5 STEPS TO CREATING BUSINESS CARDS THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE CALL YOU (& REMEMBER YOU)

When I first started handing out my business cards, I found that people would look at them, smile, and say, “So, what do you do?”

I recognized that as being a huge problem! Why? If after you’ve given your business card to someone they still don’t get what you do, that means you need to bring clarity to your brand and message.

Much like your elevator pitch, your business card should let people know who you are, what you do, who you help, how you help them and finally the best way or ways to contact you (and connect with you online).

IF YOU PREFER, WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE TO SEE THE STEPS IN ACTION >>

Following is what I’ve included on my business cards to help people immediately understand what I do and how I can help them solve their problem:

STEP 1 –

Who I Am:

1. A photo of myself so they remember my face. (See my photo on the back of my card below.)
2. First and last name. (You’d be surprised how many people don’t include their name on their business cards.)
3. Business name. (Include a business name unless you are strictly a personal brand.)
4. Title … in my case, Social Media Trainer & Consultant. (In today’s world, a title like Founder or President doesn’t mean much when branding and trying to get found online since no one really searches for those titles when looking for solutions to their problems. You should instead choose a title that tells people what you do and one that people will search for, such as graphic designer, business development consultant, financial advisor, fashion designer, food blogger, etc.)

STEP 2 –

What I Do:

1. I included a photo of me teaching a group social media class. (90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Therefore, a photo of you doing what you do can go a long way in getting people to understand what you do. A photo of you doing something completely irrelevant to what you do can make their imagination go in a different direction. If you choose to use a photo of what you do, be sure the photo helps to convey the message of what you do.)
2. Tagline … for me, it’s “Bringing Marketing and Training Solutions To You … Wherever you are!” (If you have a tagline, be sure to include it on your business cards.)

STEP 3 –

Who You Help:

1. I included a short description of who I help, and the description includes my elevator pitch points.

STEP 4 –

How You Help Them:

1. I listed some of my workshops and seminars to show people what they can learn from me.
2. I also listed some of my marketing services so they would know that I don’t just offer training as a service.

And finally …

STEP 5 –

Best Ways To Contact You: (See my contact information on the front of my card above.)

1. Phone number. (Be consistent with how you write your phone number both online and off. For example: (202) 000-0000 or 202-000-0000. Choose one format and stick with it.)
2. Email address. (You may notice that my email address is not on my card. I prefer a phone call because I get so many emails that I can’t keep up. If you are not good with email, please don’t tell people to email you. Only use the best way to reach you on your card.)
3. Website address. (It is no longer necessary to use www. This takes up space on your business cards, meaning you may need to make your font smaller, and you don’t want people to have to squint when they read your card, right? Use, for example, yourwebsite.com only.)
4. Social media icons followed by your social media handles. (Always use the social media icon and social media handle together. Use the icon as a visual and the handle so they’ll know how to find your social media accounts. An icon without the handle on a business card is useless as most people will not take the time to search for your accounts while on social media platforms. As with everything you do in marketing, you need to tell people where you are. Don’t make them guess.)

It doesn’t matter what order you put this information on your business cards, but make sure you put the most important information on the front.  That means your name, company name, phone number (or email address if that is your preference), and website address.

Since I took the time to rebrand and lay out my business card like this, people don’t look at me cross-eyed and say, ‘So, what do you again?’

Now, go create an AMAZING business card of your own. You don’t have to design the card yourself (and you shouldn’t if it’s not your thang).

BONUS

I hired a Fiverr designer to design my business cards. When the designer was done, I uploaded and ordered my cards on Vistaprint.

For those of you who do not know, Fiverr is the world’s largest marketplace for graphic design services for $5 and up. Vistaprint creates digital marketing products for small businesses. They’ve been around since 1999.

Whether you use Fiverr or your own graphic designer, be sure you use someone who designs cards specifically for Vistaprint. This way, you can upload your cards without cropping them or anything. Your job should be to upload them and order them only.

If you prefer to watch a video tutorial on how to create business cards, click here >>