Your business card is a representation of your professionalism and the type of work or services you offer. It should leave a lasting positive impression on your potential clients. A good business card will communicate the message of your business, along with important contact information where people can easily find you. It will stand out from the rest and be memorable. There is a lot of information you want to share with your potential clients and many ways to communicate that information. However, the business card should be clear, simple, and memorable, and there are several things that you do not want to include on your business card. Visit this website and check the samples available with them.
Incorrect Information
First, you must eliminate incorrect information on your card. That means making sure the phone numbers and emails are current, there are no spelling errors, no capitalization errors, or other typos. If a client cannot contact you because of incorrect or missing information, that is obviously not helpful to you or to them. Your professionalism shows through when you have correct information without errors in grammar as well. All words need to be spelled correctly and email addresses and phone numbers checked for accuracy.
Confusing Color Schemes
Using clashing colors or colors that do not represent your brand is another mistake. Your business card needs to be sharp and pleasing to the eye. Having too many colors is too busy. Your business branding colors should be two or three colors that blend well together and help support your business mission. They need to complement each other and not be too similar. Red and pink would clash, but red and green would stand out and complement each other. Think about whether you want colors that are bold, pastel, bright, or only black and white. Avoid having a confusing color palette that does not support your business brand. Using a background other than white is often a great choice for making your card stand out and help represent your brand and the people you serve.
Too Many Details
Having too many details on the card is also another mistake. Your name, business brand and tagline, services offered, contact information, and social media handles are sufficient information for your card. Do not advertise prices or be too specific in services offered on your card. The place for those things is your website or social media. When people read too many details they will get overwhelmed and may not take the next step to contact you. Keeping clients’ choices to a minimum before contacting you is helpful since you are the professional and will be able to talk them through options that work best for them.
Illegible Font
You also want to avoid a font that is too small or difficult to read. Choose a font that is easy to read yet will stand out. There are so many options with font it can be overwhelming to choose. You want one that is simple yet suited to the job of representing your brand. Your customers should not have to stare at the font to try to understand what it says. It needs to be large enough and simple. Often a sans serif font is the best. Make it stand out to the customer right away!
No Tagline
Avoid having a card without your business tagline, since this will leave people without an understanding of what your business does. It also may be simply a memorable way to remember your business. This is often two to seven words, succinct, and creative.
Including Personal Information
Do not write personal information about your home or family on your business card but keep your business card strictly business. This not only helps represent your profession well but also protects your family’s interests. You want to have separate phone numbers, emails, and addresses for your business so you honor your family’s privacy and their time. Having a separate work phone that can be turned on for work and off for quality family time is important to maintain a healthy balance between work and home life.
Poor Quality
Avoid poor quality paper for your cards as well. A nice business card that people will keep will be made of sturdy paper and often have a nice surface coating. There are different options for paper thickness ranging from 11 point stock up to 34 point stock. For nicer presentations, you will want to choose a higher number such as 16, 18, or even 32 point stock. Options for the surface finish include uncoated or coated. Uncoated is a traditional look and can help keep costs low, but they are also more easily bent or torn. Coated is gives the paper a protectant layer and comes in matte, satin, or gloss. Decide which style works best for you and your business.
Make a Lasting Impression
The common mistakes in creating your business card are avoided if you carefully consider these points. Pitfalls include having incorrect information, poorly designed color schemes, having too many details, having a font that is difficult to read, including personal information, and using poor paper quality. Take time to represent your business well with a card designed to make an impact and a positive first impression. Make sure your contact information and branding are visible so clients can contact you to take advantage of your services. Then hand out those business cards to people so they know where to turn when in need of what you have to offer.
Check out https://www.spaceprint.com.au/product-category/business-cards/ for more info.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
