What is a business card?
A card that carries your name and the relevant contact details like phone number(s), email id(s), address, URL, etc. on it.
Well, is it?
If your answer is "YES", the fact is your answer is not in sync with the business reality.
For a simple reason, as, then you certainly have no idea about what a business card does actually mean.
A business card is...
a) Not just your name and surname
b) Not just phone number(s)
c) Not just email id(s)
d) Not just website URL
e) Not just Facebook fan page link
f) Not just Twitter link
g) Not just YouTube link
h) Not just Blog link
i) Not just Company's logo
j) Not just Company's name
k) Not just Company's address
Instead, it is your business in short that gets introduced to a prospective client or customer who generally has NO INTEREST in your business because he is at the receiving end of your marketing communications.
Just the reason, a business card should rather be taken seriously and got to be treated as a lethal weapon for direct marketing.
Besides all expected and unexpected content, it needs to provide a recipient of the same with a holistic view of your business in light of promise(s), deliverable(s) and result(s) even at the outset.
Because, given today's business speed and cluttered marketing space filled with me-toos, if you think someone has the time and interest to know about your business in detail all the time then you sure is hoping for a miracle and the basis of that is astrology or a parrot prediction.
But, the fact is, your business should be communicated completely with your business card either for a target's acceptance or for his rejection, eliminating every possibility of being on hold on some false hopes.
It is quite unlikely, in fact almost impossible, nowadays to expect someone will remember your business (or you) by your business card. On the contrary, your business might achieve a recall, if your business card could be used as a ready reckoner of your promise(s), deliverable(s) and result(s).
How to make a workable business card?
An immediate answer to this question is, "Make it creative with an interesting or memorable design."
Not a bad idea, if you have enough money to invest, thinking people have no other jobs but appreciating your business card and preserve it in their lockers. Even if they do so, it might not help you or your business, since, lockers are often a forgotten place when someone searches for anything in a hurry. And it's a natural tendency to look for a business card while there is some fire but water or foam.
So, what to do?
Stick to simplicity and explain things as lucidly as possible, ideally in words only.
See the following business card layout of QESEQ International to get a fair idea:
A card that carries your name and the relevant contact details like phone number(s), email id(s), address, URL, etc. on it.
Well, is it?
If your answer is "YES", the fact is your answer is not in sync with the business reality.
For a simple reason, as, then you certainly have no idea about what a business card does actually mean.
A business card is...
a) Not just your name and surname
b) Not just phone number(s)
c) Not just email id(s)
d) Not just website URL
e) Not just Facebook fan page link
f) Not just Twitter link
g) Not just YouTube link
h) Not just Blog link
i) Not just Company's logo
j) Not just Company's name
k) Not just Company's address
Instead, it is your business in short that gets introduced to a prospective client or customer who generally has NO INTEREST in your business because he is at the receiving end of your marketing communications.
Just the reason, a business card should rather be taken seriously and got to be treated as a lethal weapon for direct marketing.
Besides all expected and unexpected content, it needs to provide a recipient of the same with a holistic view of your business in light of promise(s), deliverable(s) and result(s) even at the outset.
Because, given today's business speed and cluttered marketing space filled with me-toos, if you think someone has the time and interest to know about your business in detail all the time then you sure is hoping for a miracle and the basis of that is astrology or a parrot prediction.
But, the fact is, your business should be communicated completely with your business card either for a target's acceptance or for his rejection, eliminating every possibility of being on hold on some false hopes.
It is quite unlikely, in fact almost impossible, nowadays to expect someone will remember your business (or you) by your business card. On the contrary, your business might achieve a recall, if your business card could be used as a ready reckoner of your promise(s), deliverable(s) and result(s).
How to make a workable business card?
An immediate answer to this question is, "Make it creative with an interesting or memorable design."
Not a bad idea, if you have enough money to invest, thinking people have no other jobs but appreciating your business card and preserve it in their lockers. Even if they do so, it might not help you or your business, since, lockers are often a forgotten place when someone searches for anything in a hurry. And it's a natural tendency to look for a business card while there is some fire but water or foam.
So, what to do?
Stick to simplicity and explain things as lucidly as possible, ideally in words only.
See the following business card layout of QESEQ International to get a fair idea:
On the front side of the card, the mandatory information is given along with the pay-off upfront but the company name and its address. However, the logo is used in such a way, so one automatically rotates the card clockwise to understand it better and then flips the card to look at the backside of it in order to know the name of the company and its address.
A split second involvement with the provided communication is produced, thereby.
Then on the backside, the entire business philosophy, its offerings and the result which could be expected are duly explained, openly and clearly, highlighting the company's name and its address for one's easy and instant comprehension.
As a result, a proper and prompt introduction to the business in the offing is made minus any such ambiguity or gimmick, or without loads of .ppt slide as well.
Which ensures a productive interaction from the word go or no interaction at all to help both the parties save on valuable time.
Conclusion
A business card has to work for your business either to open up new opportunities straightway or to not begin any futile exercise just for an introduction and that's it.
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