It’s simple and easy to go to an online business card website, pick a design, upload your logo, and update the contact information to your own. But, templated business cards often don’t showcase your company’s full branding and are unlikely to stand out in a Rolodex of hundreds of other business cards.
While the Rolodex is not nearly as popular as it used to be, you still want to stand out in a small stack of business cards after a networking event. And if you use one of the popular online templated designs, your business card might sit next to one that looks just like it.
Why Custom-Designed Business Cards Matter in a Digital Age
Despite the wide adoption of smartphones, people still aren’t programming in a stranger’s contact information during networking events or business meetings. One of the rare uses of printed materials still in use is the business card.
It’s compact, fits in a wallet, and serves as a reminder to get in touch with a new business acquaintance. Another common usage is for coffee shops and other community gathering spaces to showcase your local small business.
While digital tools for sharing contact information exist, they have not caught on yet because they require that you allow your smartphone to connect to a stranger’s smartphone through Bluetooth or other cloud sharing services.
And for these main reasons, the paper business card prevails. A custom-designed business card can help you stand out, be memorable and serve as a reminder of what you do. Here’s a look at why paying for a custom business card design can pay off for your business in the long run.
Mastering the art of being memorable
If you’ve ever attended a conference or networking event, you know how you can meet dozens of people in a matter of hours. And when you walk away from the event and sort through your materials after the experience, you will likely have a stack of business cards.
More than likely, you can only remember faces and conversations from a few of those business card exchanges. The others will go in your wastebasket and you’ll never think about those conversations or the business representative again.
When you choose custom-designed business cards, you can master the art of being memorable in a few ways:
- Bright colors, bold words, or a unique business card shape can start a conversation during networking so that the business card recipient logs a memory of their interaction with you. For this to happen, there must be something that grabs your audience’s attention at a glance of your business card. Only a custom design and graphics can do that for you.
- Short description of what you do and why your company matters. On standard templated business cards, you’ll find only a couple of spaces for common contact information. However, adding a short snippet about what you do and what sets you apart from your competitors could help immensely later on when the person picks up your business card again. This is especially helpful for companies whose industry or service offering isn’t completely apparent from their logo or company name.
- A clean, sleek, and modern-looking business card design. You want the business card recipient to feel compelled to look a little closer at your card. Cards that look outdated, have a busy or complicated design, and are overall uninviting won’t make your recipient feel compelled to get in touch with you. Some templated designs stay on websites for years and lack today’s modern design updates that can attract this kind of attention.
Showcasing what you do with a few words
The U.S. standard business card size is 3.5 x 2 inches. That isn’t much room to accomplish your mission of showcasing who you are and why your business matters. Plus, you’ll need to reserve some space for your contact information.
That’s why you might consider rethinking the U.S. standard business card template entirely. Do you really need a phone number when so much of today’s communication is digital? Are social media icons or handles necessary when searches with your company name are so simple? Have URLs become obsolete in the search engine era?
A business card designer can offer recommendations for what really matters on your card. This might mean doing away with some of the more antiquated forms of contact to make way for a catchy headline, memorable illustrations that show what you do instead of telling, and allow you to make connections with people instead of just acquaintances.
Nothing about a templated business card will help you showcase your expertise and all that your business has to offer a prospect like a custom-designed business card will.
Include industry-specific information and certifications
Business cards are not a one-size-fits-all marketing tool, but today’s templates have made them seem that way. Every industry calls for different information and requirements. For example, one of the most essential pieces of information for a 24/7 emergency plumbing business is its phone number, so you can reach it at any time in case of an emergency.
But then consider the most important contact information for a digital marketing agency. It’s probably just an email address, so you can inquire to learn more.
A home inspector needs to showcase their expertise with certifications, but a salesperson just needs to communicate the essentials to encourage a business person to get in touch with them to learn more about products and services.
Consider your unique needs and how you can say a lot with a little bit of space on these compact pieces of marketing.
Expertise on size, paper weight, custom cutouts, etc.
The standard business card size is designed to slide into the card slots in a wallet. However, if you want to be bold and try different sizes, that’s an option too. Everything, down to the weight of the paper or cardstock you print your card on, can help your business card stand out from your competitors.
Some businesses looking to be memorable look to other materials, such as compostable paper or even plastic.
Perhaps one of the greatest and most memorable ways to make your business card stand out is through a die-cut design. Imagine if that plumbing company we referred to had a die-cut pipe that rose from the top of the card. That would certainly help it stand out from other cards for the same service.
You can get really creative in the size, shape, and material your business card is made from. And with each customization, you make yourself a bit more memorable and unique to hopefully earn new business.
Presenting your contact information in an easy-to-read manner is also important and will help reduce barriers to getting in touch with you. A graphic designer can recommend fonts and styles that ensure it’s simple to input your email address correctly and start a conversation.
Making networking worth your time
Networking and attending business meetings and conferences is an enormous use of one of your most valuable resources: time. Put that resource to good use by ensuring that the one piece of information you leave with your new connection is memorable.
Wrap Up
Invest in custom-designed business cards that will showcase you, your business, and all that you have to offer in a memorable way that ensures your valuable time goes to good use.
Author Bio: Emin is a graphic designer at Amberd Design Studio, a Los Agneles based design agency. In his free time, he enjoys writing articles like the one you are readingnow. Enjoy!