If you think business cards are obsolete, think again

You can find tons of advice on how you should establish and improve your digital image or expand the reach of your social media presence. It is harder to find advice regarding your business cards, so we came up with a few tips for those who need to revamp their business cards.

Keep Social Media References to a Minimum

There’s only so much room on a business card, and social media links take up a lot of space. Your website address takes precedence unless you only want to promote your social media profiles. For example, you’re a social media influencer promoting your Pinterest and Instagram accounts. We would actually recommend photographers promote their homepage instead of social media accounts on business cards, because you’re at the final stage of the sales funnel when they decide to call or email you. They don’t need to be shown a photo gallery, because they already want to get a price quote or book a session with you.

Another mistake people make is putting a list of social media profiles on the back of the business card instead of giving someone a reason to turn it over. Put your picture or logo on one side of the business card, and put your business name, address, phone number and website address on the other.

Remember that Readability Is Key

When you print new business cards, remember that it must always be readable. One mistake people make is trying to put everything on the business card. Then they make the text too small for most people to easily read to make it fit. Don’t try to fit a full menu of products and services on your business card. Go for a high level overview. For example, you’re a yard maintenance service or handyman. There’s no need to add another ten bullets to the business card, though you might mention the most popular or profitable two or three.

Another mistake is more commonly made by creative types – the fancy but unfathomable font. It is the exotic font that is hard to read at a glance. The business card owner selected it to express their creativity or because they thought it connected to the business theme. You can use such fonts or stylized text if it is part of your logo, but don’t use it on the rest of the business card. If they have to strain to read your phone number, you’ve lost a fraction of your potential clients.

Focusing on the Card Instead of Communication

There are a number of variations of this mistake. It may be adding raised edges, choosing matte black material or paying for gold flourishes while overlooking spelling errors in your product description. It may take the form of beautiful images on the front and back of the business card while making your contact information an afterthought. It may mean leaving off website addresses when listing four social media URLs. It can take the form redesigning your logo while forgetting to update your phone number.

Simplify Things for the Printer

The simpler the print job, the fewer opportunities there are for mistakes and defects to occur. Use standard fonts so that the text is always clean and crisp. Lay out the card with a white margin around the edge. Neither text nor images should go there. This minimizes bleed as well as ensures key information is readable when the card is handled.