10 CREATIVE IDEAS FOR YOUR BUSINESS CARDS

1, Create a style in line with your business or your website

When you’ve spent money on creating a beautiful website or brand for your business, you need to follow that through with your business card. However, if your styling is poor – stop and do things properly before creating your business cards. They’ll only be out-of-date when you do decide to take the plunge.

2, Add a Photo of you and/or your team
Everyone has a stash of other people’s business cards which sits in their desk side drawer. Half of them are faceless people I can neither remember or find the energy to contact. However, if they had a picture on their business cards, this would certainly ring a bell or two. If you do decide to reproduce a photo of yourself, please make sure its professionally taken by someone who understands lighting, focus and composition.

3, Add different testimonials to your business cards

Your referrals from previous satisfied customers are your biggest asset when selling to new potential clients. So why would you leave them off your business cards, especially if they were personalised testimonials from someone high up in your sector. Warning – make sure the person giving you a testimonial is worth the effort and not someone with baggage.

Also make sure your testimonials is not at the detriment of the person your giving your business cards to.

4, Add your social media links, including Facebook, twitter and Linkedin

Everyone is talking about social media and their twitter stream or their Facebook fan page. But if you’re not registered on LinkedIn how do you know what you’re missing. There are many business opportunities created via these online socialising networks. You can spend hours and lots of money on breakfast networking events – do it online for free and see what happens. And then you can add the links on your business cards.

5, Used a raised font (also known as thermography)
If you were going to get a business card from HRH The Queen you imagine it would be a beautiful script font raised off the card with thermography (raised print created by using a special powder on wet ink). The Queen’s business card would say something like ‘The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London – Follow me on my Facebook fan page and my twitter stream @hrhlizbuckhouse’

6, Add one or more rounded corners

Is your personality well rounded? If your business cards are, it says a lot about your attention to detail. It shows you’ve realised the benefits of a small bit of design and print work and have invested the resources to finish the look off. The technical term for creating rounded corners is die-cutting and you can cut all four corners or just one. The choice is yours, but you’ll definitely feel the love if you do.

7, Add some photos of the products or services you offer
If you sell beautiful Venetian mirrors, then put some photographs on your business cards. Everyone will know what you do and they’ll remember your business cards amongst the many other Venetian mirror sales reps cards who have left off their products. Make sure the pics are good quality and relevant to your business. You’ll need a decent designer to make sure your card can carry off the images.

8, Deliberately leave some white space on the reverse of your card for notes or other information
Plumbers, builders or other tradespeople who may have need to give someone a quote might like to have a small space on their business card to put down a price or a part that someone might request. Other people may also find that spaces for notes can be opportune at exhibitions or conferences when hundreds of business cards are exchanged.

9, Put one or more of your favourite recipes on the reverse of your business card/s
Just a bit of fun – but you never know it might come in handy one day. You could also switch a recipe for a inspirational quotation or something which might make the recipient think. Showing someone that you can trigger an emotion within them may lead to further conversations and possible business opportunities. Don’t be afraid to show your own personality – its your own individual brand.

10, Record a short online video especially for your business card contacts, then include a screen grab and web-link on your business card
This final idea might smack of arrogance, but the online world is leading to more and more creative ways to engage with people. Converting people from your business card to your company website is a tough ask as it takes quite an effort to take your website address from your business card and then go to your laptop and look it up so if someone views your online video there’s a good chance they might be warm lead for a sales opportunity.

Please note these are just ten creative ideas from Face Media Group – we’ve gone dozens more, please give us a call on 0333 8000 888.