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Does
Your Business Card Get Noticed?
by
Biba F. Pédron
Having
organized and attended networking events
for the last four years, I am always still
surprised and amazed to see how many solo-entrepreneurs
and small business owners don’t
have business cards, or don’t have
professional business cards.
Having
a professional business card helps to
portray your image and make you stand
out from the crowd. When you meet somebody,
you have less than 10 seconds to make
the right first impression, so along with
your elevator pitch, make sure that people
will remember you.
Your
business card is your first marketing
tool. But are you using it in the most
effective way?
Many
small business owners spend hours and
hours trying to find the best way of marketing
their businesses. But when it comes to
their business cards they don’t
follow the same rules. Most people just
include their basic contact information
and don’t realize how this little
piece of paper can say a lot about their
businesses.
When
you place an ad in a newspaper or a magazine,
don’t you try to write the most
effective text to attract clients so that
people call you or buy your products or
services? So why not pay the same attention
when designing your business card.
Your
business card is your first marketing
tool. Every time you give it to somebody,
it's a chance to communicate something
about your business. Your business card
is very often the tool which will help
people to decide whether they want to
work with you or not, since it is an extension
of your business. When you meet somebody
for the first time they will judge you
on your appearance, your clothes, the
way you act, the way you speak and your
business card. If the whole package looks
very professional they will be willing
to continue the conversation with you.
If it doesn’t look professional
they will not waste their time and will
find somebody else to work with.
We
used to say that we shouldn’t judge
a book by it’s cover, but unfortunately
this is not true. So put all the chances
on your side.
In
my program “Power
of Networking Secrets”, the
Step 3 is “How to Design a Memorable
Business Card”, and I help my clients
to completely redesign their business
card in order to grab people’s attention
within seconds.
Here
are the 10 indispensable keys which need
to appear on your business card:
First
on the front of your card:
1/
Your name – this sound
obvious for everybody, but make sure it
is easy to find.
People have to see your name as soon as
they receive your card so they will be
able to associate your face with the name
on your card. This will help them to remember
you.
2/
Your title – if you work
for a corporation, your title is always
mentioned on the card, so if you are a
solo-entrepreneur or a small business
owner, it is also very important to mention
if you are the founder, the CEO, the president,
the marketing manager or other. Again,
make it easy for people to remember you
and what you do.
3/
The name of your company –
even if you are a one person operation
in your business, it is very important
to have a business name. Using only your
name if you are a sole proprietor or if
you are an independent representative
of a company will give the image of a
part time activity and not a business
image to your prospects. The same as when
you introduce yourself and say, “I
am a consultant” vs. “I have
a consulting company”, people will
not pursue you in the same way. Even if
your consulting company is only you, this
will not have the same impact.
4/
Your email address - the big
No/No in a business card – once
again if you want to be considered as
a business and have a professional image,
don’t use an email with yahoo, aol,
or hotmail, etc… but have a professional
email with yourname@yourdomainname.com.
Today it really doesn’t cost a lot
to buy a domain name, so please invest
the $5 to $10 to buy one and use it on
your business card.
You
can have a yahoo, aol, or hotmail email
to sign up for newsletters to avoid spam,
but for your business card, this shows
a lack of professionalism. Plus it is
much easier for people to remember your
name and your company name than a strange
email with your nick name or number on
it.
5/
Your phone number – personally
I think that too many phone numbers are
confusing and take up too much space.
So I recommend that you use your main
number, even if it is your cell phone
because it is the most convenient way
to reach you.
6/
Your website - having a website
will help people to learn more about your
business later. Your business card can’t
say everything, so give them the opportunity
to get the information they are looking
for. Use your business card to bring traffic
to your website.
7/
Your logo – it is as important
to have a logo as it is to have a business
name for the same reason, because this
will give you a professional image. Using
a regular white card, with no logo, just
your name, phone number and email, will
not help people to remember you. Some
people use just a clipart on their business
card and think this looks like a logo.
In people’s minds this is definitely
not the same thing. If you are not ready
to invest in yourself, how do you expect
people to invest in you?
8/
Your tagline – a tagline
ensures that people associate your company
name with your product or service. That
is a short sentence which describes your
business’ mission and makes you
unique. That is usually the only thing
people remember after you have met. So
that is why it is important to really
choose your words carefully when creating
your tagline, in order to hook your audience
and be memorable.
Just
because you are a solo-entrepreneur or
a small business owner, it does not mean
that you can’t use the same strategies
as the big companies. Make sure you use
all the marketing tools which are available
to promote your business. This is called
‘branding’. Using an effective
logo & tagline are one of the most
effective ways to successfully brand your
business.
Take
a look at most of the business cards that
you have collected from people and you
will notice how few of them have taglines.
So stand out from the crowd, make sure
to have the key elements on your card
and that they are memorable.
When
I work with a client and help him or her
redesign their business card, I always
encourage them to use the back of their
card. Remember what I said earlier, “When
you place an ad in a newspaper or a magazine,
don’t you try to write the most
effective text to attract clients so that
people call you or buy your products or
services?”
So
why are you wasting all of this precious
space on the back of your card?
Again,
remember that your business card is a
marketing tool. Use it to attract potential
clients and not only to provide your contact
information. Use it to pass on your business
message.
On
the back of your card –
very few people use the back of their
cards, so here is an opportunity for you
to make a difference.
9/
Describe the benefits of your product/service
or the benefits of working with you.
Use bullet points to emphasize the purpose
of your products and services. Show how
you can be a problem solver to others.
Encourage people to ask you questions
about your business so that they want
to learn more and visit your website later.
10/ Tell people what to do next.
Don’t assume that people will contact
you for more information – tell
them what to do. What we call “The
call to action.”
Do
you want them to: go to your website,
sign-up for your newsletter, call you,
buy your product? Tell them clearly. Offer
them an incentive to make sure that they
will take action.
Let’s
say you are a coach or a financial advisor,
no doubt, you have a lot of competition.
What makes you unique and special? When
people see your card, they will probably
say, “Oh, another one!” But
if you mentioned your specialties on your
card, it will make a difference immediately.
For
example I have 2 different business cards:
One
card describes the benefits of joining
Biba4Network
and offers a coupon of $5 to come to my
events, then clients can print from my
website, which is a way to drive clients
to the website to learn more.
The
other card, describes the benefits of
my program “Power
of Networking Secrets” and mentions
“Sign-up for my newsletter and receive
my free e-course “15 ways to maximize
your networking results”, which
is a way to also drive clients to the
website and generate leads for my mailing
list.
What's on your Business Card?
Take a look at your card now, does it
include the key elements to give a professional
image to your business?
Does your card stand out from the crowd?
Does your card give you the results you
are expecting?
Does your card say what you want it to
say?
Does your design work with your company
image and the rest of your marketing materials?
If you have a different design for your
business card, your website and your brochure,
how do you expect people to take you seriously?
Order professional business cards
Avoid the cards that you print yourself
on your printer. It doesn’t cost
a lot to print professional business cards,
you can order a thousand for $40 to $60
online and it doesn’t cost more
to print on both side of your card, but
it makes an incredible difference and
has a greater impact on people.
Use
the same logo and colors as your website,
brochure or flyer. Having a consistency
on your marketing materials will help
people to recognize you where ever they
see you. And the more they see you or
your logo, the more they will remember
you, and the more they will keep in touch
with you. Try to always be at the forefront
of their minds.
Your
business card is an extension of your
company just like your logo, letter head,
brochures, flyers, website and any marketing
tools. They must have the same message
and design.
Never
leave home without your business cards
Wherever you go—to a networking
event, to the dentist, to the movies,
to a party, always bring your business
cards with you. You never know where you
will meet an interesting new contact,
and you don’t want to miss the opportunity
to exchange cards. Writing your telephone
number or email address on a piece of
paper or a paper napkin definitely doesn’t
look very professional.
Still
need help to revamp your business card
and create a professional image? Learn
more about “ Power
of Networking Secrets”. In this
5 step program, you will find everything
you need on how to maximize your networking
results.
You will learn: how to create an outstanding
business card – how to polish an
elevator pitch which will hook your audience
so that people will remember you –
how to create a 7 step follow-up system
to turn more prospects into clients –
how to use your newsletter to promote
your products or services without hard
selling – how to create strategic
alliances to grow our business faster.
You can read more about it and get your
copy of “Power
of Networking Secrets” at www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com
