How to Make Business Cards Convert
Yesterday we discussed designing your business card with your end goal in mind. Some people want more calls, some people want brand recognition. Discovering what you want is the first step in figuring out how to make your business cards convert.
Keep these design ideas in mind when creating a business card that converts prospects to customers.
1. Shock value gets you noticed, the sales pitch gets you a customer.
If you have a great and unique business card, prepare your elevator pitch well in advance. Make sure you use that 30 second pitch to land that prospect because you’ll likely only have one chance.
2. Designs can change.
If you try a new design and you notice that you’re not getting the results you expected, ditch that design and move in a new direction. Business cards are extremely inexpensive marketing tools. For $30 you can get 500 business cards. If they don’t work, you can get another 500 and so on.
3. Stay current.
There is nothing worse (in my opinion) than a business card that was designed 10 years ago. Design changes and style change. Stay current or risk losing customers that see you as old and plain. Keep in mind that a business card text and pitch doesn’t have to change, but the brown and off white business cards of the 1980’s aren’t going to cut it any more. Today’s executives were only 10 years old when you had those business cards designed in 1985!
Photo by absurdity.
What is the Purpose of your Business Cards?
Converting prospects into clients is something that takes years of practice, experience and testing. You’ll never know what advertising or marketing method will convert the best, but one this always remains true. If you do nothing, you’ll have no business.
With that in mind, business cards are a great place to start with your marketing strategy. Making your business cards convert those prospects into paying customers is totally different.
Business cards should be designed with one idea in mind, generate revenue. Sometimes that revenue is generated through brand recognition and therefore a big logo should be used. Other times you’re trying to generate revenue by using your business cards to let the world know what you do. In that case a tagline is crucial.
Most of the time you want to receive more calls and generate interest in your product or service. This is the most common use for business cards. Here are some tips on how to make your business cards convert!
Self Employed Business Cards
When you lose your job, a common thought is, “I don’t like working for a boss, why don’t I work for myself?“ That thought usually spawns ideas and before you know it you’re registering your business name and you need business cards. Self employed business cards tend to take on two distinct forms.
Idea One - I want my one man business to look like there are other employees and not to look like I’m running my business out of my bedroom.
Idea Two - I want people to know that I’m the boss and they’ll always deal directly with me. I don’t mind meeting my clients at Starbucks.
If you’re in the first group of self employed people and want your business cards to look like you have two hundred lackey’s working for you then make sure that your self employed business card is designed professionally. That word “professional” doesn’t mean the local printer. They usually prefer pre-made templates and don’t do much logo design. You should plan to pay a decent amount of money to have a logo and busines card professionally designed. Prices range from $200-800 for a good design.
If you’re in the second group and want people to know that you’re self employed and happy about not telling anyone what to do, consider a simpler approach to business card design. You can experiment with creativity and humor. Colors and styles are at your disposal. Maybe you should even hand write your business cards.
Whichever group you fall in, when designing self employed business cards, plan the card and draft your ideas. Work on them for a few days before you get them printed. Make sure they have all of the information you want on the business cards and that they sell you and your product above all else.