Creating the Perfect Business Cards
It's not enough to meet other professionals, you have to exchange information and build personal rolodexes. It's very tacky to write someone's name done on the notes app on your iPhone. The best way to exchange information is through your business card.
Giving someone your business card is like an everlasting handshake. The way your business card is presented is the way you'll present your own personal brand to someone.
I had a bad experience receiving someone else's business card. In no way am I trying to bash this person, it was simply a bad move in the professional world. At the PRSSA conference, I came into contact with this girl. Let's call her Amber. Amber was a sweet person who really cared about PR. After our conversation, it came time to exchange business cards. She pulled out her card and I pulled out mine. Her business card was printed on flimsy computer paper and mine was professionally printed on hard cardstock. She looked at mine embarrassed and said, "My little sister and I just cut these out last night." I was absolutely shocked. Amber was giving these out to public relation executives, future employers. Here are some of my tips. Don't be like Amber.
1. Get your cards professionally printed.
Spend that extra dough because hopefully your business card will impress a future employer which will then lead to more dough. You get in what you put out.
Benefits of Moo.com: I love moo.com the most. Moo has a lot of business cards that are premade that you can simply slip your information into. Even though they are premade, they are totally customizable. They have a lot of different paper options, like cardstock which is really awesome. Last, they have all different sizes. Really, nothing is impossible on moo.com.
Drawbacks of Moo.com: It's a little pricey. If you are totally invested in this project it might be worth the money, but this is a personal thing.
Here is a link to get money off of your Moo order: https://www.moo.com/share/5fq5nw
Vista Print
Benefits of Vista Print: You can virtually get 500 business cards for $9.99! There are many different types of prints you can get such as raised print, spot glass, metallic finish, and even a folded business card. This is the clear option if you need a lot of business cards fast.
Drawbacks of Vista Print: You don't have much of a choice when it comes to the thickness of the paper or the type of paper. Vista Print doesn't only to business cards, so it's a little less specialized. Once again, this is a personal observation.
2. Put only the important things on your card.
First name
Last Name
Cell phone
Twitter handle and/or other personal social media contact info
optional: QR code linking to your blog or website
If you are in a profession like public relations, a picture of yourself is unnecessary. If you are a realtor, it would be important to have a picture.
In today's world, it is important to have your social media platforms on your business cards. I would never have a business card without LinkedIn, no matter what profession you are in.
3. Make your Card Memorable
Stay professional, but make then aesthetically appealing. Here is an example of mine:
I made it a point for my logo to match my website, so if a colleague or an employer looks at my website and my business card is sitting right in front of them they will see nothing but consistency.
Now, I'm not saying my business cards are perfect. I have a lot of room to grow. I have learned most of what I know from my local PRSSA Chapter (http://www.uvuprssa.org/). On the other hand, these business cards have impressed many. My first impression lives on with these cards. A business card is an everlasting handshake. Make it a point to make it a good one.
For more insight from my brain follow me on Twitter: @brookejorgensen