Who doesn’t love the idea of free? We live in a world of “free”. Free money, free checking, free magazine subscriptions, and the list goes on and on.
Everyone wants something for nothing, so naturally if someone is giving out business cards for free, you should get some right? Wrong.
You may have free checking, and you may have eaten a free hot dog without any negative effects. However, the day you start using free business cards is the day you say, “I’m not very serious about this.” And you customers will know you aren’t serious about it either. All business cards are not created equal, and saving a bit of money in the beginning will cost you big down the road.
So you’ve reached this page in your quest for free business cards, and I will deliver that for you. Before that, consider these 4 reasons against using free business cards.
The best reason to use free business cards is obviously the price, usually you’ll only have to pay for the shipping and handling, so let’s discuss the downsides of this “free” offer.
1. Professional Image
As the old saying goes, you only get one chance at a first impression. That is a true statement with your business cards as well. Advertisements for other companies on YOUR business card screams cheap and unprofessional. Depending on the type of business you are in, I would assume that you do not want to appear as cheap and unprofessional.
2. Wasted Business Card Real Estate
The back side is the second most important part of your business card. The back side should be used to give important information. This information should be so important that your new contact/customer is forced to keep your card because they need that information. Many times, that information is a price quote, phone number, address, website, or model number. Needless to say, you do not want another company to have the back side of your business card for their advertisment.
3. Logo and Brand Awareness
With your business card you are showing people one of two things. You are showing them you are associated with a certain company, or you are showing them you are a professional without the need for a parent company. Most people fall into the first category if you work for someone else or receive a paycheck. Usually photographers, freelancers, web developers, and other similar occupations are in the second category. If you are in the first category, you work for someone else, then you most definitely need to have the company logo on your card. By having their logo on your card, the company is lending their credibility to you. Think of a car salesman at a dealership with that big blue Ford logo. That logo is giving credibility to the person who’s name is beside it.
If you are a small company starting out, or you are the company, this bit of information is priceless: Have a professionally designed logo created for you. There are many companies that can create a professional looking logo for you, and it will definitely be worth the cost. Your logo should not just be your company name in a unique font and color. For your logo to be effective it must be instantly recognizable. A professionally designed logo should also be “vector” based so that when you want to use it on a large scale, like a poster or billboard, it will still look perfect.
4. Attention Grabbing
When you hand someone a business card, 99% of the time they will immediately look down at it. Your goal with business cards are to create a lasting effect. you don’t want your potential customer loking at your business card later in the day and getting distracted by “Free Business Cards” on the corner or back.
After knowing the value in paying for business cards, how can you lose for such an inexpensive marketing tool?