There is about 5 inches of snow in Atlanta, with sleet and freezing rain coming down on top of it. Needless to say I am in my house with my fingers crossed that the power won’t go out. The one good thing about the weather is it gives me time to do things that I usually put off. One of these tasks is organizing my desk.
As I was cleaning things up on my desk I gathered all the business cards that I have received over the past few weeks from meetings and seminars I have attended. As I started to put these cards in my file I was reading them and made an interesting discovery. About 7 out of 10 cards were BORING! What does this say about the person and company that the card represents?
If you think about it, your business card is your brand. Your card should be your billboard. While you drive on the highway and see all the billboards what do they all have in common? (I keep forgetting that you are reading this and can’t answer me) They all have a message that is stated in VERY few words but everyone who reads them knows exactly what the meaning is. Advertisers can’t write long copy for billboards, the people reading them are driving at 55 MPH (LOL) and by the time the billboard is in focus to the time it is behind them is about 15 seconds or less.
Your business card needs to work the same way. The average person will glance at a business card for about 5 seconds or less. Your card needs to convey your BRAND at first glance.
Let me help you a little. It seems that one company who gives away 250 free cards at a time is getting the vast majority of the card printing business. This company does a GREAT job, but you need to invest just a little in your pocket billboard.
1) Select one of the “CUSTOM” backgrounds for your card. The free backgrounds are used by thousands of people and the layout is the same. BORING! The cost is between $4 and $9 dollars depending on the background you choose.
2) BRAND yourself. Don’t just put name, number, and e mail. Every card has that information. What is your “distinguisher”? What separates you from everyone else? Mine is “TRAINING EXPERT” When people read it they immediately know what I do.
3) Do you have a “TAG LINE”? A short phrase that tells something about you and what you believe. Mine is “TAKING PEOPLE FROM WHERE THEY ARE TO WHERE THEY CAN BE” This needs to be more than a task, it is a mission statement.
4) Don’t forget your card has a back. This is usually kept blank, however it is a great place to have a short message. On the back of my card is the information about this blog and how to log onto it. Just be careful, I have seen people put bullet pointed lists on the back of their cards and the print is so small it can’t even be read.
5) What stands out? On so many cards your name is the only thing that stands out. Think about business cards and how you use them. What the person does is even more important than the name. When I search through my card file I may know I am looking for a HR person, if I knew the name I wouldn’t need to be looking at the cards!
6) Pay the extra and have the printing companies name taken off the back of the card. Everyone knows this company, why tell people that you didn’t invest in yourself and ordered FREE business cards? (This may be a good tactic for finance people, it shows your frugal)
7) Remember the billboard concept, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) Get your idea across in as few words as you can.
Having a unique and memorable card works let me tell you a quick story. I received a phone call a few weeks ago from a recruiter who I used to fill positions within the company I was with. I had not heard from him for about 3 years because when he left his last company he had to stay away from existing customers for 3 years. When I answered the phone, and we were talking for a few minutes he told me that mine was the only business card that he kept and the reason he kept it was my card was so unusual. The business card he had was a folded card, this made it unique by itself, but the card was also in the shape of a 55 gallon drum and was printed to look like the drums my company used. This made it a ONE OF A KIND!
Business cards are an inexpensive way to assure people know who you are, how to contact you, and what it is you do. The RIGHT business card will also help them REMEMBER you when the time comes that they need your services.
Lorin
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