your customer curious. 

Your business card helps you in impressing your customers as it shows you are serious and professional about the work you do.

Use thick paper for the business card, and make sure your printing quality is great too. Add the unique design, which should not be too much but enough to hold the attention. 

Then the color,  typeface, contact, logo, images, etc., come in, planning your details strategically.  These are elements that are used for showing your business. 

Pro Tip – Studies show that color cards hold 10x longer attention than white. You can use a color that shows the brand and represents your style well. 

Put Your Attention On Conveying Message 

Using a unique style or design shows the spirit of your business. Also, it shows what kind of business you are running. 

For example, If you are doing something related to architect, you can make your business card modern, clean,  simple, and unique. 

If your brand is something related to fun and friendly,  use doodles, informal images, or add elements that look attractive to the eyes 

Make sure before deciding on the look that you know about your brand and what kind of message you want to convey. 

Easy For Call To Action 

Modern business cards include Call To Action or CTA. It’s a powerful tool for ensuring that customers and clients take action by buying or trying the products. 

Lots of business cards include discounts, or some have a QR website page. These things help you in making it easy for your customer and client to get into the next step. 

Use The Card Along With Gifts 

Instead of offering your card in meetings or events, you can also add it with gifts or festival wishes cards. 

You can use the business card and attract it with the gift you are sending to your clients on their special day, birthday, or festival. It does not just give a warm and happy feeling but your card will get noticed too. 

Also, it helps you in building brand awareness and identity. You are also establishing a feel-good vibe with your brand, so when the person thinks about the brand, they will get good feelings too. 

Some people also add business cards on the bulletin of banks or stores. You can use the cards in craft shows,  beauty salons,  schools, etc. 

Take Help from Previous Clients 

Well, use your happy and satisfied clients to promote your business cards. Ask them to play your cards on their website too. 

Or they can refer your business card to someone who is looking for services or products you are offering. 

Also, you can add testimonials or how your brand helped the client.  It will get noticed more as the client has already used it and has positive feedback. 

Reach Out To Related Business 

Business depends on one another.  You can use your complimentary businesses to promote and reach more customers and clients. 

If you are a broker, ask the retailer to share your business card with their customers. Also, you can ask more people who are related to your business to fetch more people to you. 

Make sure your business card stands out on the card, so you can get easily noticed and attract more people to your business. 

Represent The Personality Of Your Brand 

The business card helps you in reprinting your brand personality to your potential customer and client. Also, it gives you a sense of credibility.  

Your business card acts as the company representative to your potential clients. If you are using your business card smartly, you can get the targeted people more easily. 

7 Points Where You Must Pay Extra Attention For Effective Business Card Marketing 

Hands down, business card marketing can help in many ways in favor of your business. But since the business card has limited space and you have lots of things to add, sometimes people end up making mistakes that make the business card look weak and not professional at all. 

It can damage your opportunities, and you might lose your potential leads. To avoid all those mistakes, here are points to pay extra attention to. 

You Are Not Missing Any Information 

What makes your business card look unprofessional is the wrong format of putting information. But also the wrong or missing information,

You are not just killing the whole purpose of having a business card but telling the world that you are not professional about your work. 

Also if it’s not proper, the person will throw it in the trash bin before giving a glance.  It’s important to follow the points of important information that you must have. It includes 

Business name, your name, title or specialization, website address, phone number, email, address, and social media. Make sure to add all this information to your business card.

Too Much Or Outdated Information 

Information should be precise and something that can be useful. How can anyone contact you if you are adding an old address or phone number on your business card?

The recipient won’t work hard to find the right information if your business card is not giving them what they need. They will simply ignore it and throw it in the garbage. 

Don’t use information that can be misleading or not updated; if you recently changed something, do change on your business card. 

Also, don’t hand over your old business which considers old information. It will damage your image, and people will take it less seriously. 

Typos, Errors, And Misprints 

There is nothing more than convincing to show that you are not serious about your work than having a card with typos errors.  

Before you use your business card, make sure you get over the information and everything thrice. If there is a mistake, correct it and then use it.

Do not just use your business card if it’s not useful. The typo errors and misprints make you look less professional, and it’s not good for the first impression. 

Too Small Or Lots Of Visual Clutter 

There is a reason why people prefer clean fonts and easy-to-read styles. The fonts which are too much for the eyes will divide the attention and make your recipient feel frustrated. 

Your card should have space and enough images and placement of logos to look Professional.  Follow a kind of color scheme which is suitable and shows your brand styles. 

The fonts are important and size too. Don’t write too small, which needs extra focus, or too large, which will take more space from your business card. 

Using The Bad Quality Paper 

Lots of people try to make their business cards which are good options. But when you are doing that, make sure you are not using cheap paper for printing the business card. 

Even though you put extra focus on your font and other elements, your business card paper quality can damage your motive. It should not be feather-light or look cheap. 

The business card is important and using bad quality paper not just makes you look bad, but you will lose the attention of your recipients. 

It also shows that your services and products are going to be bad as the business card quality; can damage your brand image too. 

Using Your Card Just For Events 

Business cards can be used anytime if you know when to do it.  You can slip your business card when someone asks for some information, use the card for writing down the information and hand it over.

Don’t reserve your business card for some special events or meetings. You can smartly use it in functions or add it along with gifts or invitations. 

Also, make sure you are carrying your business card with you everywhere. You never know when you will meet your potential clients and how to turn out as your lead.

It is good to place your business card in multiple places so you don’t forget it anywhere else. 

Not Using CTA

A call to action is used in an email signature,  website, and even in all kinds of marketing tools. But if you are not using it on your business card, you are making the greatest mistake. 

Use the CTA smartly so the recipient can use the card for taking action and encourage them to do so. For that, you can push them by offering offers or discounts. 

It can help you in covering more leads and using the best out of your business card. If your business card is used as it refers, you are getting more leads in the future too. 

Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs) about Business Card Marketing

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