In Victorian times, a calling card was given to a house servant to announce the arrival and name of a guest. Today, we are often handed a business card as a form of introduction. The basic idea is the same. We want to give someone the information they need to contact us in the future. This standard form of public relations may be only 3 1/2'' x 2'', but it one of your best business tools.
Components of a Business Card
Most business cards have at least the business's name, person's name and contact information, but there are other essential and useful elements to design your business card with.
- Name of the Individual. While not every type of business card has to an individual's name, it helps establish a personal relationship with your customer. In a large corporation, most people prefer to have a specific contact person they can deal with. The individual and/or business name is usually the most prominent text element of the card.
- Name of the Business or Organization. Naturally, a business card has to have the business or organization's name on it. I mentioned that the business name and individual's name is usually the most prominent item, but if the organization has a highly recognizable logo they might de-emphasize the business name (size and/or placement.)
- The Address. A physical address or a mailing address (or both) are normally parts of a business card. A company that is an exclusive internet or mail order business, this may not be a necessary element to include. If you use both physical and mailing addresses, be sure to label each one.
- Phone Number(s). Multiple phone numbers are normally listed in order of voice, fax, cell but you can omit any of them that you don't want people to use. Don't forget to include the area and/or country codes and an extension if you use one. You can use parentheses, hyphens, periods, spaces, or other characters to separate the numbers. It is really a matter of preference, but use the same format on all of them.
- Email Address. Email has increasing become a preferred method of contact for busy people, especially if you run a Web-based business. If you decide you use an email address, do not use a yahoo.com, msn.com, or gmail.com. Even if you don't want your own web site, for a few dollars a year, you can buy your own domain name and host your own email server like we do here at seagulltechnologies.com. This will do a lot to give your business a more professional look.
- Web Page Address. Web addresses can be listed with or without the http:// preceding the URL. Needless to say, this is necessary for a Web-based business.
- Job Title for Individual. While not necessary, most people like to know where you fit in the pecking order of a company and if you are in a position to help them. Some sole proprietors might include 'President' or 'CEO' or some other title to give the appearance of a larger organization.
- Tagline or a Description of the Business. A tagline, slogan, or brief description can be useful when the business name does not clearly convey what the business does. They can also be used to convey benefits and features. In the Basic Marketing Concepts course, I discussed how you need to convey that you are an expert in your field by teaching. When choosing extra information such as this to put on your card, you need to convey that they will gain some knowledge or benefit in the future if they hang onto your business card.
- Logo. A logo used consistently on business cards helps to establish the company's brand.
- Graphic image(s) and/or Decorative Elements. Some companies without a logo often choose to use generic, stock images, or custom illustrations to demonstrate what the business does. Other companies will use a background image in an effort to make the card stand out. When making color choices, always use the same colors that are used in other areas to represent your company.
- List Your Products or Services. This is not recommended for the front of the business card. If you plan to use the back of a standard size card or a folded business card, then a bullet list of services offered and main product lines can extend the usefulness of the business card.