Business cards aren’t going anywhere just because we’re in 2018. Business cards form an important part of the interaction you have with other companies, passing on a little bit of your business’ identity to others. Whilst we’re very much living in a digital age and leaving lots of printed media behind, business cards don’t fit into this category, helping you connect with other businesses and making you memorable.
Why are business cards so important?
Business cards will always Have their place. These are some of the reasons why they are still one of the best ways to introduce yourself to new contacts:
- They’re so simple. “Could you just repeat that number back to me?” “Oh, you’ve missed out a zero.” “Ok, so 07791…” “No, no, 07790…” If this conversation sounds familiar, then you need business cards. Without them, swapping contact details can become tedious and annoying – alternatively, just hand over a business card, and the recipient has everything they need to contact you in multiple ways.
- Your business cards can be a work of art. Just like your website and other marketing materials, a business card needs to be an extension of your business. You can incorporate various design elements to ensure they really reflect you. If you want to stand out, you can select premium printing techniques, like 3D digitally enhanced printing, spot UV and letterpress.
- You will give the right first impression. Well designed and printed business cards will help people to associate your business with quality and will create the right first impression, showing you care about your business. This is always a good link to establish with any new contacts, especially when you might be doing business together.
- It’s the done thing in business. When you meet a new business contact, they will expect you to give them a business card. If you don’t have any, the danger is that you won’t be as memorable, and your contact might even think less of your professionalism, especially if they have a business card to give to you and you can’t reciprocate.
- You won’t be easily forgotten. At networking events, conferences etc., you’ll be bombarded by other business people and will have multiple conversations. By handing out your business card, you ensure those people will remember you when they’re emptying out their pockets at the end of the night… make sure you get a card from them too so you don’t have the awkward moment of forgetting a name!
- Choosing your business cards
So we’ve established that business cards are definitely still helpful for your business. However, they need to be the right quality and convey the right message. Perhaps what we should actually say is in 2018, you still need high-quality business cards.
Here are some brief tips for choosing your business cards:
- Use high-quality paper (or another eye-catching material). It might be tempting to go cheap and cheerful, but you’ll be disappointed when you receive cards printed on flimsy paper. Pop into a print shop to see samples of the different paper thicknesses – they might also be able to offer you a fancy design in plastic, metal, wood, or 3D gold/ silver foil.
- Choose your supplier carefully. There are so many business card providers, you might want to save some money by opting for a cheap online offer. Remember that it might not be cheaper in the long run – there’s a high chance you’ll be disappointed and opt for a reprint. So look for a local printing company you can go and meet, discuss designs with and inspect samples.
- Make use of bleed and safe zones. Bleed is the area of overprint that ensures your business cards won’t have any white showing around the edges when trimmed down to size. The safe zone is the area where you shouldn’t have any printing, just to make sure all your content fits onto your card. The industry standard is a 3mm bleed and 3mm safe zone, so including bleed on each side, a business card would be 6mm longer and wider before cropping. This means an 8.5cm x 5.5cm standard business card would be 9.1cm x 6.1cm. Bear this in mind when choosing your design.