The power of business cards can sometimes be forgotten. They provide a fantastic opportunity to market yourself and showcase your brand, not to mention they’re often the first item your customers or potential business partner will see. According to Indie Made: “Business cards are like clothing: They provide a first and lasting impression”. While that might seem silly, it’s totally true. A business card is your first impression and it’s what people will go back to if they choose to contact you. As a creative business owner, this is also an incredible opportunity for you to show just how artistic you are.
Photograph from NeatDesigns.net
You have a few options when it comes to creating your own business cards. The first is printing them from places like Staples, Visaprint, or MOO. They can save you time by printing the cards for you, but some of these sites can give you less creative freedom in designing your card. They can also cost quite a bit of money, anywhere ranging from $15 to $70 dollars. Another option is creating your own business cards, which gives you the creative freedom to make them however you want. This process may seem daunting, but you can totally do it!
First and foremost, your business card should reflect your brand. If you sell scarves, it might seem silly to have a card featuring fire trucks unless it somehow ties into your brand. So first decide how you want to represent yourself, what makes your product and business stand out. Think about this: When people attend a craft fair, they receive hundreds of business cards – what will make yours stand out?
If you’re looking for some examples, take a look at this tutorial from Kelli and Kristi of Lolly Jane. Didn’t they turn out great? Another resource to get inspiration for how exactly you want your card to look like is this article from Squidoo. They’ve gathered a rather extensive list of examples, from pop-up cards, to stamped cards, to cards made with handmade paper.
The trick is making sure that it catches the eye, but also functions like a normal business card. If you’re creating a business card, make sure you:
- Have your information easily accessible. People don’t want to search around the card to find your e-mail.
- Don’t have too much information on it. Pick what’s important.
- Don’t make it too big or too small. It’s still a business card.
- Choose a font that’s legible.You don’t want text that’s too fancy or small, thus making it hard to read.
The rest is really up to you! There’s really no better way to represent your creative business than a card that you’ve created yourself. Creating your own business card may be more time consuming, but it’s worth it. This is a way to spread your business, so make sure you have your best foot forward.
What does your business card look like?
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Great article. Even better links. And very timely as I’m in the middle of making business card decisions just now.