Business Card Redesign: Why, When, and How
Despite the digital era being well and truly upon us, business cards are still one of the most prominent networking tools for most businesses. They’re not only a quick and easy way to exchange contact details with prospects, but they also provide a physical platform to showcase your brand on.
Here you’ll learn the why, when, and how to redesign your old business card design in an easy way.
Content
- Why you should redesign your card
- When should you redesign your business card?
- How to redesign your business card
- Should you use a business card portal?
- Conclusion
Why should you redesign your business card?
While coming up with a new design may not be that hard, it’s important that your new business card (and all other collateral) is consistently on-brand and up-to-date with your company messaging.
At its core, your business card needs to do three things:
- Capture the attention of prospects (acquisition)
- Quickly convey who you are and what you do (branding)
- Encourage prospects to get in touch (engagement)
An out-of-date card with old branding and old details is not going to hit these goals. On the other hand, if your card hits the three goals above, there is a higher chance of prospects keeping your card for future reference when they find themselves in need of your services, which is why it’s so important that you redesign your cards as and when you need to.
So, if you feel your business card design is currently letting you down and does not reflect your current brand identity, it’s probably time for a redesign. Some simple tweaks can turn a dull card into something unique and memorable - we’re talking changes like:
- Updating the colors
- Changing the fonts
- Mixing up the layout to make your cards more eye-catching
- Switching up the type of paper to make them more tactile
The goal is to have an on-brand design with updated contact details, always.
When should you redesign your business card?
As we mentioned before, it’s essential that you keep all your marketing materials updated as your business and branding evolve.
There’s a couple of reasons why companies might need to redesign their business cards.
These include:
- The company goes throughout a rebranding (new logo, colors, etc.)
- There’s new business information (new phone number, new offices, etc.)
- The need for a custom design for specific events (trade shows, meetings, etc.)
- Or just because your business cards are not getting the expected results.
- You’re going through a rapid headcount growth and need an easy-editable design.
The last point here is really important: business cards are inherently marketing materials and they should work to promote your business. Some companies are using new features such as QR codes to encourage prospects to take action.
If you’re not getting any leads despite handing out hundreds of business cards, you might have a problem with the design - maybe it’s confusing, hard to read, or doesn’t convey the value you offer.
Whatever the reason, it’s time for an update.
Related (and awesome) read: How Do Large Companies Manage and Print Business Cards for Their Employees?.
How to redesign your business card
Now you know why and when you should redesign your business cards, let’s take a look at how you can do it.
Step 1: Know Your Audience and Your Value
First things first, you need to understand what value your business offers and weave that into your redesign.
It’s the same with your audience - understanding who they are and why they might need your services is the first step in knowing what information you need to put on your cards.
Just a few ideas:
- Is your audience tech-savvy?: You might want to use a QR code linked to your site
- Is your audience found on social platforms?: Show your social handles.
- Is your industry very formal?: Choose a minimal design with only the essential info.
Step 2: Create an On-Brand Business Card
There are plenty of tools you can use to create a basic business card design for your company. Although if you want to really produce something beautiful and eye-catching we suggest you team up with a designer.
This is the trickiest part of the process, but it’s also the most important.
Think about:
- What colors resonate the best with your audience
- What shape or style of business card is going to stand out but also represent your brand in the right way
- How you will layout the information on your card so it’s easy-to-read and not cluttered
- Whether you want to incorporate any design trends
- What paper you’ll print your business cards on
If you are looking to upgrade your business cards, check out our premium papers.
Should you use a business card ordering portal?
First, let’s briefly explain what a business card portal is. In short, it’s a private online storefront that allows businesses to drastically simplify the ordering, proofing, shipping, and billing of printed business cards for the entire company.
How do you know if you need one?
Great question. Not every company necessarily needs one. Particularly small teams that order with a low frequency won’t get the most out of one. However, if you’re planning to order new cards frequently you might find that using one will be smarter than not, especially if you use a free solution like Brandly.
To easily recognize the need for an ordering portal, read the following questions:
- Does your company have a high number of employees?
- Does your company order business cards regularly?
- Is your company experiencing a period of rapid growth?
- Do you envision your team growing someday?
- Does your company have multiple offices?
- Does your company use different business card designs?
- Is your company going through a rebranding?
- Is your company moving offices or building new offices?
- Does your company lack of a designer?
- Are Purchasing specialists, HR, or designers spending too much time ordering cards?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then it’s probable that your company would benefit from one.
If you’re interested in learning more about how a business card ordering portal works, make sure to check out our full article on the topic.
Conclusion
Your business cards dictate your prospects’ first impression of you.
A great business card is memorable, sends out the right message, and encourages people to get in touch to find out more. In order for your business cards to do this, they need to be well-designed, on-brand and stand out from your competition.
So, if your current cards are out-of-date and low-quality, it’s definitely time for a refresh.
Also, if your company is going through a rebrand or re-design, it’s probably a good time to start thinking of where you’ll be printing those beauties. Brandly’s business card ordering portal makes it super easy to order cards for your entire company in just a few clicks. Get a free private portal for your company, free shipping, free backside printing, and more.
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