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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - What Not To Do With Your Business Cards!
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Happy birthday to me!
OK, so that was yesterday.
It was a pretty quiet birthday. We're getting ready to head out on a trip for our anniversary, so we kept things pretty quiet. I guess that's the disadvantage of having my birthday and anniversary 4 days apart.
It's our 5th anniversary this year. It just doesn't seem like it has been that long. The vacation we're taking will actually take me completely away from the computer for most of the week - a very rare occurance. I'll have one of my sisters checking on the forum. I have a few articles in the queue in my blog, and I'll be making next week's newsletter today if I get the time.
We're heading to my grandparent's place in Nehalem, OR, then going to see my oldest sister and her new baby in Seattle. There's no internet access at the house in Nehalem, so it will be a real break. Might steal some time at night on my sister's computer to peek in; I don't know.
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Different from most of our articles telling you what to do with your business cards, in this article we will discuss the business card No-No's:
Things to avoid doing with your business cards:
- Do not use 'free business cards'. There are a few companies around offering FREE business cards (by putting their logo on the back of your card). This is a priceless way for them to promote their company through you and your new business cards. Unfortunately there are very little benefits for you. While you may get free business cards, these business card will more than likely give the impression of cheapness and amateurness - not being able to afford proper business cards. Would you wear a free business suit that had a mcdonald's logo on the back? If no, then don't do the same with your business cards.
- Do not use a template. There are a number of online business card shops that offer templates for business cards. Choose a template, enter your contact details, order your business cards. While it may sound easy, you will get a generic business card, that does not use any clever business card marketing techniques and will do nothing 'extra' to promote your business. Be unique and get a custom design done that highlights your business and can be used as an effective marketing tool.
- Do not make a magnifying glass a necessity for reading your business card. Not everyone can boost having 20/20 vision. Consider this large percentage of people when you are designing your business card and try to make the text readable by the majority of readers.
- Do not use colors that clash. Choose colors wisely. Colors used with other colors can sometimes clash and become an eyesore and difficult to read or look at. Some colors go together and some colors don't. Do your homework and find a color wheel or a color matcher/chooser online to help you find compatible and eye pleasing matching colors.
- Do not use some else's business card or a corrected business card. Scribbling your details over your old details or on someone else's business card and then giving to someone could reflect very badly on you and your company. Doing this could give the bad impression of being cheap and not being professional. Make sure you have enough of your own business cards and if you do not have your own, get them!
- Do not forget to proof read your business card before printing. Having the wrong information on your business cards can be misleading and can result in lost business. Proofread your business card details before you submit them. Double check, triple check, make sure 100% before printing that the details are correct. This simple thing could save a lot of money if you can avoid needing to reprint 1000's of business cards with the wrong information.
- Do not print your business cards larger than standard size. I have seen business cards that are printed larger than normal as the people maybe looking to make their cards stand out and make them more memorable. While this may sound like a good idea, it could result in your card not being able to fit into business card filing systems or easily into wallets. This is best avoided, so stick to standard or smaller sizes.
- Do not neglect the material and paper that your cards are printed on. A lot of attention is paid to the design and colors of a business card and the same attention should be paid to the paper and coating. Thin papers give the impression of cheapness and leave them vulnerable to wear and environmental factors. Choosing good paper of at least 250GSM together with either a laminate or some kind of coating will ensure that your cards last a long time and give the right impression.
- Do not print your business cards yourself. While not always the case, we see far too many amateurish home printed cards which give nothing but a bad impression to the receiver. Getting your business cards printed professionally is not expensive and the difference in results in most cases will be a world apart.
Full Color Business Card Design and Printing Full Color Business Card Design and Printing Written by John Harley of 'The Business Card Shop'. The cheapest full color business cards guaranteed!!
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