Make the Most of Your Business Card

Congratulations…you are now a travel writer.

Do you have a business card that says you are a travel writer? You should.

Your business card is just a tiny piece of paper, but its value is disproportionate to its size. Because space is limited, the weight of each word on your card is exponentially greater than it would be if it were buried in the middle of your brochure.

Spend some time thinking about your business card, how you want it to portray you and what you want it to say before you spend a lot of money on beautiful four-color cards.

Create an effective business card

You may create a card that looks beautiful. But be sure to ask yourself whether it “works” from a marketing point of view as well. It will, if you follow these business card hints:

• Make it look professional. There are no rules about what a business card should look like. Make sure it looks as professional as the market you intend to attract.
• Look closely at the cards of colleagues and competitors. You should have a collection of business cards and you should always be analyzing the cards you collect to see what you like.
• Have more than one card. There’s no rule that says you have to fit everything on a single card. If you have a couple different specialties, why not have a card for each? That will make you look even more perfect to the prospect whose need is reflected even more specifically on your card.
• Make it interesting. After all, you want people to take a close look at it. It can be undersized, oversized or interestingly sized, colorful or printed on an unusual paper stock. Don’t worry if your card is not the standard size. A few people may complain, but they’ll remember you.
• Use both sides. When you walk away from an encounter, your business card stays and represents you. Make sure it has all the essential information on it. Don’t hesitate to use the back as well. It can be a place for people to make notes…in which case, adding the word “Notes” encourages people to write a note about you or your meeting with them. Or it can be a place to list the various services you offer.
• Don’t clutter up the card. You have a very small space to work with, so clarity is essential. You need to include your all of your basic contact information, but that isn’t as simple as it once was. We all have social networking sites, numerous email accounts, and multiple websites.

Some “must haves” and some “optionals” for your business card:

• Name
• Company name
• Tagline
• Address
• Phone numbers
• Fax number
• E-mail address
• Web address
• …and any other ways to contact you

Don’t get creative with placement of this information. Think instead about what makes the most sense to the person looking at the card.

Good luck and have fun designing your very own business card.

~Wendy

What tips for creating your own business cards do you have to share?